health nutrition for kids Archives

Fueling Young Minds: Navigating Back-to-School Nutrition with Dietitian Mom

With the back-to-school season here, parents are gearing up for the bustling year ahead. The transition from carefree summer days to structured school routines can pose unique challenges, especially when it comes to ensuring children receive the nutrition they need to perform their best in the classroom. To help with some back-to-school nutrition strategies, we asked one of our favorite mom dietitians, Jenny Shea Rawn, for some tips. Jenny has a Master of Science in Nutrition and a Master of Public Health degree, is an accomplished author, and the loving mother of two young kids, Lucca and Lexi. In her career and role as a mother, she has a profound understanding of the importance nutrition plays in child development. During our conversation, she shared with us her approach to balanced breakfasts and smart lunch box choices that can help kids sustain their energy levels and cognitive function during the long school days.

A Balancing Act: Nutrient-Packed Breakfasts

When it comes to breakfast, Jenny advocates for protein, whole grains, and the inclusion of fruits or vegetables. “It’ll help with blood sugar stabilization and ensure that their brains can be thinking and they can maintain good energy throughout the day,” Jenny explained. To simplify busy mornings, she relies on quick and easy recipes like overnight oats, oatmeal, or smoothies. Her secret weapon? Infusing nutrient-rich wild blueberries. “Besides their nutritional benefits, the berries add a nice flavor to the dishes without adding any sugar. Plus, kids love the purple color. These recipes are super simple, nothing fancy—nobody has time for fancy stuff during the busy school week!”

Emphasizing the value of breakfast, Jenny makes sure her kids begin their day with a meal that nurtures their bodies and minds. Her approach aligns with decades of research, emphasizing that a balanced diet (especially one that includes wild blues) supports cognitive function and concentration in kids. Give one of these three kid-friendly breakfast recipes a try to start your children’s day off right.

Kid-Friendly Wild Blueberry Breakfast Recipes:

Wild Blueberry Almond Butter Overnight Oats: By prepping this dish the night before, Jenny’s found that her mornings run a whole lot smoother! Wild Blueberry-Almond Butter Overnight Oats only take 10 minutes to make, then they sit in the fridge overnight. This healthy mix of fruit, nuts, and grains will help power your kids’ morning while still tasting absolutely delicious.

Wild Blueberry Kefir Breakfast Smoothie: If you’re a fan of the one-minute breakfast, this one’s for you. This Kid-Friendly Wild Blueberry & Kefir Breakfast Smoothie is bursting with flavor—all you have to do is throw five ingredients in a blender to serve up some vibrant, purply-blue smoothie goodness.

Recipe by Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD of Real Mom Nutrition

Wild Blueberry, Cranberry and Almond Oatmeal: Oatmeal is a super healthy breakfast option for your child–especially when you add some wild blueberries into the mix. Spice up your morning oatmeal and add some color to your child’s diet by trying this Wild Blueberry, Cranberry and Almond Oatmeal. Jenny’s kids love adding wild blueberries to their oatmeal because it turns purple! Win-win: nutrients and a fun color

Recipe by Rebecca Crump from Ezra Pound Cake

Navigating School Lunches

When it comes to packing school lunches, Jenny provides her kids with a balanced menu that includes protein, healthy fats, and whole grains. While she acknowledges that school cafeterias might not always offer ideal choices, she encourages parents to supplement where they can throughout their child’s day.

“I do a little bit of meal planning, but I don’t go crazy over it. It’s just kind of knowing what they need, making sure they have protein, some healthy fats, and whole grains at every meal, then they’ll be set,” Jenny assured. “I also try to sprinkle in some fruits and vegetables wherever I can. We always have a healthy breakfast, and whether I pack their school lunch or they buy school lunch, we always try to go heavier on the veggies at dinnertime—especially on days when they’ve bought school lunch, and might not have made the best choices.”

Jenny’s approach to school lunches encourages providing nutrient-rich alternatives that keep kids engaged and nourished throughout the day. She recognizes the value of variety and adaptability, ensuring her kids have options that resonate with their changing preferences. Seeking some home lunch inspiration? Try these wild blueberry recipes and surprise your child with something new and tasty.

