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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Mar-04-04, 06:49
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Default "New policy will force Texas schools to take a bite out of the fried, fatty foods"

Scaling back on the junk

New policy will force Texas schools to take a bite out of the fried, fatty foods sold at lunch

11:55 PM CST on Wednesday, March 3, 2004

By TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...food.a355e.html

The days of french fries as a main course are almost over for Texas public school students.

Texas' agriculture commissioner laid out a new school nutrition policy Wednesday that she called the toughest in the nation.

It limits portion sizes for everything from fries to fruit drinks to frozen desserts, orders the phasing out of all deep-fried food and caps the amount of fat and sugar that can be served to most of Texas' 4.2 million schoolchildren.

"We've got lots of kids who eat nothing but french fries and that's all," said Susan Combs, who has made her office a bully pulpit on school nutrition since authority was transferred to the Agriculture Department last summer. "And some [eat fries] five days a week."

The new policy takes effect Aug. 1 at the vast majority of Texas schools that partake in the federal program that subsidizes school lunches, breakfast and after-school snacks. It puts Texas at the front of what has become a national war on junk food in the schools.

"I would call the policy progressive," Ms. Combs said. "We think it's going to be duplicated all over ... every state is looking at the same kind of thing."

The policy might mean new eating habits for Skylar Allbritton. The 16-year-old junior at Keller High School didn't bother with the veggies on Wednesday's menu. Instead, his lunch featured Crispitos, a deep-fried flour tortilla stuffed with beef.

Six of them.

"I don't really care. I eat whatever," he said after downing the super-sized Mexican food treats, a Nutter Butter cookie and a 16-ounce soft drink.

"I probably couldn't even tell whether it's fried or baked," said Skylar, a 190-pound member of the Indians' football team. "I try to eat the most fattening thing I can. I'm trying to gain weight."

Were Skylar's menu choices – which he bought a la carte for $7.50 – healthy?

"No," he said. "I burn it off so fast. It really doesn't matter."

Next year, it might not be so easy to take that option.

28 grams of fat

The new rules say schools may not serve items that contain more than 28 grams of fat per serving more than twice a week. By 2006-07, that will go down to 23 grams per serving. Foods with added sugar will be similarly limited.

Schools that have the right equipment must stop deep-frying food by the 2005-06 school year, and all schools must do so by 2009-10.

Selling food as fund-raisers in competition with school lunches will be prohibited or restricted in most cases. Portion sizes will be limited for many items.

One example: An order of french fries can't exceed 3 ounces in any school, and students may buy only one serving at a time. They can be sold only once a week in elementary schools and three times a week in junior highs and middle schools.

So how many fries make up 3 ounces? It depends on the size, shape and thickness. A reporter's unscientific experiment Wednesday found the number is 13. A limit to afflict the thirsty: Any new soda deals with vending companies must prohibit the sale of soft drinks in larger than a standard 12-ounce size. No more big gulps.

Pinkston High School student Cecila Jones said she typically has a bag of chips and a 20-ounce soda for lunch. She said she might be tempted to change her ways if the lighter food selections taste good.

"I would eat healthier food, depends on what kind of healthy food they have," said Cecila, 14. "I could do a low-fat pizza."

Her mother, Sharon Jones, worries that students will simply leave campus for the junk food they crave.

"The school would lose money, it would be going somewhere else," she said.

Overweight kids

The imperative for the new rules is boosted by recent reports on the nation's health.

In Texas, it's estimated that about 35 percent of school-age children are overweight, according to the Agriculture Department.

"Twenty years ago it was 5 percent," Ms. Combs said.

Experts calculate that 38 percent of all Texas fourth-graders, 34 percent of all seventh-graders and 28 percent of all 11th-graders are fat, she added.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder and president of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, said he agrees with the changes, but he's not sure they go far enough. For one, he'd like to see the physical education requirement raised in schools.

"The obesity problem is not going to change with just what's served at lunch," he said.

