School food in elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids happily eat it.

That being said, there are a lot of kids at our MCPS school who have picked up some attitudes about it, since it's not seaweed chips from Whole Foods or low carb or whatever.

But I think it's fine and healthy enough, I have told my own children never to say anything snobby about it since some kids at their school have no choice.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, who has actually seen the lunches that MCPS provide would EVER describe it as “healthy enough”. My kids hate it, though it seems the middle school options may be slightly more palatable (or maybe more choice?) than elementary.

PP you are replying to. No, the "cheesy pull aparts" are not health food, but compare the nutrition info to a typical PB&J sandwich and it's not that bad. I deem it healthy enough for my kids. If your "healthy" lunch is a bento box with cut up fruits and veggies, then no, it doesn't compare. If your packed lunch is a sandwich, chips, granola bar, applesauce pouch and a juice box, I think the MCPS lunch comes out ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids all think it’s disgusting — and they are t that snobby, they will all happily eat McDonald’s. The lines are also really slow so often they don’t get their food until lunch is almost over. We pack lunch.

I have a friend who works in school admin and he is a liberal but was really unhappy with the Obama changes to the school lunch program — there are so many restrictions it’s incredibly difficult to find things kids will eat. At every school, the majority of it ends up in the trash. And he has kids that come from very low income families so he knows they need that food—but they still won’t eat it. Personally, I think vegetables are great—but feeding kids industrially processed and reheated vegetables is a great way to make kids hate veggies. I feel like that’s what happened to our parents that grew up eating canned peas and boiled cabbage.

This. The kids pick out one item and throw the rest away.

So. Much. Waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids happily eat it.

That being said, there are a lot of kids at our MCPS school who have picked up some attitudes about it, since it's not seaweed chips from Whole Foods or low carb or whatever.

But I think it's fine and healthy enough, I have told my own children never to say anything snobby about it since some kids at their school have no choice.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, who has actually seen the lunches that MCPS provide would EVER describe it as “healthy enough”. My kids hate it, though it seems the middle school options may be slightly more palatable (or maybe more choice?) than elementary.

PP you are replying to. No, the "cheesy pull aparts" are not health food, but compare the nutrition info to a typical PB&J sandwich and it's not that bad. I deem it healthy enough for my kids. If your "healthy" lunch is a bento box with cut up fruits and veggies, then no, it doesn't compare. If your packed lunch is a sandwich, chips, granola bar, applesauce pouch and a juice box, I think the MCPS lunch comes out ahead.

No way!

This is our lunch. I’m not a bento box type. And this is always what my kids take. Maybe grapes or a clementine, etc. It’s still way better than what MCPS offers - taste-wise and the fact that there are fewer preservatives and additives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most kids hate it. I don't know how MCPS lunches got this bad but the kids turn their noses up at it at all grade levels.

They got this way because the board of education wanted it this way. They specifically built a large food processing facility so they could make their own crappy food. Parents begged them to make changes to improve the quality of the food but they refused. This was a very deliberate decision over many years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids all think it’s disgusting — and they are t that snobby, they will all happily eat McDonald’s. The lines are also really slow so often they don’t get their food until lunch is almost over. We pack lunch.

I have a friend who works in school admin and he is a liberal but was really unhappy with the Obama changes to the school lunch program — there are so many restrictions it’s incredibly difficult to find things kids will eat. At every school, the majority of it ends up in the trash. And he has kids that come from very low income families so he knows they need that food—but they still won’t eat it. Personally, I think vegetables are great—but feeding kids industrially processed and reheated vegetables is a great way to make kids hate veggies. I feel like that’s what happened to our parents that grew up eating canned peas and boiled cabbage.

Your friend is wrong. There are some fantastic school meals in other jurisdictions that care about children. It can be done.

[Anonymous]

I work in a title I school where there is legitimate food insecurity and there's still a lot of waste. Some meals are more popular than others (pizza, French toast sticks). There's surprisingly spicy chicken sometimes. It's advertised as spicy, but some kids are seriously unable to handle it. Whatever changes pp said about Obama--I'm not sure what you're talking about. It's still mostly burgers and fries and fried foods. Once a week there'll be creamed spinach or anemic green beans with the main but it's not often. The fruit and veggie sides are decent options --celery and pb, fruit cup, apple sauce, cherry tomatoes. Sometimes there's a salad shaker with dressing the kids do like. The breakfast is highly processed--cinnamon rolls or pancake bags. Sometimes Honey Nut Cheerios the kids eat with chocolate milk. A ton of sugar and processed carbs. But if your kid will eat it, it's fine for 5 meals a week; just balance with healthy stuff at home. My kids don't eat it, but sometimes I wish they did!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids happily eat it.