Snacking Smartly

When it comes to snacking, Jenny ensures her kids are getting their nutrients while still enjoying the process through fun and engaging options. After-school snacks are a great way to supplement any valuable nutrients that were missed during the day. Her kids’ go-tos are sliced carrots with hummus, or other easy-to-eat veggies.

“If they’re coming home from school, I’ll offer them sliced carrots and hummus or celery and hummus, some veggie that I know that they can just kind of mindlessly eat and will enjoy snacking on,” Jenny shared. “Another one is Ants on a Log—a celery stick with peanut butter and wild blueberries, which is a fan favorite in my house, or cucumber boats with hummus and sunflower seeds.”

3 Habits to Incorporate into Your Weekly Routine

To lay the foundation for a successful week, Jenny has three invaluable tips that she lives by to guarantee her family is prepared for the week ahead. By integrating these methods into your own routine, you’re setting the stage for a week of balanced and delicious meals that contribute to your childs’ well-being and success in school.

Weekend Meal Prep. Jenny’s found that a little planning goes a long way. “While I don’t adhere to the traditional Sunday meal planning routine, I do spend some time mentally mapping out what we’ll be eating from Monday to Friday. I focus on what needs to be stocked in the fridge and what dinner ideas we have in mind.” As part of her weekend routine, Jenny also sets aside time to do some fruit and veggie prep. “Carrots are a staple in our household, and we go through plenty of them during the week. I make sure to wash grapes and any other fruits that can be prepared ahead of time. I also dedicate a portion of my Sunday to preparing a big batch of lentils or cooking up whole grains. The prep doesn’t take up too much time, usually around half an hour, but it sets the tone for the rest of the week,” Jenny explained.
Clean Kitchen Space. Starting the day with a clean kitchen can make a world of difference! Each night, Jenny makes sure to tidy up the kitchen, clean the table, and run the dishwasher. She even sets up the coffee maker for a seamless morning routine. “This way, we wake up every day to a clean slate and an organized space that eases the morning rush. There’s something about having a clean slate that makes getting breakfast and lunches ready feel less overwhelming,” Jenny shared. Having everything in order helps streamline her and her family’s mornings, ensuring that everyone is set for a successful day of learning.
Utilizing Frozen Fruits & Veggies. As a mom who values efficiency, Jenny’s come to rely on frozen fruits and vegetables to enhance her kids’ back-to-school meals. “One staple in our freezer is a three-pound bag of wild blueberries. I always make sure we have one in the house, with an extra backup in the garage freezer. Not only do frozen fruits retain their nutritional value, but they’re also incredibly versatile,” Jenny explained. During busy school nights when time is limited, having a stash of frozen veggies and whole grains on hand can be a game-changer. It allows for quick and easy access to nutritious ingredients, ensuring that even on the most hectic evenings, Jenny and her kids are still nourishing their bodies and minds with the goodness they need.

Looking Ahead to the 2023-24 School Year

As we kick off the start of another school year, we hope you find some of these fantastic nutrition tips from our very own mom dietitian helpful, and that your kids are all set for an amazing year ahead!

Looking for more insights from Jenny? Visit her website or follow her on Instagram. She also has a new cookbook called Coastal Kitchen which features delightful wild blueberry recipes, along with some incredible seafood recipes.

Local Flavor: The Benefits of Keeping School Lunch Local

For one week each fall, schoolchildren across Maine look forward to some of the tastiest school lunches of the year, and with every bite, they enjoy the satisfaction of knowing they are supporting local farmers, fishermen, growers, and processors. However, many in Maine, including John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Nancy McBrady of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, are working to transform a one-week emphasis on local food in public schools into a yearlong practice.

“Maine is a leader nationally in selling food locally,” explains Rebar. “But because foodservice was often based on a heat-and-serve approach – selling into schools has presented a significant challenge for growers over many decades.” Nonetheless, the attitude toward local foods is rapidly changing, and Maine just may be ready for a new era of local institutional food.

Rebar and McBrady are working to stimulate conversations about bringing more locally grown foods – like Wild Blueberries, apples, broccoli, carrots and cabbage – to Maine’s schools.

During last year’s academic year, Maine served a whopping 24.7 million lunches, according to Stephanie Stambach, Child Nutrition Services at the Maine Department of Education and the state’s farm to school coordinator. This year, the majority of Maine’s 620 K-12 public schools will participate in Maine Harvest Lunch Week, which ran from September 19-23.