The food served or available in public schools meets federal standards. The new policy goes beyond what the federal government has set out.

And it's going to mean added expense for many schools that rely on a vat of hot oil to prepare some foods now.

"The biggest impact for us may be in the secondary schools," said Cynthia Lee, food and nutritional services director for Plano schools. "We don't have fryers in our elementary schools ... we bake and steam foods, but we do have fryers in our secondary schools."

The fried foods include fish, chicken strips, french fries and chicken-fried steak, she said.

"We've tried baking, but it's not acceptable in taste for students," Ms. Lee said. David Brown, interim division manager for the Dallas Independent School District's food and child nutrition services department, has similar concerns.

"It's going to affect a lot of things we do," Mr. Brown said.

One big expense will be that DISD must now buy ovens or other kitchen equipment for about 50 secondary schools that still use "deep-fat frying," Mr. Brown said.

Ready in Arlington

Arlington school administrators say the burden will be light for them. They're ahead of the curve on many of the new rules. The district hasn't used deep-fat fryers for about eight years and has offered a fruit and salad bar for about six years, said Dorothea Prince, the district's assistant director of food services.

"We started using different potato offerings in elementary and secondary schools," she said. The Arlington district bakes its fries and serves them only twice a week in secondary schools, once a week in elementary schools.

At Arlington's Pope Elementary School on Wednesday, the entree choices included hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, said principal Celina Kilgore. Mixed vegetables and a salad bar were also available.

"Students make good choices for the most part," Ms. Kilgore said.

One source of junk food in the schools won't change. Ms. Combs said none of this fuss will affect what parents pack.

"Parents can send whatever they want," she said.

Staff writers Valerie Fields Hill and Tawnell D. Hobbs contributed to this report.

E-mail tstewart~dallasnews.com

The school nutrition policy announced Wednesday by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs takes effect Aug. 1. To read the complete policy, go to: http://www.agr.state.tx.us/foodnutr...tion_policy.pdf

Here's an overview:

In Elementary Schools ...

No Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value (FMNV) or candy at any time. FMNVs include many varieties of hard candy, gum and candy-coated popcorn, in addition to non-fruit popsicles and carbonated beverages.

No food may be provided to students that competes with school lunch at any time of the school day. That includes any food or drink sold as a fund-raiser or in vending machines.

French fries may not exceed 3 ounces per serving and may be served only once per week. Students may buy only one serving at a time.

In Middle Schools and Junior Highs ...

No FMNVs may be available until after the last lunch period.

No food may be provided to students that competes with school lunch during meal times. That includes any food or drink sold as a fund-raiser or in vending machines.

French fries may not exceed 3 ounces per serving and may be served only three times per week. Students may buy only one serving at a time.

In High Schools ...

No FMNVs may be available during meal times in areas where school lunches reimbursable meals are served or consumed.

No food may be provided to students that competes with school lunch during meal times in areas where reimbursable meals are served or consumed.

That includes any food or drink sold as a fund-raiser or in vending machines.

New contracts signed after Wednesday and contract renewals must expressly prohibit the sale of sugared, carbonated beverages in containers larger than 12 ounces (a standard can or bottle).

A reduction in the number of soft drinks available in vending machines. The goal is that no more than 30 percent of drinks in machines should be sugared and carbonated by the 2005-06 school year.

French fries may not exceed 3 ounces per serving, but they may be served every day. Students may buy only one serving at a time.

All Grade Levels ...

Should eliminate deep-fat frying as method of on-site preparation by start of the 2005-06 school year if they already have the equipment to prepare food in other ways. All schools must abandon deep-frying by 2009-10.

Portion size will be restricted on chips, certain snacks and sweets, milk and fruit drinks. Portion sizes vary by school level. For example, elementary school students may be served no more than 1 ounce of regular potato chips and 3 ounces of ice cream. In high school, 1.25 ounces of chips and 4 ounces of ice cream can be served.

