The Journal Of Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics has just published the results of a study conducted on the quality of food that children on the national school lunch program are getting. The NSLP was established an effort to provide children with nutritionally balanced lunch choices that contain food from the five major food groups including protein, fruits, vegetables, milk, and grains. Since its initiation, parents have also been encouraged to follow the program and provide packed lunches that conform to the healthier standards.
Researchers from Tufts University studied the lunchbox contents that were being given to over 600 public elementary school students in Eastern Massachusetts. It was noted that 27% of these contained three or more of the recommended food groups, but that none the packed lunches contained food from all five of the required food groups. A typical lunch box had a sandwich, another snack food, and the majority of parents opted to give their children water. A disappointing lack of milk was also noted by the researchers, who said that the calcium-rich beverage would have been better than the sugar-sweetened juice drinks that other parents gave their children. Milk would also have supplemented the children's daily calcium requirement.
The less than enticing results of the study pointed out that most parents are facing challenges when it comes to giving their children nutritious food for lunch. It seems that more education and information is needed to help these parents to formulate effective meal plans to ensure that their kids are getting healthy options.
Wesley Delbridge, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition And Dietetics said that the results of the study do not come as a surprise. "This study involved educated parents who care about their elementary school-age children, but still at their best, are not coming close, nutritionally, to what is being served in the NSLP. The parents appear to be packing a lunch that is what the kids like, or being marketed to, but is not as nutritious as the school lunch that is being served."