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What's More Healthy, Cafeteria Or Packed Lunch?

Our new database allows you to compare the nutritional value in your children's lunch choices.

Tribune photo by JAY NOLAN

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By MICHELE SAGER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2009

TAMPA - Parents: Take a closer look the next time you pack a school lunch. What's inside that lunch box may not be as healthy as you think.

An array of prepackaged snack items -- everything from cookies and crackers to fruit and nuts -- makes it easier than ever to load school lunches.

But look closer at the nutritional labels on some of the most popular foods, and you'll see that they are loaded with sodium and saturated fat. Cheetos, for example, are high in salt, as are some crackers and prepackaged meals.

Oscar Mayer Lunchables are popular items in the cafeteria because they eliminate prep time, but they are loaded with sodium. A ham and Swiss Lunchables packs 930 milligrams of sodium in one package.

Some items may not be as healthy as they appear. Low-calories items such as sliced chicken and turkey can have high amounts of salt, while trail mix can be high in calories and fat.

Experts recommend reading nutrition labels and loading lunches with fruits and vegetables. And it appears some students have become savvier about what they eat.

"I usually bring my lunch to school because my family is kind of health nuts," said King junior Salisha Weaver. Weaver's lunch that day consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread, strawberries, raw cauliflower, grape tomatoes and yogurt.

Families can also turn to purchasing lunches from the school for nutritious meals. Districts are required to follow federal guidelines to provide a balanced lunch. That's why schools offer fruits, milks and whole wheat breads in the selections.

But just because the options are there doesn't mean students are choosing them.

"I don't think getting lunch is as healthy as bringing it," said Bartels Middle sixth-grader Traviss Springs. "A lot of the food is really gross, so then people just end up eating chips and cookies because that's all they like."

Older students have the option of buying items such as pizza, cookies and chips a la carte. Mary Kate Harrison, general manager for Hillsborough County's nutrition services, said she wishes students didn't have as many a la carte options.

"Perhaps some day we'll be able to eliminate some of those items, but right now we can't do that because it's a revenue generator," she said.

However, Harrision said the school district has taken other steps to , such as switching to baked chips, raising the prices on cookies and moving popular a la carte options to the regular lunch lines.

"That way students can see that if they get that chicken sandwich in the [regular] lunch line, they also get the fruit and juice and are getting much more for their money," she said.

For now, the ultimate key to healthy lunches may be in what the students choose to eat. "They can give you all kinds of healthy stuff, but you still are only going to eat what you like," said Riverhills Elementary fifth-grader Dineysha Cruz.

Reporter Michele Sager can be reached at (813) 865-1523.

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