That being said, there are a lot of kids at our MCPS school who have picked up some attitudes about it, since it's not seaweed chips from Whole Foods or low carb or whatever.

But I think it's fine and healthy enough, I have told my own children never to say anything snobby about it since some kids at their school have no choice.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, who has actually seen the lunches that MCPS provide would EVER describe it as “healthy enough”. My kids hate it, though it seems the middle school options may be slightly more palatable (or maybe more choice?) than elementary.

PP you are replying to. No, the "cheesy pull aparts" are not health food, but compare the nutrition info to a typical PB&J sandwich and it's not that bad. I deem it healthy enough for my kids. If your "healthy" lunch is a bento box with cut up fruits and veggies, then no, it doesn't compare. If your packed lunch is a sandwich, chips, granola bar, applesauce pouch and a juice box, I think the MCPS lunch comes out ahead.

No way!

This is our lunch. I’m not a bento box type. And this is always what my kids take. Maybe grapes or a clementine, etc. It’s still way better than what MCPS offers - taste-wise and the fact that there are fewer preservatives and additives.

If your kid eats a PB&J sandwich, Honest Kids Juice box, and Nature Valley granola bar, it's about 37g sugar
If your kid eats the MCPS pizza (elementary school size) and a chocolate milk, it's 37 g sugar.
Your kid may have preferences and like one over the other, or you may somehow be able to compare the amount of additives in pre-packaged processed foods from the grocery store versus prepackaged and heated food from MCPS, but I don't think either one comes out way ahead of the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids all think it’s disgusting — and they are t that snobby, they will all happily eat McDonald’s. The lines are also really slow so often they don’t get their food until lunch is almost over. We pack lunch.

I have a friend who works in school admin and he is a liberal but was really unhappy with the Obama changes to the school lunch program — there are so many restrictions it’s incredibly difficult to find things kids will eat. At every school, the majority of it ends up in the trash. And he has kids that come from very low income families so he knows they need that food—but they still won’t eat it. Personally, I think vegetables are great—but feeding kids industrially processed and reheated vegetables is a great way to make kids hate veggies. I feel like that’s what happened to our parents that grew up eating canned peas and boiled cabbage.

Your friend is wrong. There are some fantastic school meals in other jurisdictions that care about children. It can be done.

Where is it being done? Please point to another public school system that is as large as MCPS that provides ‘better’ school lunches.

MCPS is large, diverse and overcrowded. The meals have to be cheap because there are a large number of kids who rely on the free breakfast and lunch. Our school gave out free snacks after schools also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids happily eat it.

That being said, there are a lot of kids at our MCPS school who have picked up some attitudes about it, since it's not seaweed chips from Whole Foods or low carb or whatever.

But I think it's fine and healthy enough, I have told my own children never to say anything snobby about it since some kids at their school have no choice.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, who has actually seen the lunches that MCPS provide would EVER describe it as “healthy enough”. My kids hate it, though it seems the middle school options may be slightly more palatable (or maybe more choice?) than elementary.

PP you are replying to. No, the "cheesy pull aparts" are not health food, but compare the nutrition info to a typical PB&J sandwich and it's not that bad. I deem it healthy enough for my kids. If your "healthy" lunch is a bento box with cut up fruits and veggies, then no, it doesn't compare. If your packed lunch is a sandwich, chips, granola bar, applesauce pouch and a juice box, I think the MCPS lunch comes out ahead.

No way!

This is our lunch. I’m not a bento box type. And this is always what my kids take. Maybe grapes or a clementine, etc. It’s still way better than what MCPS offers - taste-wise and the fact that there are fewer preservatives and additives.

If your kid eats a PB&J sandwich, Honest Kids Juice box, and Nature Valley granola bar, it's about 37g sugar
If your kid eats the MCPS pizza (elementary school size) and a chocolate milk, it's 37 g sugar.
Your kid may have preferences and like one over the other, or you may somehow be able to compare the amount of additives in pre-packaged processed foods from the grocery store versus prepackaged and heated food from MCPS, but I don't think either one comes out way ahead of the other.

The first meal comes out ahead all day, every day. It’s not just about comparing grams of sugar. There is more to it than that, from a nutrition point of view.

The MCPS meal is highly processed garbage, with crap cheese on the pizza.

[Anonymous]

Kids don't eat it. They toss it in the trash. I volunteered for 3 years, and never saw kids finish the lunch. The lunch doesn't look good, either. The kids always say how gross or disgusting it is. Mine have always packed lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids happily eat it.