“Maine Harvest Lunch Week has a dual purpose,” explains Stambach, “to promote fresh, local foods in Maine’s school cafeterias and to teach students where their food comes from,” she notes. “Some will dedicate one day to providing local products; whereas others will spread local items throughout the week.”

Portland Public Schools To Serve Local Foods

At Portland Public Schools, nearly 10,000 elementary lunches will be served over Maine Harvest Lunch Week, according to Dawn Hilton, Portland Public Schools Food Service Director. Each day will focus on a particular Maine ingredient. On one particular day, for example, all of the city’s elementary schools will incorporate Wild Blueberries on their menus, a move that directly supports the state’s Wild Blueberry industry.

“I believe Wild Blueberries have a special place in Maine Harvest Lunch Week because you can’t get more Maine than that,” noted Stambach. “I think a lot of schools want to support our Wild Blueberry growers and this is a perfect way to do that.”

Portland Public Schools sourced its Wild Blueberries from Wyman’s of Maine, one of the state’s largest Wild Blueberry growers and processors, which harvests and processes Wild Blueberries that are grown on its own fields and on fields owned by independent families and growers in Down East, Maine.

“It’s fantastic to know that kids across Maine will be both learning about and enjoying the incredible agricultural bounty of our state,” says McBrady, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine. “By choosing to serve locally-grown, harvested and processed foods, the schools are supporting an entire industry and a unique way of life here in Maine.”

“The Commission supports the Maine Harvest Lunch Week and is also ramping up efforts to increase year-round frozen Wild Blueberry consumption in schools through concerted outreach and promotion” McBrady adds. “It’s easy for Maine schools to incorporate frozen Wild Blueberries into their menus, especially since blueberries are universally loved and can easily be used as an ingredient in breakfast items like smoothies and parfaits, and lunch items like salads and sauces. Wild blueberries are delicious, nutritious, and can be served year-round as part of a healthy diet, especially since they are primarily sold as a frozen product.”

A Program That Was Ahead of its Time

Maine Harvest Lunch Week was a 1980s-era Maine Department of Education invention launched ahead of its time, before the state had experienced a historic local foods and school garden renaissance. The program was axed in the 1990s due to state budget cuts, and resurrected in 2005. Since then, a nationally recognized local food movement and a heroic school garden crusade have augmented the initiative in Maine.

During Harvest Lunch Week, local Maine products will be incorporated into school menus across Maine. These high-quality, nutritious, locally sourced meals will reinforce what’s being taught in the classroom, where students are learning about the science of food from seed to plate, and about the power of local economies.

6 Back to School Recipes Your Kids Will Love

For most of us, Labor Day means the end of white jeans and the start of Pumpkin Lattes. But for parents everywhere, it’s the return to the structured routine of school, sports and homework. So as we head back-to-school, we wanted to give all the moms and dads out there our favorite tips and recipes for keeping breakfast and lunch fun and delicious – even for the pickiest of eaters!

Breakfast

Eating a healthy nutritious breakfast is important for every kid. It provides them the fuel they need to be effective at school. Incorporate foods into your breakfast routine that will help your child do their best in the classroom. For example, research has shown that including Wild Blueberries in your kid’s diet can boost memory and concentration in elementary school aged kids. Even when the mornings get hectic, which we know they do, don’t skip breakfast.

Plan ahead and have delicious breakfast items ready to grab and go. You can whip up a batch of these Wild Blueberry Mini Muffins from Lindsay Livingston of the Lean Green Bean in no time. The almond butter (or nut butter of your choice) and the yogurt helps these muffins stay nice and moist for days at a time and their small size fits perfectly in little hands, eager to eat on the go.

Oatmeal is another healthy breakfast choice, but one often scoffed at by kiddos because of its texture. Keep things fun and fresh with this creative recipe from Sally Kuzemchak of Real Mom Nutrition. Her Gluten-Free Wild Blueberry & White Chocolate Oatmeal Cups are hearty and healthy, and the kids won’t even know they are eating oatmeal. The frozen Wild Blueberry and white chocolate combo is like eating dessert for breakfast. Plus, if you make them in muffin tins they’re easy to grab on the way out the door to catch the bus.

