Kids prefer healthy food in school lunches, study proves

Chefs in Schools Initiative Shows Kids Significantly Prefer Healthy Food
 

An experimental program in Boston, the Chefs in Schools Initiative, has been wildly successful, and the preliminary results released November 18th  have shown undeniably that kids like eating healthy food, if it's prepared right.

What is the Chefs in Schools Initiative?

Chefs in Schools was launched in Boston by Project Bread in 2007 with the help of the Office of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston Public Schools, and the Boston Public Health Commission.  The idea was to provide the school children with the best nutrition available, preferably without raising costs dramatically.  74% of Boston public schoolchildren qualify for free or reduced-priced meals at school, and probably largely depend on the school meals, breakfast and lunch, for a majority of their nutrition.

Thus, the partnership hired Chef Kirk Conrad, master chef and graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, to work with two middle schools to design healthy and cost-effective meals that the kids will actually enjoy eating.  

What Foods were Included in the Chefs in Schools Program?

Chef Kirk Conrad, known by most just as Chef Kirk, loaded down the menus with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats — while removing excess fat, sodium and sugar, things all too common in 'normal' school cafeterias.  

All the healthy meals were cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients and flavored with herbs by Conrad and the willing kitchen staffs.  New foods were taste tested by students like guests in a fine restaurant.

What Results did Chefs in Schools Find?

The Healthy Lunch Study gathered and analyzed the data and results of this program, in comparison with schools serving traditional school cafeteria fare, collecting information from over 3,000 lunch trays:

• Over three times as many students ate vegetables at the Chefs in Schools cafeterias.
• Among those who did eat their vegetables, those at the CiS schools ate significantly more of them, about 30%.
• If 1% white milk was served instead of chocolate milk, milk consumption did not decrease.
• CiS school meals contained about half again as much whole grain.
• While around a third of the food served in the traditional lunches was discarded, food waste was reduced to about one fifth in the CiS schools.
• Participation in the school lunch program was some 17% higher in the CiS schools, which leads to higher federal reimbursement for the school districts.

Because of these outstanding preliminary results, the Initiative is being expanded to another six Boston Public Schools, for a total of eight — including a high school where graduates from the two Chefs in Schools test schools organized to demand better food, proving even more profoundly that yes, children do prefer better food.

photo by dancing_chopsticks

Related Articles:

• Tips to include balanced nutrition in kids school lunches - easy ideas on how to get your own kids a better school lunch
• Americans not getting even close to enough fruits and vegetables in their diets says CDC - people in the US simply don't eat enough fruits and veggies – especially not kids, who so need it for proper growth
• Easy, everyday tips for healthier eating - simple ways to include more healthy foods in the diet

To stay informed about new Natural Health articles as they happen, be sure to Subscribe to our email notifications at the top of this page, or follow the Natural Health Examiner on Twitter.