SNAC: public school food blues

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

public school food blues

I am new to the public school system as of this year, but I am already reeling from the issues that have come up around unhealthy food offered to (and consumed by) my daughter. We do not have cow's milk in our home. But now my daughter is having regular or chocolate cow's milk once a week! I would love chocolate milk to be banned altogether. It's novel...it's sweet...and it's terrible for my daughter's teeth and her tendency toward respiratory infections. Oy!

1 comment:

SNAC said...: Hey Lora, is chocolate milk served every day? If you can find other parents who feel like you do, you can ask the principal to cut it down to one day a week, or maybe she could help you figure out how to make it so it's not so accessible.
-Larissa; October 25, 2007 at 6:47 AM

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THINGS YOU CAN DO

START A FOOD COMMITTEE -- Every public school is required by law to have a wellness committee, so if your school doesn't have one, you need to start one. Put up signs, invite teachers and staff and parents, and just have a meeting.
DISTRIBUTE A LIST OF HEALTHY SNACKS -- and where to buy them near your school. Ask for support from class parents, and just pass it out in backpack mail.
TAKE FIELD TRIPS TO FARMERS' MARKETS -- Every NYC kids should be introduced to our amazing network of farmers' markets. Make sure they get to have some cider and apples, or something delicious!
HAVE A "FAVORITE HEALTHY SNACK DAY" -- Parents come in and prepare a healthy snack with the kids. It's all about exposure...
GET KIDS GARDENING -- Studies have shown that it's not enough to improve the food in the cafeteria. Kids have to be gardening and learnign about food in the classroom if you want them to embrace the new foods. Use containers inside the classroom or in the playground.
CELEBRATE REGIONAL PRODUCE -- That's apples for us here in NYC!
TEACH A COOKING CLASS -- Talk to the afterschool coordinator at your school. All you really need is a hot plate or a toaster oven. This is pure PR for your food committee. People LOVE when you get kids cooking! (Hint: always make extra food to offer to teachers, parents, security guards, etc
GET RID OF CHOCOLATE MILK -- The Office of School Foods leaves this decision up to the principal in each school. You can ask for chocolate milk just one day a week if you want to start small.
COMPLAIN TO THE POLITICIANS -- Real change is going to happen at the federal level. Tell your representatives that you support local fresh foods in the schools.

Suggested Snacks List - English Version

Healthy Snacks for Kids
Healthy snacks keep children’s energy levels up and help them focus on learning. Snacks also boost nutrition when they contain protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats. It’s best to avoid excessive sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and any artificial sweeteners, color and preservatives. Combining two or more different snacks is a good idea, since kids like to have a choice! Below is a list of suggestions - enjoy!

Vegetables
- grape tomatoes, baby carrots, cucumber sticks, celery - good raw
- broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, green beans - delicious steamed or boiled for just a minute or two
- frozen peas, corn kernels, diced carrots – yes, straight from the bag, not defrosted!
- try dips to go with the vegetables, such as hummus; cottage cheese blended with Ranch salad dressing; salsa; or peanut butter blended with a little water, soy sauce and rice vinegar.

Grains
- whole-grain crackers or cereal: make sure that they are not high in sugar, and that whole grain is the first ingredient. Good brands include Kashi, Barbara’s, Annie’s, and TLC
- rice crackers (Asian-style), or rice cakes – good with peanut butter or cheese
- granola bars, preferably low in sugar - Kashi makes a good one
- baked tortilla chips or fresh tortillas with guacamole or salsa
- whole-wheat bread, pitas or rolls
- whole-grain or multigrain pretzels, preferably unsalted
- natural popcorn, preferably reduced-salt type

Fruits
- fresh fruit is best, either whole or cut up: try strawberries, grapes, apples, pears, melon, etc.
- dried fruit –sulfite-free if possible (some kids are allergic to sulfites): try raisins, cherries, mango, etc.
- applesauce, unsweetened if possible
- fruit leather, with no sugar added (Costco carries a brand called Fruitabu)
- dips for fruit: try vanilla yogurt, or frozen berries, thawed and pureed in a blender – the color is great. Nut butters, such as peanut, almond or cashew nut butter, are delicious with crisp apples.