Smoothies are another healthy grab and go option for breakfast. You can pack them full of nutritious ingredients – even veggies – and serve them up in fun travel cups with colored straws. Try this Wild Blueberry and Kefir Breakfast Smoothie from Sally Kuzemchak. She uses frozen Wild Blueberries to help balance the tang of the kefir. And because Wild Blueberries have such a vivid hue, a handful of fresh, iron-rich baby spinach just disappears into the drink.

Lunch Box Ideas

Involve Kids in the Process: Sit down and make a lunch plan for the week so they’ll be excited about what they find in their lunch box everyday. However, getting lunches packed on time, never mind making them inspiring can be a challenge, but we have a few tricks up our sleeves to help you keep things fun. Show off your magic skills with these Wild Blueberry Fruit Leather roll-ups. From frozen Wild Blueberries to chewy, sweet fruit leather, your kids will actually be excited for lunchtime. These are great to make ahead for the entire week, and even more magical if you have some of those small hands helping you along the way to witness the transformation.

Making sure lunches include protein is so important to keep kids energized throughout the day. And while it can be tempting to buy energy bars from the grocery store, many are full of hidden sugars and unpronounceable ingredients. These Wild Blueberry Energy Bars will make sure your kids are full and ready for the rest of the school day – without all the added sugar! Make them with their favorite nut butter and vanilla or chocolate protein powder – they’ll be begging for this bar to be a part of lunchtime or even as an afterschool snack!

Afterschool Snack

Make it Fun: When the kids get home from school, they usually run directly to the kitchen and start poking around for a snack. Of course you want to make sure it’s something healthy, and also won’t spoil their appetite for dinner! These Wild Blueberry Yogurt Pops seem like an unlikely treat but with frozen Wild Blueberries, chia seeds, yogurt and some protein powder, they are a perfect energy boost for the afternoon. If you don’t’ have a popsicle mold handy, you can use ice cube trays and popsicle sticks or toothpicks.

Phew! That should get you to dinnertime. All of these recipes are kid-friendly but that doesn’t mean adults can’t enjoy them as well! You’ll be the envy of the office with those muffins and maybe even spread some nostalgia with the fruit leathers. They will keep you going until dinner is on the table! Need more ideas – we can help with that too! Check out ALL of our Wild Blueberry recipes.

Eat Your Fruits & Veggies! Top Tips for Kids

Are your kids getting their recommended daily cups of fruits and vegetables? If the answer is no, they are not alone. Obesity numbers tell the story of what’s on our kids’ plates more than any other statistic. According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three kids in the U.S. is overweight or obese and in Canada the figure is 26%.

Children’s weight is the number one health concern among parents, and it’s no wonder. Obesity is responsible for an array of health problems including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, and a shorter life span than even their parents.

Healthy fruits and vegetables continue to take a back seat to sugary, fatty foods, and the battle to nudge kids toward more nutritious fare is in full swing. Recently, media reports show that adding a light mist of sugar makes vegetables more palatable to kids until they develop a taste for veggies. While a spritz of sweet may bridge the gap for kids whose veggies end up being pushed around the plate, there must be another way to help kids get their daily recommended cups.

In fact, there’s plenty of advice when it comes to increasing kids’ fruit and vegetable intake. But the best piece of advice for parents is to keep trying. It takes time for children to develop a taste for new foods, and a little culinary manipulation can be a good thing.

Here are 5 of our favorite ways to extend our efforts to give kids the nutrition they need and tip the scale in the right direction.

Help Kids Get Their Cups! Our Top 5 Tips

Tip #1: Exploit Fruit.

For kids over the age of three, USDA dietary guidelines recommend 11/2 cups of fruit per day and 2 cups of veggies. So if your kids are eating fruit, that’s nearly half the battle. Luckily, nature has provided fruit with their own appeal: sweet taste, bright color, easily edible packages – sometimes just taking advantage of fruit’s built-in charm is all that’s necessary.

For a great snack idea that ups the cups, go blue. Wild blueberries are our choice for a food kids always love. Wild blues are a perfect choice for every day munching because they are nutrient-rich food that adds important dietary nutrients without the “empty” calories that are important for kids to defy the obesity statistics. Eating them straight from the freezer is a popular snack for kids (parents, too), and while they are good by the bowlful, they also make duller foods better, thanks to their fun color. Add blues to nearly everything to get an antioxidant punch (and an easy half cup!), including cereal, yogurt, salads, and even proteins for a sweet splash that appeals to young tastes.

