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What's The Best Choice For School Lunch?

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By MICHELE SAGER

msager@tampatrib.com

Published: February 4, 2009

Updated: 02/04/2009 12:11 am

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

Even well-balanced lunches bought from the cafeteria may not measure up if children eat the wrong things.

Parents need to make sure their kids are eating healthy at school, whether they brown-bag it or buy breakfast or lunch in the cafeteria. That means checking food labels and the nutritional breakdowns provided by the school district.

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 they are high in calories or 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 full of salt. A ham and Swiss Lunchables packs 930 milligrams of sodium in a single package.

Some items may not be as healthy as they appear. Low-calorie 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 packing lunches with lots of fruits and vegetables.

The importance of eating healthy has sunk in with some students.

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

Families can also buy nutritious lunches at school. School districts are required to follow federal guidelines to provide a balanced lunch. That's why schools offer fruits, milk and whole wheat breads.

Just because the options are there, though, doesn't mean students are choosing them.

"I don't think getting lunch is as healthy as bringing it," said Bartels Middle School 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."

The pizza sticks served in middle and high schools have more than 500 calories, and nearly 50 percent of those calories come from fat. The chicken fajita salad with reduced fat sour cream and salsa comes in at 542 calories, 50 percent of which come from fat.

But students can also order steamed broccoli and a bowl of alphabet soup. Total calories: less than 100.

Older students can buy pizza, cookies, chips and other items a la carte. That can undercut the school district's efforts to serve a balanced meal.

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 someday 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.

The school district has taken steps to steer students toward healthier options - switching to baked chips, raising the prices on cookies and moving popular a la carte options to the regular lunch lines, Harrison said.

"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.

Ultimately, though, whether or not they eat healthy lunches is up to the students themselves.

"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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