School Lunches: A Threat to Health?

Fehinti AkandeBrian Baran

Meherab Grewal

Research Question

How are teens affected by the selection of foods offered at schools, and how can teens make better choices at school in order to maintain a healthier lifestyle?

School Lunch• In a recent study, the best

possible school lunch was healthier than the best possible lunch from home (under 5 dollars)

• However, kids just eat what they want, which is typically unhealthy

• The average amount of kids who purchased lunch in 2008 so far is 60.1 %, going up each year

• This amount is expected to decline due to the current economic situation

School Lunch• Children who ate at school were 3

times more likely to be obese• Fries were the most common

thing bought in 2007, as kids regarded it as a quick, cheap snack

• The majority of school lunches cost over $4.50

• A school in Wisconsin removed all unhealthy foods from the lunch line, and saw a 0.35 average increase in GPA

• Parents like to know what their kids are eating (Zangle)

Nutrition Analysis• After one week of recording lunches, we calculated the data• Daily Averages

-Calories: 666- Protein: 33.4 g- Total Fat: 24.3 g- Saturated Fat: 11.5 g- Trans Fat: 0 g

- Total Carbohydrates: 80.2 g- Fiber: 4.2 g- Sugars: 14.8 g- Sodium: 1067 mg- Cholesterol: 49.6 mg

Nutrition Analysis

• Based on lunch as one third of day’s calories, so one third of recommended daily values needed

• Exceeded limits of many recommendations• Protein – enough for two meals eaten at

lunch

Nutrition Analysis

• Calories: Almost exactly 1/3 of a 2000 calorie diet – recommendations based off of this

• Protein: Ate 66% of recommended daily value (RDV) in one meal – too much

• Total Fat: Ate 37% of RDV at lunch – reasonable• Saturated Fat: Ate 57.5% of maximum RDV at

lunch – extremely high for just one meal• Trans Fat: Not present in any items eaten - good

Nutrition Analysis

• Total Carbohydrates: Ate 27% of RDV – slightly low, but not a concern

• Fiber: Ate only 17% of RDV – very low• Sugars: Ate 37% of RDV – slightly high, could

vary• Sodium: Ate 44% of RDV – too high• Cholesterol: Ate 16.5% of maximum RDV –

good (low amount desired)

Nutrition Analysis

• Most values did not meet recommendations• Looking at the nutritional information for

schools, most lunches either contain too many fats and sugars, or they do not provide enough carbohydrates, proteins, and vital minerals

• They are high in saturated fats, cholesterol, contain refined grains, unhealthy salts and added sugars.

The Survey• Who took the survey?• 100 Results total• Grade Level

– 29% Seniors– 21% Juniors– 26% Sophomores– 24% Freshmen

• Question 2:– 64% Female– 36% Male

The Survey• Average Number of times you buy school lunch each week:

– 0- 39.0%– 1- 20.0%– 2- 11.0%– 3- 10.0%– 4- 4.0%– 5-16.0%

The Survey• Average number of times you buy candy, chips, cookies, ice cream,

Poptarts, or similar snacks at school (from the lunch line, vending machines, snack bar, or snack cart) each week:

• 0 - 38.0%• 1 - 26.0%• 2 - 11.0%• 3 - 15.0%• 4 - 4.0%• 5 - 4.0%• 6-10 - 1.0%• More than 10 - 1.0%

The Survey• Average number of times you buy pop, frozen coke, or similar drinks at

school (from the lunch line, vending machines, snack bar, or snack cart) each week:

• 0 - 60.0%• 1 - 18.0%• 2 - 11.0%• 3 - 7.0%• 4 - 0.0%• 5 - 3.0%• 6-10 - 1.0%

The Survey• If you buy school lunch, do you typically eat the following? • Fries

– Yes - 52.2% (48) – No - 19.6% (18) – N/A - 28.3% (26)

• Fruit – Yes - 29.0% (27) – No - 41.9% (39) – N/A - 29.0% (27)

• Salad – Yes - 29.0% (27)– No - 40.9% (38) – N/A - 30.1% (28)

• Milk – Yes - 25.3% (23) – No - 44.0% (40) – N/A - 30.8% (28

• Fried food of any kind – Yes - 57.1% (52) – No - 12.1% (11) – N/A - 30.8% (28)

• Vegetables offered as a side – Yes - 18.7% (17) – No - 49.5% (45) – N/A - 31.9% (29)

The Survey• How often do you believe that you make healthy food choices at school?

