RE: L.A. schools' healthful lunch menu panned by students

[Guest guest]

" Good intentions " so often lead to unintended consequences.

W. Rowell, RD, LN, CLT

Montana State Hospital

Long Term Care Consultant

InfoSites:

www.elk-hunting-tips.net

www.benefits-of-massage-therapy.com

" In spite of everything, we Americans are still uniquely blessed, not only with

the rich bounty of our land but by a bounty of the spirit -- a kind of

year-round Christmas spirit that still makes our country a beacon of hope in a

troubled world and that makes this Christmas and every Christmas even more

special for all of us who number among our gifts the birthright of being an

American. " -- Reagan<http://reagan2020.us/>

L.A. schools' healthful lunch menu panned by students

It's lunchtime at Van Nuys High

School<http://projects.latimes.com/schools/school/van-nuys/van-nuys-senior-high/\

>and

students stream into the cafeteria to check out the day's fare: black bean

burgers, tostada salad, fresh pears and other items on a new healthful menu

introduced this year by the Los Angeles Unified School

District<http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/schools/los-angeles-unified-scho\

ol-district-ORGOV000940.topic>.

But Iraides Renteria and Gutierrez don't even bother to line up.

Iraides said the school food previously made her throw up, and calls it

" nasty, rotty stuff. " So what do they eat? The juniors pull three bags of

Flamin' Hot Cheetos and soda from their backpacks.

" This is our daily lunch, " Iraides says. " We're eating more junk food now than

last year. "

For many students, L.A. Unified's trailblazing introduction of healthful school

lunches has been a flop. Earlier this year, the district got rid of chocolate

and strawberry milk, chicken nuggets, corn

dogs<http://www.latimes.com/topic/science-technology/science/zoology/dog-%28anim\

al%29-T50023003.topic>,

nachos and other food high in fat, sugar and sodium. Instead, district chefs

concocted such healthful alternatives as

vegetarian<http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/diets-dieting/vegetarian-diet-HED\

I00003.topic>curries

and tamales, quinoa salads and pad Thai noodles.

There's just one problem: Many of the meals are being rejected en masse.

Participation in the school lunch program has dropped by thousands of students.

Principals report massive waste, with unopened milk cartons and uneaten entrees

being thrown away. Students are ditching lunch, and some say they're suffering

from headaches, stomach

pains<http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/symptoms/abdominal-pain-HEISY00003.top\

ic>and

even anemia. At many campuses, an underground market for chips, candy, fast-food

burgers and other taboo fare is thriving.

Acknowledging the complaints, L.A. Unified's food services director, Dennis

Barrett, announced this month that the menu would be revised. Hamburgers will be

offered daily. Some of the more exotic dishes are out, including the beef

jambalaya, vegetable curry, pad Thai, lentil and brown rice cutlets, and quinoa

and black-eyed pea salads. And the Caribbean meatball sauce will be changed to

the more familiar teriyaki flavor.

The district is even bringing back pizza - albeit with a whole wheat crust,

low-fat cheese and low-sodium sauce, according to food services deputy director

Binkle.

" We're trying to put healthier foods in place and make food [that] kids like,

and that's a challenge, " Binkle said. " But we want to be responsive and listen

and learn. "

The new menu, introduced this fall, was hailed as a revolutionary step by the

nation's second-largest school district to combat the growing epidemic of youth

obesity<http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/physical-conditions/obesity-HEDAI000\

0057.topic>,

diabetes<http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/diseases-illnesses/diabetes-HEDAI00\

00022.topic>and

other health problems. It was the latest healthful food initiative by the

district, which banned sodas on campus in 2004, nixed the sale of junk food

during the school day and called for more produce and less salt and fat to be

served.

This year, L.A. Unified, which serves 650,000 meals daily, has received awards

for improving its school lunches, including one last week from the U.S.

