WASHINGTON — Schools are supposed to include extra fruit and veggies in students’ lunches, but a lot of kids are just saying “no.”
Researchers at the University of Vermont took digital images of kids in the lunch line and again when they finished and dumped the trash off their trays.
The photos show a lot of the mandated fruits and vegetables were pitched, indicating schools could put the healthier fare in front of children, but could not make them eat it.
The study, published online in Public Health Reports, could reignite the controversy over the 2010 healthy school lunch program, just weeks before Congress is due to vote on its future.
The findings come as no surprise to registered pediatric dietitian Angela Boadu, who works with kids through the Children’s National Health System.
She says she talks to her young patients constantly about consumption of fruits and vegetables and “unfortunately, they are not buying that — especially at school.”
Boadu says the children tell her the stuff served in the lunch room is unappealing and unappetizing. Also, they say they need foods that are quick to eat and whole fruits, for example, just take too long.
The study authors urge schools to make produce more convenient for students by serving fruit in slices and offering cut up vegetables with dips.
“I definitely would start there with healthy dips like plain yogurt or a light dressing — portion sized, of course,” says Boadu.
Also, she suggests having kids bring their own cut-up fruits and veggies to school from home in colorful containers, stressing it is important to make healthy eating a family affair.
“We have to make sure that it starts at home with the families and the parents making sure that fruits and vegetables are stables of the diet at home and then they can carry that into school,” says Boadu, adding “it isn’t going to work otherwise.”