Once you have your blues, keep tiny Tupperware® on hand so fruit salads can be used as an on-the-go snack to replace processed foods. You can also skewer fruit pieces for a fun, colorful way to snack, make a fruit pizza, or blend fruit together for much-loved Yogurt Fruit Pops. Or make fun recipes from fruit that mock their boxed counterparts, like these Blueberry Pop Tarts courtesy of Mogwai Soup, and consider the war against poor eating habits on.

Tip #2: Make Veggies Yummy.

Think your kids won’t eat vegetables? Put a kid-friendly twist on a dish and stand corrected. To appeal to younger palates, get creative by taking advantage of the ready-made sweetness of carrots by making Maple Glazed Carrots, or cook up some Zucchini Chips for an irresistible crunch kids love. Dips are also great for youngsters: slice up peppers, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower and pair them with a little dressing (one that’s not loaded with sugar and fat) and those veggies will disappear. Try these kid-approved dish ideas from My Recipes (including Maple Glazed Carrots and Zucchini Chips) to spark some ideas to take veggies from ho hum to yum.

Tip #3: Eat Just One Meal Together.

Finding it difficult to sit down to dinner every night? Take heart. The latest news about family meals is surprising, but for the time-challenged, it’s all positive. Eating a meal together just once a week will boost fruit and veggie intake, according to new research. The study, published in Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, shows that kids who eat together with their family consume more portions of produce than those whose families don’t share a meal. Whether it’s Sunday brunch or a single weekday dinner, that one visit to the family table could work magic in the quest for daily cups – among other benefits.

Tip #4: Be a Food Marketer.

The smarty-pants that changed the name of the Indian beetle to the “ladybug” must have known something about marketing. A simple name change, it seems, can turn yucky into yummy, and that’s a lesson in marketing that works as well in the kitchen as it does in the boardroom.

Consider the story of a mother that started calling Brussels sprouts “hero buttons” and changed the way her kids looked at this less-than-popular veggie. Could it be that simple? Sure. When spinach smoothies become green monsters and dinner vegetables become appetizer “snack plates” you’ll start counting up daily cups. In fact, researchers involved in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health study also found a link between fruit and vegetable intake among the kids and how the produce was presented on the plate. Simply cutting up fruits and veggies led to kids eating more. Presentation is everything, even when it comes to nutrition!

Tip #5: Get Kids Involved.

Of all the inventive, resourceful techniques to get kids to embrace healthy food, our #5 is a guaranteed winner. Parents and experts agree that when kids are part of the process of making meals, they are more likely to understand the benefits of whole, nutritious food, including fruits and vegetables. So let kids help with the shopping – have them choose a new favorite fruit or vegetable from the produce section, for example. And, involve them with meal preparation as well by enlisting them to wash, measure, toss, or add spices. Getting kids involved provides healthy eating lessons they’ll take with them forever. Try these 10 ways to get kids involved from Fruits and Veggies More Matters.

Get Kids in the Game!
Noticing more activity in your kitchen? It could be because school vacation is in full swing for kids around the country. It’s a perfect time for getting kids involved in games that teach them about fruit and veggie nutrition. Fruit and Veggies More Matters has “Food Champs” for just this reason!

New Generation = New Trends in Nutrition?

Our Kids Could Change the Course of Healthy Eating

The news has been grim: one in three American kids is overweight or obese, according to the American Heart Association. In Maine, more than half of all adults will be obese by 2030, wreaking havoc on the state’s health and its economy. With spiking obesity rates come unprecedented rates of Type 2 diabetes, higher incidences of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and many weight-related conditions. For the first time in history, the younger generation may have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Lamenting the poor health and nutrition of our youth seems to be part of the cultural script. There is no shortage of blame. Scientists have uncovered evidence that everything from gut bacteria and antibiotic use to sleep deprivation contributes to a population destined to be larger and sicker. While new factors emerge, others remain culpable, including portion sizes and endless exposure to nutritionally-poor processed foods and their mammoth advertising budgets. Add factors like fewer families cooking at home (and fewer kids learning to cook), tight budgets that lead us to less healthy choices, and less time being active, and we have a recipe for a nutritional doomsday for today’s youth.

