Sean Dowling reports on the big changes coming to school cafeterias.
‘It’s important for children to experience different types of foods’: School meals to get healthier with less salt and sugar under new rule School breakfast and lunch options for nearly 30 million K-12 students are about to be healthier, with a cut in both sodium and added sugar under new guidelines.
School breakfast and lunch options for nearly 30 million K-12 students are about to be healthier, with a cut in both sodium and added sugar underThe U.S. Department of Agriculture says school breakfast and lunch are the main sources of nutrition for more than half of the nearly 30 million students across the country. But the prevalence of obesity affected about 14.7 million children and adolescents, according to statistics from theFormer pediatrician and current District Medical Officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, Dr. Wes Stubblefield says the new changes can only help with the problem. “What we’ve seen for a long time is that the average weight in our children has gone up. The average weight in adults has gone up, leading to poor outcomes long-term for both children and adults,” Dr. Stubblefield said. He adds the solution is simple. “It’s making healthy choices. It’s getting outside. It’s playing. It’s exercising. And we know that children who maintain healthy weight as children tend to maintain healthy weight as adults.” As for what your student can expect on their tray in changes being rolled out in phases over the next few years, certain products like breakfast cereals, yogurt and flavored milk will have limits on added sugars starting in the 2025-26 school year, with a 10% cap on added sugars by the 2027 school year. As for salty foods, expect a 15% cut in sodium in lunches, and a 10% reduction in sodium in breakfasts by the 2027-28 school year. Dr. Stubblefield is looking forward to the changes but knows we have to tackle an existing problem to get students adjusted to the new options. “We know that children have preferences for certain types of food, particularly salty food, fatty food, food that may not be good for you,” Dr. Stubblefield said. “But it’s important for children to experience different types of foods. Hopefully when we introduce these changes, maybe potentially they would make better choices as adults because they would be exposed to different foods.”WATCH: Woman files federal lawsuit against Andalusia police officer
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