Concerned about the school lunch options

[Anonymous]

My kid qualifies for free lunch (and free breakfast actually). I do not eat lunch to afford to buy her food so we can pack her lunches. She is a tiny, wisp of a child and I don't give her lowfat anything, so don't even let her buy the (lowfat) milk at school. The school lunches are just vile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid qualifies for free lunch (and free breakfast actually). I do not eat lunch to afford to buy her food so we can pack her lunches. She is a tiny, wisp of a child and I don't give her lowfat anything, so don't even let her buy the (lowfat) milk at school. The school lunches are just vile.

I think most young kids (and I count elementary in this category) need whole milk over low fat or skim milk.

Here is one example why:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/19/174739752/whole-milk-or-skim-study-links-fattier-milk-to-slimmer-kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel its hard to pack a nutritious lunch without being able to heat up your meal. For me, there's not many cold food options that I find overly healthy. I try to balance lunch off with breakfast and dinner. And of course, being active!

My DD has a hot lunch in a thermos daily. A pain for me but it works. First fill the thermos with boiling hot water and let it sit with the top loosely on for 5 minutes. Then add the hot lunch (soup, stew, whole wheat pasta and meatballs, etc)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel its hard to pack a nutritious lunch without being able to heat up your meal. For me, there's not many cold food options that I find overly healthy. I try to balance lunch off with breakfast and dinner. And of course, being active!

My DD has a hot lunch in a thermos daily. A pain for me but it works. First fill the thermos with boiling hot water and let it sit with the top loosely on for 5 minutes. Then add the hot lunch (soup, stew, whole wheat pasta and meatballs, etc)

Agree. My child takes soup nearly every day in a thermos. My other child takes pasta quite frequently.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of a child with a milk protein intolerance, I'm happy that they have juice as an option -- for her, it's actually a good thing (when it's not the Capri Sun crap.) She only buys it occasionally, maybe once a week, but it's a good lesson in moderation. She brings water with her everyday and knows she needs to drink it, especially if I let her buy pizza. She's never allowed to buy pizza and milk.

[Anonymous]

8:44 here - and even when it is the Capri Sun, it's still a very small amount of "juice."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is starting K next year and I was disappointed to see the lunch menu options. At first blush, it looks great - lots of whole grain and each student must select one veggie or fruit. But then you dig a little deeper and there's lots of high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and the fruit options include a fruit crisp and juice boxes - not exactly what I would categorize as fruit. (Kind of like calling french fries a vegetable...)

I will probably end up packing his lunch. I had heard so much about how the nutrition in school lunches has improved so was quite disappointed.

Anyone else have the same concerns? Do you just pack your child's lunch? Are they the outlier (i.e. do most kids buy lunch or is it a good mix of packers and buyers)?

Thanks!

We have packed our own lunches for kids for years, but it's not because we look down our noses at the school lunches the way you do, but because our kids refuse to eat it.

It's a giant PITA. School lunches would be so much easier and cheaper.

[Anonymous]

As a former fcps k teacher - I highly suggest you pack a lunch. It takes at least 15 mins to get through the lunch line each day ( with both teachers helping) finally they get to their seat and need to wait to have things opened etc. the kids who pack lunch have plenty of time to eat, while the kids who buy ae rushing to get a few bites. Very stressful and many tears from hungry kindergarteners

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Are they the outlier (i.e. do most kids buy lunch or is it a good mix of packers and buyers)?

If it really concerns you that much, check how many kids at your school qualify for free and reduced price lunch and you'll have a pretty good idea of whether yours might be an "outlier" or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Are they the outlier (i.e. do most kids buy lunch or is it a good mix of packers and buyers)?

If it really concerns you that much, check how many kids at your school qualify for free and reduced price lunch and you'll have a pretty good idea of whether yours might be an "outlier" or not.

Except that there's proof, right in this very thread, that not all kids who qualify for free lunch partake in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well...I think the worst thing about the new lunches is that although they are "healthy", they taste disgusting according to my kids and the portion sizes are too small, especially for growing boys.

In past years, my kids wanted to buy lunch at least half of the time. This year, they ask maybe once a month, usually during breakfast for lunch day.

