Posts Tagged ‘school lunches’

Friday Food News Wrap: March 10

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

We celebrated International Pancake Day this week, followed by Mardi Gras, followed by the beginning of Lent, and many of us have sugar consumption (or lack of it) on our minds. Did you know, for instance, that even though soft drinks are banned in the L.A. schools, kids can still choose a breakfast that contains more sugar than soda? That would be Frosted Flakes, chocolate milk, coffee cake, and orange juice (53 grams of sugar) compared with a 12-oz. can of Coke (39 grams of sugar), according to the L.A. Times, which calls on the LAUSD to regulate overall sugar intake. We’re getting the shakes just thinking about it.

French School Lunch: Meanwhile, what are kids eating for lunch at schools in France? Feast your eyes on this menu of fillet of salmon with lemon sauce, thinly sliced organic endives, and lentil salad with hard-boiled egg. The four-course meals begin with salad or soup, include a cheese course, and end with a fruit selection on most days. We’ll have what they’re having.

Kool-Aid Tongue: In other sugar news, Fooducate reports on a new Kool-Aid “Bring Back the Fun” ad campaign that features kids with brightly colored tongues. Uh…First of all, Kool-Aid has 5 grams of sugar per cup, and the artificial coloring makes it even worse. Our advice? Stick with water or milk and let your kids have “fun” in other ways.

Cap’n Crunch Lives: Did you hear the rumor that Quaker Oats is killing off Cap’n Crunch cereal? Not true, says the company. The sugary cereal icon is here to stay. So it’s still our job (parents) to decide whether or not it gets a place at the breakfast table.

School Lunch Recipe: Michelle Obama’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition has narrowed down 340 healthy school lunch recipes to just 15 finalists, according to USA Today. You can vote for your favorite recipe at http://recipesforkidschallenge.com .

Cartoon Characters: Another study finds that when kids see familiar and favorite characters from cartoons or movies on food packaging, they tend to like that food more, as reported by Time magazine. But the “good” news is that if you stick Elmo on broccoli, kids are more likely to choose it. In our house we probably need some Lego cauliflower.

Happy Birthday, Jolly Tomato: Hey, did you know we just celebrated our first birthday? Thanks for all of your support this year. In case you haven’t had enough sugar yet today, check out our mom’s recipe for Massive Chocolate Cake (serves 40 to 50).

Happy Friday to all!

Posted Under: Childhood Obesity, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on March 10th, 2011

Friday Food News Feed: Oct. 22

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Lots of kids’ nutrition news pouring in this week. Without further ado:

Hope for Nutrition Bill: Food Safety News reports that the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill that stalled last month still has a chance, according to White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass. Kass says he is hopeful it will move forward during the lame duck session.

Dinner At School?: D.C. public schools have started serving an early dinner to an estimated 10,000 students, many of whom are now receiving three meals a day from the system as it expands efforts to curb childhood hunger and poor nutrition. The program will cost around $5.7 million this year.

Grow It But Don’t Eat It?: In Chicago public schools, kids are growing beautiful produce in their school gardens, but due to district regulations for growers and suppliers, the schools are not allowed to serve the produce at the schools. A wasted opportunity, to be sure.

Lunch Recommendations: The Institute of Medicine has released its nutrition recommendations for school meals (think more fruits and veggies, no whole milk) but the changes may increase costs for schools by 25 percent for breakfasts and 9 percent for lunches (via School Lunch Talk).

Potatoes Banned?: In an effort to encourage consumption of more fruits and vegetables, the USDA has agreed to bar WIC participants from buying potatoes with their federal dollars. (Potatoes are the only vegetable not allowed.) But potato growers are fighting back, including one industry representative who has gone on an all-potato diet.

Feeding Styles: Just the Right Byte gives some advice on different parental feeding styles. Spoiler: She advocates the “authoritative” as opposed to “authoritarian” feeding style.

Soup Swaps: Tired of making a new dinner every night? The Oregonian brings us a story on SoupSwap, in which participants bring six quarts of frozen soup, swap with friends, and go home with six new dinners.

Freezer Staples: Speaking of frozen food, $5 Dinners gives us a list of freezer staples to have on hand for healthy cooking. Think cooked and dried beans, cooked and shredded chicken, and…frozen cookie dough?

Egg Labels: Free range? Naturally raised? Cage free? Fooducate helps you get to know your egg labels in a new post this week.

100 Ways with Pumpkin: From our Most Awesome Lists department, the Huffington Post features 100 ways to cook pumpkin (courtesy of Endless Simmer). Pumpkin whoopie pies, baby!

Pumpkin Carving for Geeks: Seattle Food Geeks gives us an awesome slide show on the geekiest pumpkins around. Bill Gates pumpkin, anyone?

And last but not least, tomorrow is National Make a Difference Day. Why not cook something with your kids and bring it to a neighbor in need?

Happy Friday to all.

Posted Under: Childhood Obesity, Government Regulations, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on October 22nd, 2010

Friday Food News Feed: October 15

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Just in case you were thinking that this week’s kids’ nutrition news was all about Happy Meals that still haven’t rotted six months later, think again. It is National School Lunch week, after all. Plus, there are plenty of other good stories you should know about:

Chefs at Schools: Chefs arrived at 67 Chicago public schools last week as part of the first coordinated push of Chefs Move to Schools, the White House initiative that aims to create a volunteer chef corps to educate kids about food and nutrition (via the Washington Post).

Food Psychology: The USDA announced what it called a major new initiative Tuesday, giving $2 million to food behavior scientists to find ways to use psychology to improve kids’ use of the federal school lunch program and fight childhood obesity (via USA Today).

Eating Out, Eating More: A fascinating new study from the USDA’s Economic Research Service shows how kids’ calorie intake increases up to 145 calories per meal when they eat out at restaurants or school, as compared to home (via Jolly Tomato – that’s us!)

Whole-Grain Pasta: A new generation of whole-grain pasta isn’t gummy anymore, according to the New York Times. The Gia Russa whole-wheat fettuccine with a faint honey flavor is even described as the “perfect kid pasta.”

Latino Child Nutrition: The National Council of La Raza is releasing a series of reports on Latino child nutrition. This week: Links between Latino child nutrition and access to health care (via the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Childhood Obesity team).

Iron Intake: The American Academy of Pediatrics has set guidelines for young children’s iron intake based on age. Toddlers ages 1 to 3 years need 7 mg/day of iron. It’s best if this comes from foods, including red meats, iron-rich vegetables, and fruits with vitamin C, which enhances iron absorption.

Special Treats: Last but not least, we learned about a site called No Trick Treats that helps Halloween treat-givers let trick-or-treaters know if they are giving out gluten-free, peanut-free, or other treats appropriate for those with allergies. Register so that the trick-or-treaters know where to find you (via 8th Continent Soy).

Happy Friday to all!

Posted Under: Childhood Obesity, Just For Fun, Nutrition | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
This post was written by jollytomato on October 15th, 2010
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