SAN ANTONIO -- For many kids in our area, the school cafeteria is where they get a good portion of their daily nourishment for almost 13 years of their life, from kindergarten to graduation. With one in three American children overweight, some wonder if schools could be feeding students’ waistlines in addition to their brains.
News 4 WOAI found some school meals have similar fat levels to what's found in a small burger and fry served at a popular fast food restaurant. So, we put some local lunches to the test.
During our research, we found lunchtime still has some of what you may remember from your school days: kids eating, socializing and picking favorite foods. Hamburgers, chicken nuggets, pizza, cheeseburgers and the like seem to top that list! But, to some parents we talked to, those favorites seem to sound more like fattening fast food than brain food.
So, to take a closer look, News 4 WOAI randomly selected lunches from the two biggest school districts in the area. We took each meal to a local lab, where they were broken down and tested for calories and fat.
The lab found a meal of steak fingers, tater tots, pineapple and salad from Northside ISD contained 23 grams of fat and almost 6oo calories. A hot dog lunch with Mac & cheese, beans and corn from North East ISD came in at almost 22 fat grams and 628 calories.
Registered dietitian Heather King helped us analyze the lab's results. King says the meals contained half the fat an elementary-age child should get in an entire day. She also pointed out that the meals are high in sodium, too. It’s know that a diet of high fat and high sodium foods can lead to health problems, like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
News 4 WOAI then took the results to the schools. North East ISD registered dietitian, Louisa Kates, says the 22 grams of fat in the hot dog meal is within federal and stricter state guidelines. She adds, “It’s a balance throughout the week. It’s not just a one day thing.”
North East ISD teaches children how to eat all kinds of foods using a stop light to color-code food items. She points out, “Green for go, yellow for slow and red for whoa”. Each color tells the students which foods can be eaten freely and those that are best only once every now and then. And, while kid-pleasing pizza and burgers may be on the menu, Kates says they are healthier versions than what is found in restaurants. She adds, “Our pizza has not been brushed with extra oil, it’s whole grain crust with low-fat cheese. Hamburgers- it’s a whole grain bun. It’s a lean patty”
On a visit to a Northside lunchroom, many elementary students were choosing salads, fruits, vegetables and multi-grain pasta to eat. Northside ISD will serve 18 million meals this school year. The head of the child nutrition department, registered dietitian, Cynthia Barton says the NISD meal tested at the lab is also within the government’s guidelines. She goes on to say, “School lunches have gone through a lot of changes over the years. We have a lot more whole grain products, we use reduced fat cheeses. We use lean meats, lower sodium fruits and veggies. We have instead of using margarine to season vegetables, we use butter buds. We use fat-free dressings. We do baking. And, there is no frying.” As of this year, no school in Texas can fry on campus. That means items like chicken nuggets can be fried at the plant but must be baked at schools.
While the government regulates acceptable fat levels, it doesn't cap calories or sodium. Both NEISD’s Kates and NISD’s Barton are working on ways to lower sodium in school meals. But, they both point out that will take the help of food manufacturers. They say more healthy alternatives will be added next year.
And, you don’t have to take a school lunch to the lab to find out what’s in it. Both
NISD and
NEISD post nutritional information about school food on their websites.
