Schools

Health Push Brings Squash, Sunbutter to School Cafeterias

District 300 and its food service company, Aramark, have partnered to provide healthier meal choices for students.

Third-grader Aubree Haas ate something recently she never dared sample.

“I tried squash, and I liked it,” said Haas, who attends Lake in the Hills Elementary School. “My favorite (lunch item) is tacos. I really like them.”

That reply is exactly what District 300 and Aramark Food Service managers are hoping for: Children willing to eat healthier vegetables and fruits if given the choice.

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It’s all part of the district’s efforts to inspire a healthier lifestyle for its students by adding more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk to its menus.

“They’ve really been working to improve the lunches,” LITH Elementary Principal Tammy Poole said. “We’re the only school district in the state offering this program, which includes fresh fruits and vegetables. And, as a result, we’re having more and more students purchase a hot lunch.”

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'Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge'

The revamped school lunch menu is part of Community Unit School District 300’s response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s "Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge."

The challenge aims to improve the nutrition of school lunches, heighten nutritional education and increase exercise amongst a generation of children struggling with the highest obesity numbers in the country’s history.

Earlier this month, Golfview Elementary School in Carpentersville became the first non-chartered school in Illinois to earn a “Gold of Distinction” award from the USDA. That District 300 school combined the new healthy lunch menus with extra nutritional-oriented curriculum and additional physical exercise time, according to District Spokeswoman Allison Struppeck.

'Gold' Level Lunch Menus

All of District 300's 17 elementary school is serving the “gold” level lunch menus, determined by standards set by the USDA. The other two USDA standards are bronze and silver.

The new menu packs in a different fruit each day, and two daily fruit selections must be fresh. Fruit from a can must be packed in juices and not syrup. At least three days per week, a dark green and orange vegetable is offered. And Aramark adds a different vegetable each week, Poole said.

Oftentimes, the fruits and vegetables are rare selections, like mangos and squash, to expose students to choices they may have not had before.

The daily lunch menu has three main entrees such as tacos made with ground turkey, hot dogs (also made from turkey), chicken patty served on wheat bun and the most popular selection, pizza made on a whole-grain crust.

The student “Food Bar,” particularly popular with the children, is filled with apple slices, carrot sticks, healthy dips, pudding, animal crackers, pretzels and other items.

Children also can select a dark green salad, with toppings that vary day to day, or a sandwich delivered in a brightly colored bag, resembling those used at fast-food restaurants.

Sunbutter and Jelly Sandwiches

LITH Elementary Kitchen Manager Kathy Yankowski said peanut butter has been replaced with "sunbutter."

“We also have sunbutter and jelly sandwiches,” Yankowski said. “Sunbutter is made from sunflower seeds and tastes like peanut butter, but doesn’t have the allergy concern.”

School Breakfast Menu

With the help from a $38,500 breakfast start-up brant, every District 300 school now serves breakfast, said District 300 Grant Specialist Eric Knutson. Breakfast costs $1.50 and has a variety of muffins, cereals, bagels, waffles and egg biscuit selections.

More than 3,500 breakfast meals have been served so far this year, compared to just over 2,500 breakfast meals in 2007.

To spread the healthier-nutrition message, Aramark has hung colorful posters and banners filled with food facts and good-eating tips in the school cafeterias. Two years ago, the food service company also redecorated the school cafeterias to reflect trendier restaurant styles to which children have grown accustomed.

'Going Gold' Music Video

Using Illinois grant funds, District 300 has put its nutritional message into a unique format aimed at getting kids' attention: a music video.

The district collaborated with "rock nutritionist" Jill Jayne, a registered dietitian from New York, to create a music video entitled, "Going Gold: They Took The Challenge." The video features students from Golfview Elementary School at the end. 

Jayne's "Jump With Jill" nutritional rock show  has been touring the district's 17 schools over the past two weeks to promote nutrition and fitness.

Check back to Lake in the Hills Patch Wednesday afternoon for our weekly Moms Talk column that will be focused on kids, nutrition and how to encourage healthy eating among your children. Also, check back Wednesday morning to learn more on state grants that made District 300's breakfast and lunch programs a possibility.


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