Health News
- Most Kentucky Schools Adapting Well To New Federal Nutrition Rules, Usda Official With Kentucky Background Says
While one Kentucky school district has ditched the federal school-meals program and the money that comes with it, an official of the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services says that most Kentucky schools are creatively...
- Kentucky School Officials Make Foods Look More Appetizing And Easier To Eat, In Order To Decrease Food Waste
Some school districts are working to keep fruits and vegetables from being thrown out by students who seem to be unhappy with their school lunches that must follow stricter nutrition guidelines to get federal subsidies. "The key to getting students to...
- Hopkinsville Paper Gives Detailed Description Of Federally Mandated Changes In Christian County School Lunches
Five years ago Christian County Public Schools served a dessert with every meal, white rolls, and vegetables with plenty of salt, Margarita Cambest reports for the Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville. Shift to 2014: Dessert is considered an occasional...
- 50,000 Students To Get More Fruit, Vegetables During The School Day
More than 50,000 students in 125 Kentucky elementary schools will be able to eat fresh fruit and vegetables in the coming school year. The nutritious snacks will be provided as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable...
- Schools Serving Somewhat Healthier Lunches, But Short On Physical Activity, National Survey Shows
The nation's middle and high schools are feeding students somewhat healthier lunches, but are falling short in providing physical activity to students, a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Bridging the Gap program has found. And...
Health News
Pilot salad bar will determine whether other Jefferson Co. schools follow suit in bid to increase students' veggie and fruit intake
The Jefferson County Public School system is pilot-testing a salad bar at Atherton High School to entice students to eat more vegetables and fruits, a goal of the new federal nutrition standards, Allison Ross reports for The Courier-Journal.
"We're always looking for new ideas to increase participation or attract students to come through the serving line," Terina Edington, assistant director for nutrition services, told Ross.
Many of Kentucky's children are falling far short of the daily recommended four and a half cups or more of fruits and vegetables, a shortcoming that one study says will contribute to early heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2013 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables found that only 50 percent of Kentucky adolescents reported eating fruit and 43 percent reported eating vegetables with a median intake of one time per day for both.
Salad bars were once common in Jefferson County schools, but concerns about portion control and contamination concerns caused them to "slowly disappear," Edington told Ross. Many schools across the country continue to "remain leery" of adding salad bars because of such health concerns, Ross writes.
 |
| Photo from TheProduceMom.com |
Many of Kentucky's children are falling far short of the daily recommended four and a half cups or more of fruits and vegetables, a shortcoming that one study says will contribute to early heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2013 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables found that only 50 percent of Kentucky adolescents reported eating fruit and 43 percent reported eating vegetables with a median intake of one time per day for both.
Salad bars were once common in Jefferson County schools, but concerns about portion control and contamination concerns caused them to "slowly disappear," Edington told Ross. Many schools across the country continue to "remain leery" of adding salad bars because of such health concerns, Ross writes.
This trial will help the district determine whether it will put salad bars in other schools. Cafeteria modifications for the salad bar at Atherton cost $400, Ross reports.
A push for schools to add more salad bars has been led by First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative, which co-sponsors a "Salad Bars 2 Schools" program that has donated more than 4,000 salad bars to schools, Ross reports. "A 2014 evaluation of that program found that 57 percent of participating schools saw an increase in student participation in school lunch, and 78 percent reported buying more fruits and vegetables."
The school's Facebook page said that the salad bar would have diced ham, turkey breast, fajita chicken strips, cucumbers, baby spinach, radishes and four types of dressings, with the lettuce and meat portions pre-measured, while the other ingredients will be self-serve.
Atherton High parent Lynn Greene told Ross that she is "thrilled my child has a healthy option," saying she hopes other schools will also get salad bars.
- Most Kentucky Schools Adapting Well To New Federal Nutrition Rules, Usda Official With Kentucky Background Says
While one Kentucky school district has ditched the federal school-meals program and the money that comes with it, an official of the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services says that most Kentucky schools are creatively...
- Kentucky School Officials Make Foods Look More Appetizing And Easier To Eat, In Order To Decrease Food Waste
Some school districts are working to keep fruits and vegetables from being thrown out by students who seem to be unhappy with their school lunches that must follow stricter nutrition guidelines to get federal subsidies. "The key to getting students to...
- Hopkinsville Paper Gives Detailed Description Of Federally Mandated Changes In Christian County School Lunches
Five years ago Christian County Public Schools served a dessert with every meal, white rolls, and vegetables with plenty of salt, Margarita Cambest reports for the Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville. Shift to 2014: Dessert is considered an occasional...
- 50,000 Students To Get More Fruit, Vegetables During The School Day
More than 50,000 students in 125 Kentucky elementary schools will be able to eat fresh fruit and vegetables in the coming school year. The nutritious snacks will be provided as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable...
- Schools Serving Somewhat Healthier Lunches, But Short On Physical Activity, National Survey Shows
The nation's middle and high schools are feeding students somewhat healthier lunches, but are falling short in providing physical activity to students, a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Bridging the Gap program has found. And...