Whatever they have done to those lunches to make them fit the anti-fat kid campaign is a huge fail.

Totally agree. IMO, they are TOO "healthy" and don't have enough options that kids actually like. If you actually have lunch with your child, you will be sickened -- not from the food --- which is PLENTIFUL -- but from the amount that is wasted! OMG. The kids throw at least 50% of the food away, and sometimes more. I wish they would go back to making sloppy joes and chicken with noodles and serving REAL french fries or tater tots instead of some "sweet potato rounds" that no one will eat. And what the heck is jicama???? Seriously? Stick with the normal fruits and veggies. Most kids won't eat but a bite anyway. At least make it something they know.

My kids don't even like the pizza! Seriously. School lunches are NOT the cause of obesity, I'm 100% certain of that. Kids are overweight/obese b/c of the volume of food they eat at home (and yes, a lot of it is chips and sodas). I wish the school would stop trying to make my NON-obese kids "healthy" by serving unappealing food. I'm not afraid of a little salt, fat, food coloring or sugar.

[Anonymous]

It's better to pack lunch just because school lunch times are so short - by the time they get through the lunch line, lunch is almost over.

As for whether they're healthy meals, I don't care that much quite honestly. Or rather, I do care but mainly for other kids who may not get good nutrition at home. DS is a good eater (will try anything). We don't restrict access to junk food - with the result that there are days he'll eat all the junk in his lunch and leave the healthy stuff, and many other days when it's the reverse: He'll eat the healthy stuff and leave the sweets/chips. He's healthy, active, and thin.

For lunch, he usually takes pasta, quesadillas, pizza or peanut butter. We also pack yogurt, which he loves. Some fruit. And then cookies and chips. He drinks juice. He has never liked milk -- no allergies (we've checked) -- but he does love dairy (cheese, yogurt).

I don't find making lunches to be a pain at all. Occasionally, DS buys lunch when they serve pizza but that's it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well...I think the worst thing about the new lunches is that although they are "healthy", they taste disgusting according to my kids and the portion sizes are too small, especially for growing boys.

In past years, my kids wanted to buy lunch at least half of the time. This year, they ask maybe once a month, usually during breakfast for lunch day.

Whatever they have done to those lunches to make them fit the anti-fat kid campaign is a huge fail.

Totally agree. IMO, they are TOO "healthy" and don't have enough options that kids actually like. If you actually have lunch with your child, you will be sickened -- not from the food --- which is PLENTIFUL -- but from the amount that is wasted! OMG. The kids throw at least 50% of the food away, and sometimes more. I wish they would go back to making sloppy joes and chicken with noodles and serving REAL french fries or tater tots instead of some "sweet potato rounds" that no one will eat. And what the heck is jicama???? Seriously? Stick with the normal fruits and veggies. Most kids won't eat but a bite anyway. At least make it something they know.

My kids don't even like the pizza! Seriously. School lunches are NOT the cause of obesity, I'm 100% certain of that. Kids are overweight/obese b/c of the volume of food they eat at home (and yes, a lot of it is chips and sodas). I wish the school would stop trying to make my NON-obese kids "healthy" by serving unappealing food. I'm not afraid of a little salt, fat, food coloring or sugar.

+1 I don't see that many overweight kids at my kid's school. I'm not sure who they are making these lunches for, but they don't reflect what the kids are used to eatting. So much waste!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid qualifies for free lunch (and free breakfast actually). I do not eat lunch to afford to buy her food so we can pack her lunches. She is a tiny, wisp of a child and I don't give her lowfat anything, so don't even let her buy the (lowfat) milk at school. The school lunches are just vile.

I don't know many or any parents who would do what you're doing, and I truly applaud you for your sacrifice for your child. Please make sure you're taking care of yourself too!

[Anonymous]

On the portion sizes, my 1st grade girl has occasionally bought a second lunch because there's not enough food for her! She's a hungry girl by lunchtime, but not overweight by any stretch of the imagination. Or she'll buy an extra cheesestick or yogurt to fill her up. I often send snacks even when she's buying lunch.