At the same time, according to a Generational Consumer Trend Report issued this year by the food industry market research firm Technomi, today’s millennials consider healthy eating important. Young adults, says the report, have greater awareness of and appreciation for food and health-related issues. It may be that the younger generation is primed for better choices: general opinion suggests they are more open to receiving health messages and they possess a healthy skepticism when it comes to advertising claims. As a result, messages about the importance of fruit and vegetables and research about disease prevention may be getting through, starting trends in good health for the generations that follow.

Here in the land of wild blueberries, the University of Maine reports that more students are enrolling in their food and science program, for example. According to the report, enrollment in the program has been nudged by the importance of personal health and wellness for a new generation that has been seeking out whole, natural foods in an effort to be and feel well.

The news may represent a single point of light in a world of nutritional darkness, but it also may indicate real generational differences in the choices we make about food – differences for the better. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, signs of a hopeful, healthier future can be found in many places in the nation and locally.

A New World of Healthy Eating

Much of the focus on our kids’ eating has been on the schools, where poor options have been the rule rather than the exception. Choices in the lunch line are improving as schools join the movement to eliminate veggie stand-ins and offer more whole foods. In fact, childhood obesity rates have declined slightly in some cities and states that have taken on the issue of school lunch nutrition. Close to home, Maine Harvest Lunch puts local foods on school menus across the state at certain times in the school year. The initiative has prompted schools to purchase food from Maine farms and other food producers year round, causing a virtuous cycle within the industry. And, when school doors close, summer camps pick up where they left off, exposing kids to local produce and diverse, whole foods. That’s true especially in areas around Maine and Canada, where what goes on in the lunch room at meal time is as important as the activities outside.

In addition to changes in the lunch line, educational programs for kids, legislation about food claims, and healthy eating role models are contributing to changing the food environment of young people and helping them develop a connection to their food sources. It’s these changes that make kids more likely to embrace diverse foods and eat more widely across the food, color, and nutrition spectrum and rely less on a traditional American diet full of fat, salt, and sugar.

Be Part of Positive Generational Change

Can a new generation change the course of our health? A case can be made that it can. Evidence of positive change can be found everywhere. And, the more we recognize the good nutritional choices kids and their families make – eating more fruits and vegetables, either fresh or fresh frozen and more whole, nutritionally-dense food – the more we can propagate good choices in our own families and communities.

Recently, a Wild About Health reader said she started using frozen wild blueberries and spinach in a “synergistic smoothie” every morning based on Dr. Daniel Nadeau’s recipe. She began making a little extra for her teenage daughter, a notorious breakfast-skipper, who loved them and started making them herself. Now, no matter what the rest of the day brings nutritionally, she knows they’ve both had at least 2-3 fruit and vegetable servings. We can all start being more aware of our own healthy eating, too, and model that behavior for our kids. We can challenge them to cook themselves, help them try new recipes, and enlist them to help us shop for whole foods whether local, fresh or frozen. We can let them stock the fruit bowl, or be in charge of buying their favorite frozen fruit to keep in the freezer for snacking. We can bake a fruit pie together, or involve them in picking up squash from local farmer’s market. We can learn not to dwell on the negative choices they make, and start noticing the positive ones, so we can nurture and build on them.

There’s no denying the perils that face the health of our nation’s youth. But a nutritional course correction could be just a generation away. The more we recognize positive change, the more we open the door for health and nutritional messages to get through so our kids can lead the way in the quest for a healthy future.

Get kids cooking. Try these 10 ways to get kids involved in cooking and shopping from Fruit and Veggies More Matters.

Let the healthy games begin! Make healthy eating fun with FoodChamps.org, a game that teaches kids about nutritional choices.

See evidence of healthy change in your family or in your community? Let us know!

School Lunch Gets Healthy

Local & National Programs Improve Nutrition on Cafeteria Trays

School lunch — for many, the term conjures memories of tater tots, cartons of milk, and fatty, carb-heavy mystery foods that contribute to obesity and poor nutrition. But today, efforts are underway to undo the poor image of school lunches. The noontime bell may signal a period of health, nutrition, plenty of fruit and vegetable servings, and locally-sourced foods. Old-school lunches may be going the way of the abacus.

