Are School Lunches Healthy?

The answer is yes. I know this because I’m a head cook at an elementary school.

Most people do not realize, that by law, all school lunches have certain requirements of nutrition for each meal. 

Here are some examples of what each meal is required to have: 

One cup of fruit and all juices must be 100% real juice with no additives. All milk is zero fat, and if your child likes chocolate milk, it is 25% less sugar than regular chocolate milk.

It is required to serve seven to ten ounces of whole grains for each meal. We must offer one and a half cup of beans or the equivalent.

Three fourths cup vegetable is required for each meal.

One half cup protein, such as meat, cheese, or peanut butter for each meal.

There is a minimum and maximum calorie per meal. For example kindergarten through fifth grade is 550 to 650 calories for lunch. Sixth through eighth grade is 600 to 700 calories. Ninth through 12th grade is 750 to 850 calories.

There is also a minimum and maximum on sodium. Kindergarten through fifth grade is 430 mg to 640 mg, sixth grade through eighth grade is 470 mg to 710 mg, ninth through twelfth grade is 500 mg to 740 mg.

All labeling on food served must indicate zero trans-fat, and saturated fats can only be one percent of total calories.

We must serve assorted colors of vegetables for each meal. Each meal consists of a protein, meat, cheese, peanut butter, two vegetables and two fruits. Of course, milk is served at every meal, also a whole grain is served at each meal.

I never knew how strict the laws are, as far as what we can serve for a school lunch.

After a 30-year career driving a truck, I decided to work at the elementary school that my granddaughter attends. I really did not take the job for the pay, I just wanted to be able to see my granddaughter every day. After four months of employment, I became they head cook.

So, during this time I’ve learned a lot and have learned school lunches are considered healthy eating for your children. For schools that serve breakfast, just remember the breakfast cereal has 25% less sugar than your store-bought cereal. The same goes for pop-tarts, donuts, etc.

If it is easier to let your child eat school lunches, compared to packing them, it’s okay because they are healthy lunches. One rule a head cook has is that we will never serve any food that we won’t eat or serve to our own family.

There are five of us in the kitchen, we take making a good breakfast and lunch for the kids seriously. Unfortunately, we know a few of the kids don’t have a lot to eat at home, so we make sure they get healthy food and a full stomach while at school.

This is the lunch we serve today to 244 children, grades kindergarten to sixth grade. Bosco sticks with marinade, choice of hot or cold ham and cheese sandwiches, green beans, fresh grapes, mixed canned fruit, garden chicken salad with fat-free ranch dressing, fresh carrot sticks, fresh celery sticks, and a choice of drinks: white milk, chocolate milk, strawberry-flavored milk, and veggie juice punch.

We have charts that are an overview of crediting requirements for the meal pattern components. This keeps us on track of how much in volume /cups /weight we need to serve each day in all of the food groups.

Happy school lunches!

 The Lunch Lady