That being said, there are a lot of kids at our MCPS school who have picked up some attitudes about it, since it's not seaweed chips from Whole Foods or low carb or whatever.

But I think it's fine and healthy enough, I have told my own children never to say anything snobby about it since some kids at their school have no choice.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, who has actually seen the lunches that MCPS provide would EVER describe it as “healthy enough”. My kids hate it, though it seems the middle school options may be slightly more palatable (or maybe more choice?) than elementary.

PP you are replying to. No, the "cheesy pull aparts" are not health food, but compare the nutrition info to a typical PB&J sandwich and it's not that bad. I deem it healthy enough for my kids. If your "healthy" lunch is a bento box with cut up fruits and veggies, then no, it doesn't compare. If your packed lunch is a sandwich, chips, granola bar, applesauce pouch and a juice box, I think the MCPS lunch comes out ahead.

No way!

This is our lunch. I’m not a bento box type. And this is always what my kids take. Maybe grapes or a clementine, etc. It’s still way better than what MCPS offers - taste-wise and the fact that there are fewer preservatives and additives.

If your kid eats a PB&J sandwich, Honest Kids Juice box, and Nature Valley granola bar, it's about 37g sugar
If your kid eats the MCPS pizza (elementary school size) and a chocolate milk, it's 37 g sugar.
Your kid may have preferences and like one over the other, or you may somehow be able to compare the amount of additives in pre-packaged processed foods from the grocery store versus prepackaged and heated food from MCPS, but I don't think either one comes out way ahead of the other.

The first meal comes out ahead all day, every day. It’s not just about comparing grams of sugar. There is more to it than that, from a nutrition point of view.

The MCPS meal is highly processed garbage, with crap cheese on the pizza.

How does it come out ahead, nutritionally? What is the advantage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Whatever changes pp said about Obama--I'm not sure what you're talking about. It's still mostly burgers and fries and fried foods.

The rule changes were canceled under Betsy DeVos and Trump. The big issue beyond healthy things that kids didn't like was reducing the allowed salt level, and the food portions were too small.
'The food is terrible, and such small portions!'

[Anonymous]

My kindergartener buys his lunch almost every day (he won't do pizza day) and he seems to like it. It's easier for me not to pack his lunch and I think he actually eats the school lunch so I'm fine with it. And he had no trouble navigating the cafeteria line even at the beginning of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids happily eat it.

That being said, there are a lot of kids at our MCPS school who have picked up some attitudes about it, since it's not seaweed chips from Whole Foods or low carb or whatever.

But I think it's fine and healthy enough, I have told my own children never to say anything snobby about it since some kids at their school have no choice.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, who has actually seen the lunches that MCPS provide would EVER describe it as “healthy enough”. My kids hate it, though it seems the middle school options may be slightly more palatable (or maybe more choice?) than elementary.

PP you are replying to. No, the "cheesy pull aparts" are not health food, but compare the nutrition info to a typical PB&J sandwich and it's not that bad. I deem it healthy enough for my kids. If your "healthy" lunch is a bento box with cut up fruits and veggies, then no, it doesn't compare. If your packed lunch is a sandwich, chips, granola bar, applesauce pouch and a juice box, I think the MCPS lunch comes out ahead.

No way!

This is our lunch. I’m not a bento box type. And this is always what my kids take. Maybe grapes or a clementine, etc. It’s still way better than what MCPS offers - taste-wise and the fact that there are fewer preservatives and additives.

If your kid eats a PB&J sandwich, Honest Kids Juice box, and Nature Valley granola bar, it's about 37g sugar
If your kid eats the MCPS pizza (elementary school size) and a chocolate milk, it's 37 g sugar.
Your kid may have preferences and like one over the other, or you may somehow be able to compare the amount of additives in pre-packaged processed foods from the grocery store versus prepackaged and heated food from MCPS, but I don't think either one comes out way ahead of the other.

The first meal comes out ahead all day, every day. It’s not just about comparing grams of sugar. There is more to it than that, from a nutrition point of view.

The MCPS meal is highly processed garbage, with crap cheese on the pizza.

How does it come out ahead, nutritionally? What is the advantage?

I’m not the PP but if I make PBJ it’s on WG bread with low sugar PB and lower sugar all fruit jelly. Juice box is 100% vitamin C…. Yes it’s sugar buts it’s also healthy protein, healthy fats, fiber, and vitamin C. Much better than an overly processed pizza and chocolate milk.

[Anonymous]

The food at our MCPs public is all microwaved plastic container food that the kids peel the plastic back off of. I'm not feeding my kids that processed crap. We pack every day for 4 children.