That’s especially true during National School Lunch Week which is being recognized by school districts throughout the country this week, October 10-14. The week is the culmination of a campaign to promote healthy choices within the school walls, and it coincides with National Farm to School Month, which takes place in October. Farm to School is a K-12 school program that helps make the connection between cafeteria meals and local farms and improves student nutrition as a result. Farm to School programs exist in every state in the nation as grassroots movements that differ depending on the community that creates them. In Maine, the Farm to School program includes projects such as Maine Harvest Lunch, seasonal tastings of Maine-fresh food, ongoing purchasing relationships with farms, and several school garden and greenhouse projects.

In Maine, Farms Lead the Way

Because of the advantages to farmers in the state, organizations like MOFGA have led the way to promote healthier school lunches here in Maine. By incorporating local foods, local farms benefit by developing new relationships that help sustain them. Maine Harvest Lunch week, which takes place in September, has increased participants each year since it began. Schools that participate in the program feature local, healthy foods on their school menus that have been provided by local farmers. The Portland Public School district, for example, has increased the amount of local food incorporated into its school lunch menu with support from the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Obesity Grant. Grant funds have allowed the district to train staff and purchase the equipment necessary to procure and process local produce in season for consumption throughout the school year. They participate by growing food in school gardens that end up in the school salad bar.

Building a Better Tray

Other school-focused nutritional efforts are going on around the state as well. Schools in the Brunswick school district eat local food one day a week every week of the school year — some parents report showing their support that day by giving lunch money to their kids who usually pack their lunch. Recently, a Farmington, Maine farm owned by Andy Marble was profiled in the Morning Sentinel. Marble said his vegetables were sold to area schools that participate in the Farm to School programs, providing a local market that keeps him working. In Kittery, grass-fed beef is now on the cafeteria menu at schools in York and Kittery, according to an article in Seacoast Online, where it is used for the menu’s hamburgers. Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program has provided grant funds and support for local school programs that combat childhood obesity, including programs that help schools buy foods locally, programs that help them serve grass-fed beef, and programs that ban sodas and junk food from vending machines.

In fact, this year has been good for many school lunch programs in Maine. There have been 39 schools in the state that have applied for the Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge through the federal Department of Agriculture, an honor for elementary schools that recognizes them for things such as offering a different vegetable and fruit every day of the week, and serving whole grains three times a week. Elementary schools in Scarborough, Falmouth, Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Freeport, Yarmouth, Boothbay, Saco-Old Orchard Beach, and District 61 in Naples applied for the national recognition, showing their interest in being part of leading the way for school nutrition.

Facts About Today’s School Lunch

Want to know more about the face of today’s school lunch? Take a look at some things you may not know about what goes on that cafeteria tray:

School meals are well-balanced, healthy meals that are required to meet science-based, federal nutrition standards.
No more than 30% of calories can come from fat in a school lunch, and less than 10% from saturated fat.
School meals provide 1/3 of Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium.
Nearly half of school districts offer locally sourced produce, according to the School Nutrition Association.
Farm to School meals result in consumption of more fruits and vegetables with an average increase of 0.99 to 1.3 servings per day – including at home.
Schools report a 3-16% percent increase in school meal participation when farm-fresh food is served through Farm to School programs.

Are healthy school lunches sweeping the nation? While efforts at the national, state, and community level are making improvements, all is not always rosy in the cafeteria when it comes to healthy choices. But there are some good things about school lunches that are contributing to big changes for kids and local farms.

Whether you are a school administrator or a parent, there are plenty of resources on the web to help you take part in making even more progress.

Find Out More on the Web:

Tray Talk has facts about school lunches, success stories, and ways to get involved.

The Lunch Box Project is an online toolkit that helps schools with resources for making school lunches nutritious.

Salad Bars to Schools is a grassroots public health effort created to increase the number of salad bars in schools across the country.

Time for Lunch is a part of Slow Food USA that works to help improve school nutrition.

Maine School Garden Network supports educational gardens for kids, and encourages school programs that teach healthy eating and environmental stewardship.

Maine Harvest Lunch promotes featuring local healthy food on school menus while supporting local farmers.

Is your school doing something to improve what kids eat? Share your story!