Note: This applies to both purchasing lunch and bringing it from home.• All of the time - 7.0%• Most of the time - 37.0%• Half of the time - 29.0%• Sometimes - 16.0%• Never - 11.0%

The Survey• In your opinion, what percent of the school's lunch choices are healthy?• 100% - 0.0% • 75% - 5.0%• 50% - 30.0%• 25% - 52.0% • 0% - 13.0%

Free Response Wall of Fame: “Please briefly describe your eating habits during school hours”

• “I bring my own lunch for many purposes. I am a vegetarian and usually school does not offer lunches that suit my needs”

• “I generally eat during most of my classes (stuff that I bring from home). I don't like to buy lunch, so I eat fairly healthy food like carrots, sandwiches, fruit and water.”

• “During School Hours I eat snacks that are HEALTHY for me I refuse to buy the school food they provide for us. ALL the stuff probably has PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS which is horrible for you”

• “I eat snacks during the morning as I have second lunch both days. These are normally healthy foods such as energy bars or items from my lunch, like fruit or granola. I try to eat as healthy as possible and do not purchase the unhealthy, fried foods served most days. Instead, I choose to eat salads with light dressing -- the Greek salad dressing choice contains about 1/3 of the total daily recommended amount of fat!”

Free Response Wall of Fame: “Please describe a change in the school lunches or snacks available at school that you think would be beneficial to students'

health”

• “there should be much more variety of healthy food. Alot of people are limited with salad or turkey sandwhich if they wanna stay healthy which can sometimes get kinda boring.... maybe try adding meals that are actually healthy.. like grilled chicken with vegtables on the side.. something like that :)”

• “salad bar lettace that's not wilted and gross”• “less fried stuff and fake stuff (foods with tons of chemicals in them)”• “Free and available ice water. I do not buy bottled water because it is expensive, and if i spend money on a drink i will tend

to spend it on something more worth the money, such as a frozen drink.”• “Don't have that much fried food. Make more meals from scratch, instead of processed food.”• “Less fries. More fresh food. No pop.”• “a salad/fruit bar of some sort would be nice”• “So there's this health program that Supersize Me talks about that makes helathy lunches for the same cost as the normal

lunch program... I vote the healthly program.”• “Food without trans fat and more fruit.”• “we need to focus more on the main meals than the sides- students dont usually get the vegetables etc offered as an

optional side, so those dont work. Less fried stuff in the main meals”• “more fruits and vegetables nutrigrain, granola bars, wheat thins, or other crackers in place of chips”• “I think instead of frozen pop we should have smoothies. Then we'd have something healthy and sweet.”• “I would love to see a salad bar with fresh toppings and better low cal option dressings.”

Number of Responses that mentioned reducing the amount of fried food served: 15

A Solution: Buying Smart• If you are hungrier than usual, pick an extra snack; crackers or whole-grain

popcorn is good• Make sure your meal has lots of grains • Fruits and vegetables are a better side than mashed potatoes• Make sure that you will enjoy your meal, or it is just 4 dollars of wasted

money• Don’t overspend; keep your eyes smaller than your stomach• Pick a good beverage. Milk is much cheaper than soda or Powerade, and it

is also healthier• If you don’t like milk, bring a water bottle and fill it up at a water fountain

so you don’t pay $1.25 for water• Have a small treat sometimes, like a chocolate bar or a Skittles, as long as

you keep it in moderation

A Solution: Pack a Lunch• What to pack:

– Fruit and a vegetable every day– Bring snacks so you don’t have to buy– Lean meat sandwiches on whole grain bread – try to avoid red meat– Low-fat yogurt– Nuts– Water or Milk

• Try to mix up meals; kids like to eat their favorite foods, so a burger or a soda once or twice a week is okay

• For younger children, try packing colorful foods, such as Goldfish, or a food they can play with, like noodles, to pique interest in their meal

• Older kids can eat yogurt, which, studies say, is a hard food to resist, because it is both nutritious and sweet

• Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot; nobody wants their food going bad

A Solution: Pack a Lunch• What to bring for a snack:

– Make sure you only bring a small amount– Must be something you like– Fruit– Peanut butter on crackers– Baked potato chips– Tortilla chips with salsa (trans fat free)– Vegetables with low-fat dip– String cheese– Low-fat yogurt– Vanilla wafers– Graham crackers– Animal crackers– Fig bars– Popcorn (low-fat or light butter)

Works CitedDaily Values Encourage Healthy Diet. U.S Food & Drug Administration. 4 Dec. 2008

<http://www.fda.gov/fdac/special/foodlabel/dvs.html>.Gavin, Mary L. “School Lunches”. KidsHealth. April 2007. Nemours Foundation. 4 December 2008.

<http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/school_stuff/school_lunches.html>."General Lunch Data Information" Bloomfield Hills Schools Food Services Nutrional Data. Dec. 2008.

<http://foodservice.bloomfield.org/nutrition>.“National School Lunch Program: Participation and Lunches Served”. 28 November 2008. United States Department of

Agriculture. 4 December 2008. <http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/slmain.htm>.“Take Charge of Your Health” National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases. Nov 2007. Reproduced in Health

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