Nutrition

One of the goals of the Point Loma Cluster Schools Foundation is to promote balance and a healthy campus lifestyle.  In regards to nutrition, this includes updating menu options to improve nutritional content and healthy choices; eliminating trans fats, enhancing Kids-Choice Café and National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs; meeting the nutritional guidelines of the California Shaping Health as Partners in Education menu patterns and the California Fresh Start Program; and providing nutrition education that includes tasting and sampling of fresh fruits and vegetables

 

SDUSD Food Services Department believes "Healthy Bodies Make Healthy Minds" and is focused on offering meals designed to be both healthy and well-received by students.  Meals are served to students through the federally-funded United States Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.  Meals meet nutrition guidelines based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Menus are written with 30% or less calories from fat and 10% or less calories from saturated fat.  School lunches provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories.  These guidelines apply over the course of one week of school lunch menus.  A staff registered dietitian computer analyzes each menu following the California SHAPE Nutrient Standard Menu System which meets or exceeds federal guidelines.  Prior to writing the menus, students are part of the decision making process, participating in taste testing, focus groups and surveys.

SDUSD Food Services has compiled a directory of resources that align with national and California standards to make it easy to incorporate building healthy lifestyles into everyday life:  http://www.sandi.net/Page/31754

The Food Services Department's supporting programs have added important dimensions to our basic programs.

• The Farm to School program gives us fresh locally grown foods that simultaneously nourish our children and support our local farmers and communities, and educate students about where their food comes from.
• The Breakfast in the Classroom program serves over 30,000 breakfasts a day to students right at their desks insuring that they are given the nutritional boost they need to be ready to learn.
• The Summer Fun Café brings healthy lunches and snacks to children during the summer when school is not in session.  Studies indicate the summer lunch program helps to bridge the summer learning gap.
• The new Supper program serves late afternoon meals to students in San Diego Unified School District's Primetime program.
• Breakfast meals are available to students mandated to attend Saturday School.

 

Farm to School program connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers.  Farm to School at its core is about establishing relationships between local foods and school children by way of including, but not limited to:

• Local products in school meals – breakfast, lunch, after school snacks; and in classrooms – snacks, taste tests, educational tools;
• Local foods related curriculum development and experiential learning opportunities through school gardens, farm tours, farmer in the classroom sessions, chefs in the classroom, culinary education, educational sessions for parents and community members, visits to farmers’ markets.

Beginning with the 2012-2012 school year, SDUSD put in place the new USDA guidelines for even healthier meals for our students. These guidelines came about through the Healthy Hunger-Free Kid's Act of 2010 and ensure that meals are healthy and well-balanced and provide students all the nutrition they need to succeed at school.  Five components of a healthy meal are offered: milk, fruits, vegetables, proteins and grains with strict limits on saturated fat and portion size.  School lunches meet additional standards requiring:

• Age-appropriate calorie limits
• Larger servings of vegetables and fruits (students must take at least one serving of produce)
• A wider variety of vegetables, including dark green and red/orange vegetables and legumes
• Fat-free or 1% milk (flavored milk must be fat-free)
• More whole grains
•  And less sodium

Trans fats banned:  Beginning with the 2009/10 school year, state law bans food containing trans fats from being sold at schools in vending machines and by outside contractors.  A separate legislative effort covers school cafeteria food.  Trans fats, which have been linked to heart disease, can be found in vegetable shortenings, cookies, crackers, pies and other foods made with, or fried in, partially hydrogenated oils.  Mary MacVean, Los Angeles Times

Improved high school lunch program for 2009/10:  ~33,000 teenagers attend the district's 17 high schools, but only 1/3 buy campus lunches.  SDUSD hopes to double that number to 20,000 next year with improved menu choices, new food carts, and discreet payment procedures to increase the number of students getting nutritious meals.

• New Meals:  ~160 high school students sampled and rated potential new meals:  teriyaki chicken bowls with Asian vegetables got approval from 100% of students; pesto chicken sandwiches got a thumbs up from 84% of students; and tuna wraps with cucumber and wasabi dressing scored well with 81% of tasters.
• SDUSD bought 122 elaborate food carts with $2 million from the $2.1 billion Prop S bond measure. Those carts will be spread out throughout campuses in the fall and will feature some of the new lunch items.
• High school students who qualify for the federal subsidy rarely use it, in part because of the social stigma associated with the assistance.  Gary Petill, SDUSD food services director, plans to have all students scan their ID cards to get a meal. The scanner would either deduct money from their account or authorize a free meal.

 

The 800-calorie meals come with two side dishes and milk.  SDUSD will continue to meet with students in a series of focus groups designed to find out what teenagers want for lunch.

New Menu Focus Group:  In 2008/9, Food Services is conducting a district-wide High School Focus Group with selected students to identify possible menu items for the new school year.  Suggestions include Orange, Kung Pao, Teriyaki, Sesame, and Spicy Sichuan chicken bowls, along with different noodle products.  Other items include Chipotle, Oriental, Tropical, and Santa Fe turkey wraps.  New entrées would also include pasta bowls and hand-rolled burritos.  Additional fresh products for the salad bars are also being explored, including Oriental, Mediterranean, and Southwest salads.  Student input is vital to the success of the menus.  The goal is to offer healthy fresh foods ‘fast’ that students like to eat as we continue the fight against childhood obesity and potential health problems.  For more information, please contact Sally Spero, food services planning supervisor at (858) 627-7306.