Fill Your Vending Machines With Veggies and Milk
April 25, 2007 — -- It's time for an afternoon snack. Instead of picking up a candy bar or cola drink, soon grade school through high school students may have only healthy snacks, like low-fat milk or baby carrots, to choose from while at school.
With approximately $2.2 billion spent on junk food at schools nationwide in 2003 alone, a report released today on nutrition standards in schools recommends that they stop selling unhealthy snacks.
Written by the prestigious Institute of Medicine, the report states that 98 percent of high schools have vending machines, school stores or snack bars that sell junk food. Though school lunches and breakfasts are regulated, what's sold outside the cafeteria is virtually unregulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Today's report provides recommendations to promote healthy eating habits at school and to reduce the risk of childhood obesity, which can cause other medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and early cardiovascular disease.
The nutritional value that school and afterschool snacks should have is outlined in the report. The snacks should be low fat, low sugar and low in salt. They should have no trans fats and no more than 200 calories. Individual fruits, like apples and pears, low-salt whole grain crackers and 100 percent whole-grain minibagels would all pass the test.
As for beverages, the report recommends all caffeinated and sweetened beverages be pulled from schools. Caffeine can lead to dependency and result in withdrawal symptoms like headache, moodiness and shakiness.
Though beverages with artificial sweeteners, such as Equal or Splenda, have fewer calories, the report suggests not selling them in grade schools and middle schools because the effect of the sweeteners on childhood development is still unknown. Artificially sweetened drinks could be made available to high school students, however, although it is not as highly recommended as other drinks like water or milk.
Even sports drinks, like Gatorade, are considered to have too much sugar and according to the report should be available to student-athletes only if they've been vigorously exercising for more than one hour.
Kids are not the only ones who will need to change their habits; some teachers will need to change the way they praise their students, too. The report discourages teachers from using food, like candy, to reward or punish their pupils, as this can lead to an emotional connection to food.
School administrators also are encouraged to minimize marketing images displayed on vending machines especially if the images convey that eating junk food will lead to health or social benefit.
While the Institute of Medicine's reports carry weight, today's report provides recommendations only. It will be up to federal and state lawmakers as well as school districts to implement the recommendations.
'Competitive Foods' in Schools
98 percent of high schools, 74 percent of middle schools and 43 percent of elementary schools have vending machines, a school store or snack bar.
Most common items offered in high schools: fruit, vegetable juices, sports drinks, salty snacks, baked goods, sandwiches, pizza, frozen deserts, candy and soft drinks.
Estimated that approximately $2.2 billion of "competitive foods and beverages" were sold in United States in 2003-04.
There are two tiers of preferred snacks/ beverages.
Tier One
Only Tier One snacks can be offered during school day.
Packaged snack items should be:
Less than 200 calories
Low fat -- less than 35 percent of calories from fat
No trans fats
Less than 10 percent saturated fats
Low sugar -- 35 percent or less from sugars
Low Sodium -- 200 milligrams or less
Examples of Tier One foods are individual fruits ( apple or pear slices); baby carrots; low-fat, low- salt whole-grain crackers or chips; whole-grain, low-sugar cereals; and 100 percent whole-grain minibagels.
Beverages should be:
Only 100 percent fruit juices without added sugar
Low-fat and nonfat milk
Water (unsweetened, unflavored, uncarbonated)
No caffeinated beverages
No beverages with "non-nutritive" sweetener (i.e artificial sweeteners) before high school
No sports drinks except for student-athletes after vigorous activity for more than one hour.
Tier Two
Can be offered in addition to Tier One items after school only at high schools.
Snack Food:
Less than 200 calories
Low fat -- less than 35 percent of calories from fat
No trans fats
Less than 10 percent saturated fats
Low sugar -- 35 percent or less from sugars
Low sodium -- 200 milligrams or less
Examples include low-salt baked potato chips, crackers, pretzels. Animal crackers (low sugar), graham crackers (low sugar)
Beverages:
OK to have artificially sweetened, noncaffeinated beverages.