Metro Nashville-Davidson County Public schools is seeking to provide healthier meals and create a more healthful environment of foods using fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and whole grains.
The students are provided additional fresh fruit and fresh vegetable choices. As one well knows that children will be children and they will not always choose fresh fruits or vegetables even when offered to them. We will encourage students to try the fresh fair.
The alacarte offering lower in saturated fat and sodium are available to all students. These alacarte items served to are in keeping up with the federal standards to create a more nutritious snack/vending environment for the students. At the present time our food service department plans menus that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for all Americans that offers foods low in fat, calories, without added sugars, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, high fiber whole grains and low-fat dairy foods are available. We serve baked French fries to K-8 students in an effort to continue to lower fat intake in the diet.
As menus are planned by the district dietitian Deborah Walker, M.A., R.D.,LDN with the input of the manager menu committee and student likes, it is challenging to put a popular menu in place. The top choices of our students are pizza, chicken nuggets, and the all-American burger. Parents often look at their students, school lunch choice as junk food. What parents don't realize is that the pizza is made of whole grain crust, and is lower in sodium, the chicken nuggets have a whole grain breading which is nutrient dense and the hamburger is served using a whole grain bun. All portions served to students are carefully monitored; we do not super size any of our portions. There will be an increase of salad plates, wrapped sandwich plates as well as fruit plates. On going efforts are made to make sure we offer the best quality foods that will provide optimal nutrition for the students.
The food service industry realizes that people today are looking for foods that are fresh, low in fat, sodium, and sugar so each contact with the food vendor we are seeing more foods being offered that follow our nutrient standard guidelines. It is a struggle for our school district to buy fresh wholesome food on a small budget. We offer the best low cost well-balanced meal in town.
When it comes to nutrition education for our students and wellness we are providing teachers with the USDA Team Nutrition curriculum kits at each school location. The new Food Pyramid posters are located in all cafeterias. There are various community agencies such as the Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program, various community colleges and university dietetic interns create nutrition lessons that are presented to the students at classroom times and during lunch. The Live It! Go for the Red, White and Blue program is a middle school based wellness program for students and staff. This program addresses the prevention of obesity. Students learn to eat right and exercise and parents are asked to participate with their child.
Our weekly menus, parent/teacher guide, and information about our department is located on our website at www.nashville.gov. Go to Metro Schools and click on Food Services for more program information.
The wellness program under the direction of Dr. Tina Bozeman and the School Food Service department, along with Alignment Nashville and community partners are striving to follow the guidelines of the Board Wellness Policy to see that improvements are continually being made. Remember that school breakfast and school lunch maybe the only meal a child receives all day. We solicit your support in an effort to help students select healthy foods and increase physical activity.