Schools may not serve items that contain more than 28 grams of fat per serving size more than twice per week. The goal is to limit that to 23 grams by the 2006-07 school year.

Fruits and vegetables should be offered daily.

Must offer 2 percent, 1 percent or skim milk.

Beginning with the 2005-06 school year, should include a request for trans fat information in all product specifications and, by 2007-08, reduce the purchase of any products containing trans fats.

By the 2006-07 school year, all fruit and vegetable juices should contain 100 percent real fruit or vegetable juices.
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Mar-04-04, 18:50
CindySue48's Avatar
CindySue48 CindySue48 is offline
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Plan: Atkins/Protein Power
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Quote:
"We've tried baking, but it's not acceptable in taste for students," Ms. Lee said. David Brown, interim division manager for the Dallas Independent School District's food and child nutrition services department, has similar concerns.


Wow.....you know I have NEVER fried anything in my life!?!?!?!? I have sauted in butter and olive oil, but I have never fried anything in oil....either in a fry pan or a deep fryer.

I fed my kids fish sticks and fries when they were little....then gradually changed over to fresh, breaded fish. Today they love fish....as long as it's not fried and there's not too much breading. Everything was baked....even the fries! Personally, I've never met a kid that didn't like fish sticks....and if you get the ones with "real" fish (not the chopped and formed garbage) they're not bad nutritionally (yes they still contain bread crumbs, sugars, etc.....but at least it's mostly good).


Quote:
New contracts signed after Wednesday and contract renewals must expressly prohibit the sale of sugared, carbonated beverages in containers larger than 12 ounces (a standard can or bottle).


That is STILL 1 1/2 servings per can! And kids can suck those things down remarkably fast! They need to STOP the contracts!!!!!!!

I'm not even going to address the fat limits. At least they're trying to limit the sugar too!
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  #3   ^
Old Fri, Jul-28-06, 17:24
AmoryBlain's Avatar
AmoryBlain AmoryBlain is offline
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As a high school teacher, this is a step in the right direction. However, there won't be drastic changes until parents begin educating their children on healthy eating habits while the information still has time to make an impact. Healthy eating habits--just like academic habits--begin in the home, not the school.
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  #4   ^
Old Fri, Jul-28-06, 18:34
jazzfan's Avatar
jazzfan jazzfan is offline
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Quote:
Healthy eating habits--just like academic habits--begin in the home, not the school.


That's true, but at least a change in the schools could facilitate a change in the home, and would do wonders toward not undermining the efforts of families who already make healthy choices for their kids.
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jul-28-06, 19:49
AmoryBlain's Avatar
AmoryBlain AmoryBlain is offline
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Plan: Atkins
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Quote:
That's true, but at least a change in the schools could facilitate a change in the home, and would do wonders toward not undermining the efforts of families who already make healthy choices for their kids.


Like I said, it's a step in the right direction.
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Jul-28-06, 20:35
Dodger's Avatar
Dodger Dodger is offline
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Plan: Paleoish/Keto
Stats: 225/167/175 Male 71.5 inches
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Quote:
you know I have NEVER fried anything in my life!?!?!?!? I have sauted in butter and olive oil, but I have never fried anything in oil....either in a fry pan or a deep fryer.
Sautéing is a type of frying. It is not deep frying, but it is frying. A sauté pan is a fry pan. I also use butter and olive oil for sautéing.
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  #7   ^
Old Fri, Jul-28-06, 23:49
CindySue48's Avatar
CindySue48 CindySue48 is offline
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Posts: 2,816
 
Plan: Atkins/Protein Power
Stats: 256/179/160 Female 68 inches
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Location: Triangle NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodger
Sautéing is a type of frying. It is not deep frying, but it is frying. A sauté pan is a fry pan. I also use butter and olive oil for sautéing.
I realize that Mike.....I meant deep fat frying. I guess I should have said "I've never deep fat fried anything in my life".
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