Legumes
- soy nuts, roasted chickpeas, and peanuts are super-nutritious snack foods
- edamame (green soy beans) can be bought frozen, with or without their pods
- most legumes make delicious dips when blended with flavorings - try white beans with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice, or black beans blended with salsa. Serve with pita chips, baked tortilla chips and/or vegetables
- hummus comes in several flavors and is tasty with pita bread, crackers and veggies

Dairy
- mozzarella sticks
- small cubes of hard cheese, such as cheddar, gouda or Reggiano, served with fruit such as apples, pears or grapes, or with crackers
- vanilla yogurt and fresh or frozen berries
- vanilla yogurt and granola or whole-grain cereal

Meats
- sliced roast turkey - rolled up or folded
- no-nitrate salami or ham (Applegate brand is good)

Meriendas Sanas

Una buena merienda le da energía a los niños y les ayuda a concentrarse en sus estudios. Si tiene proteina, vitaminas, minerales, fibras y grasas saludables, alimenta más. Es mejor evitar el exceso de azúcar, el “high fructose corn syrup,” las grasas hidrogenadas, y los conservantes, edulcorantes y colorantes artificiales. Ofrecer dos o más alimentos es buena idea, ya que a los niños ¡les gusta tener opciones! A continuación aparecen algunas ideas para hacer meriendas sanas - ¡que las disfrute!

Vegetales
- para comer crudos: tomatitos, zanahorias “baby,” pepino cortado en palitos, apio
- para comer ligeramente cocidos: brécol (broccoli), coliflor, guisantes “sugar snap”, habichuelas tiernas
- para comer congelados, tal cual vienen: guisantes, maíz desgranado, cubitos de zanahoria
- pruebe diferentes salsas para mojar los vegetales, tales como hummus; requesón licuado con aderezo Ranch; salsa mexicana; o mantequilla de maní combinada con un poco de salsa de soja, vinagre de arroz y agua

Granos
- galletas y cereales integrales: asegúrese que no tengan mucho azúcar, y que el ingrediente principal sea un grano integral. Entre las mejores marcas están Kashi, Barbara’s, Annie’s, y TLC
- galletas de arroz (chinas) o bizcochitos de arroz hinchado –buenos con mantequilla de maní o queso
- barritas de cereales (“granola bars”) – preferiblemente con poca azucar; la marca Kashi es buena
- tortilla chips hechas al horno (por ejemplo de la marca Guiltless Gourmet) o bien tortillas frescas, con salsa mexicana o salsa de frijoles negros
- pan pita, bollitos o pan de sandwich de harina integral
- pretzels integrales o multigrano, preferiblemente sin granos de sal
- palomitas de maíz – se consiguen con menos sal (“lightly salted” o “reduced salt’)

Frutas
- la fruta fresca es la mejor opción. Se puede servir entera o cortada: fresas, manzanas, peras, uvas, melón, sandía, kiwis, etc.
- fruta seca – sin sulfatos al ser posible (pueden causar alergias): pasas, cerezas, mango, albaricoque...
- compota de manzana (“applesauce”), sin endulzar
- meriendas de fruta concentrada (“fruit leather”) - Costco tiene una marca llamada Fruitabu
- salsas para mojar fruta: pruebe yogur de vainilla, o bien frambuesas o fresas congeladas, pasadas por la batidora – el color le gustará a los niños. Las mantequillas de nueces como la de almendra, la de maní o la de pajuil son deliciosas con tajadas crujientes de manzana.

Legumbres
- las habas de soja tostadas (“soy nuts”), los garbanzos tostados, y los cacahuetes son super-nutritivos
- el edamame (habas de soja verdes) se consigue congelado, con o sin cáscara
- casi todas las legumbres se pueden sazonar y licuar para hacer deliciosas cremas – por ejemplo, habichuelas blancas con aceite de oliva, ajo y jugo de limón, o bien frijoles negros licuados con salsa mexicana. Sírvalas con pan pita tostado, chips de tortilla, y/o verduras
- el humus – un puré de garbanzos sazonado – se consigue de diferentes variedades y es sabroso acompañado de pan pita, galletas o vegetales

Lácteos
- palitos de queso mozzarella
- cubitos de queso firme, tal como queso de bola, gouda, cheddar o parmesano Reggiano, acompañados de manzanas, peras, uvas etc., o bien con galletas
- yogur de vainilla con fresas, arándanos (blueberries) o frambuesas, frescas o congeladas
- yogur de vainilla con granola u otro cereal de grano integral

Fiambres
- pavo asado en tajadas finas – pruebe enrollarlo para formar “cigarros” o bien doblarlo en cuatro
- salami o jamón sin nitratos – la marca Applegate es buena

SNAC

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

public school food blues

1 comment:

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Suggested Snacks List - English Version

Meriendas Sanas