Department of

Agriculture<http://www.latimes.com/topic/science-technology/agricultural-researc\

h-technology/u.s.-department-of-agriculture-ORGOV0000241.topic>and

another from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

The new menus are in line with the federal government's updated dietary

guidelines, which recommend, for instance, that fruits and vegetables make up

half the plate. L.A. Unified has virtually eliminated canned and frozen fruits

and vegetables, boosting spending on fresh produce from $2 million in 2006 to

$20 million in 2010.

For months before introducing the new fare, the district held community taste

tests and collected 300,000 comments - 75% of which were positive, Binkle said.

But Barrett said the debut was a " disaster. " Participation plunged by more than

13%, he said. About two-fifths of the loss was tied to 99 schools that

temporarily resumed requiring lunch tickets; typically, a drop-off is expected

when this occurs. In the last month or so, the overall program has begun to

recover; participation is down by about 5% or 6%, Barrett said.

Students have embraced about half of the new fare, according to Binkle; the

salads and vegetarian tamales in particular have been popular.

But some students said they still are not eating - including those who liked the

food at the taste tests.

Andre Jahchan, a 16-year-old sophomore at Esteban High

School<http://projects.latimes.com/schools/search/name/?q=Esteban+E.++High\

>,

said the food was " super good " at the summer tasting at L.A. Unified's central

kitchen. But on campus, he said, the chicken pozole was watery, the vegetable

tamale was burned and hard, and noodles were soggy.

" It's nasty, nasty, " said Andre, a member of InnerCity Struggle, an East L.A.

nonprofit working to improve school lunch access and quality. " No matter how

healthy it is, if it's not appetizing, people won't eat it. "

At Van Nuys High School, complaints about the food were so widespread that

Principal Judith Vanderbok wrote to Barrett with the plea: " Please help!

Bring back better food! "

Among other complaints, Vanderbok said salads dated Oct. 7 were served Oct.

17. (Binkle said the dates indicate when the food is at its highest quality, not

when it goes bad. They have been removed to avoid

misinterpretation.) On campus, even adults - including a Junior ROTC officer and

an art teacher - have been found selling black market candy, chips and instant

noodles to hungry students, she said.

" I compare it to Prohibition, " Vanderbok said.

Van Nuys history teacher Doug Kayne turned the discontent into a class

assignment, asking his 11th-grade U.S. history students to write five letters

about the food to the mayor, the media and First Lady

Obama<http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/michelle-obama-PECLB005380.topic>.

In class recently, students complained about mold on noodles, undercooked meat

and hard rice.

At Roosevelt High

School<http://projects.latimes.com/schools/search/name/?q=Roosevelt+High>in

Boyle Heights, Frida Duarte, 16, said her burger was " pretty good " and her

friends liked the hot chicken wings. The rest? " Like dog food, " said Christian

Campus, 14, adding that he and his football teammates eat the lunches only to

sustain them through practice.

Even at ny L. Cochran Jr. Middle

School<http://projects.latimes.com/schools/school/los-angeles/johnnie-cochran-jr\

-middle/>in

Los Angeles, where, according to Barrett, students reportedly loved the food,

Principal Schmerelson indicated dissatisfaction. He said students were

rejecting the plain milk, jambalaya, Caribbean meatballs and other new dishes.

" It's not going over well; I have a lot of waste, " Schmerelson said. " They don't

want the weird things. They want down-home comfort food. "

Binkle said the district will continue to make adjustments. But he added that a

return to chocolate milk, nachos and deep-fried corn dogs wasn't likely.

" We're going to stay the course on healthy

food<http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/diets-dieting/healthy-diet-HEDI000014.t\

opic>, "

he said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-lausd-20111218,0,2593733.story

--

Ortiz, MS, RD

The Frugal Dietitian <http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com>

Check out my blog: mixture of deals and nutrition Join me on Facebook

<http://www.facebook.com/TheFrugalDietitian?ref=ts>

Join me on Twitter <http://twitter.com/frugaldietitian>