Join us as we celebrate #NationalNutritionMonth (NNM)! The theme for this year is “Personalize Your Plate,” join us every week as we share our wellness and healthy tips on how you can better personalize your plate! #eatwithusSUHSD🍽
Dish: Spaghetti and Meat sauce
Tip: Adding a small salad with your favorite veggies can be a great way to incorporate more veggies into your diet and complete the meal!
Online resource: Twenty ways to eat more fruits and vegetables (Spanish)
Join us as we celebrate #NationalNutritionMonth (NNM)! The theme for this year is “Personalize Your Plate,” join us every week as we share our wellness and healthy tips on how you can better personalize your plate! #eatwithusSUHSD 🍽
Dish: Chicken Sriracha Wrap
Tip: You can turn any of your favorite salads into a wrap by adding a whole grain tortilla!
Online Resource: 20 Tips for 2021 (Spanish)
Join us as we celebrate #NationalNutritionMonth (NNM)! The theme for this year is “Personalize Your Plate,” join us every week as we share our wellness and healthy tips on how you can better personalize your plate! #eatwithusSUHSD 🍽
Over the next couple of days, we will be sharing how we personalize our plates. We will be posting pictures of a few of our favorite recipes and how we spice them up for our students.
This is an example of what comes in our community feeding bags. **items may vary by site. Canned fruit or 21 servings of fresh fruit for each day.**
Join us as we celebrate #NationalNutritionMonth (NNM)!
The theme for this year is “Personalize Your Plate,” join us every week as we share our wellness and healthy tips on how you can better personalize your plate! #eatwithusSUHSD 🍽
During the month of March, join us as we celebrate #NationalNutritionMonth (NNM)! The Sweetwater District is committed to providing healthy & nutritious meals to students in the South Bay. We strive to provide students with healthy eating habits & promote life-long healthy behaviors!#eatwithusSUHSD🍴
The theme for this year is “Personalize Your Plate,” join us every week as we share our wellness and healthy tips on how you can better personalize your plate! 🍽
To kick off National Nutirition Month, test your nutrition knowledge with a short 10-question quiz ! (Answers are listed at the bottom). Tune in weekly for more fun ways to celebrate NNM with Sweetwater Union High School District.🥑
🍊 Test your nutrition knowledge: NNM QUIZ 🥕
To participate in the National School Lunch Program please complete a Free or Reduced price meal application for your child(ren).
Paper Applications can be picked-up and returned at School Sites and/or the District Office.
Online applications may be completed on the Parent Portal, which keeps data secure, confidential and ensures that the application is completely filled out. This accelerates the application review process and determination of your child’s eligibility status. You may complete and submit an application here.
https://campusportal.sweetwaterschools.org/campus/portal/parents/sweetwater.jsp
**To learn how to fill out an online application, click here for the Power Point Tutorial.**
NOTICE: On July 1, 2020 SUHSD increased the Paid Lunch Meal Price to $3.10 and Paid Breakfast Meal Price to $1.90.
For students requesting Special Meal Accommodations please have your Primary Care Physician complete and sign this medical statement form below. Return the completed form to your School’s Nurse and Cafeteria. Thank you.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1O21bWaWkSdZL5bSzc3nSMA5Zj4zs4OIr
You probably know that your school cafeteria has to follow USDA guidelines for child nutrition. But do you know what those guidelines are or how they impact your school lunch choices?
A recent history of federal nutrition guidelines
The United States federal government has had guidelines for school nutrition programs since the 1930s. There have been many changes over the years, with the most important being the passing of the National School Lunch Act in 1946. This ensured schools would serve meals that meet the minimum nutrition requirements for children for free or at a low cost to those unable to pay. In 1966, the Child Nutrition Act was passed, recognizing the link between food and good nutrition and the ability for children to learn. To celebrate school nutrition, National School Lunch Week was established in 1962, and National School Breakfast Week was established in 1989.
Grab and eat salads with chicken (or chickpeas and pesto dressing for a vegan option).
The USDA most recently updated the guidelines for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs in 2012. The new guidelines were meant to reduce childhood obesity and increase the availability of fresh foods to low-income children. The guidelines increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, and decreased sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat in school meals. Schools are encouraged to provide nutrient-dense foods, which are foods that are high in nutrients and a low in calories. These foods have plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and good fats in a low-calorie package.
Current USDA guidelines for school lunches
The USDA has nutritional guidelines for all Americans, but schools participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program have special guidelines. This is because it’s important for students to get proper nutrition so they can do well in school and become future leaders. Plus, some students qualify for free or reduced price meals, and the USDA wants to ensure that all students have access to healthy foods to grow and learn.
Here are the USDA guidelines for school lunches.
School food requirements:
School meal program requirements:
Schools also follow guidelines for calorie requirements for school meals based on grade. School breakfast and lunch menus can measure the average number of calories by the week, rather than by the day, for more flexibility and to ensure greater nutritional accountability for students who eat at school every day. These grade-based calorie ranges also ensure each student gets enough to eat to support a day of learning.
Is it healthy to eat a school lunch?
Yes! Schools follow the USDA guidelines to ensure each meal includes fruit, vegetables, protein, whole grains, and dairy. Schools are even able to incorporate kid favorites like hamburgers and pizza into a nutritionally balanced meal when serving sizes are controlled and the meal is paired with fresh fruits and vegetables. Some foods often also have modifications to make them more nutritious, such as a whole wheat pizza dough and buns and low-fat cheese.
Fresh grilled lean meats can be part of a balanced school lunch when prepared with low-sugar sauces and paired with fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus, students love food from the grill!
Of course, student choice plays a large role in the nutrition value of school meals. For example, a slice of pizza with a serving of juice is not as nutritious as a slice of pizza, a side salad, an orange, and milk. We encourage families to discuss nutrition at home (perhaps over a family dinner) to help students learn to make nutritionally smart choices in the school cafeteria. There’s a place for foods like pizza, hamburgers, and even desserts, but moderation is important. Additionally, when students are able to make their own choices they tend to feel in control and experience greater satisfaction about their food. This also helps reduce food waste and increase consumption of nutritious foods.
Students can choose from a variety of whole fruits, baby carrots and hummus, and vegetables for their side.
What is a healthy eating pattern?
Most of us don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables, dairy, or healthy oils, and get more grain and protein (up to twice as much!) than we need. Added to this, most Americans, including children and teens, eat too much added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, and too many calories overall. These habits can lead to a number of chronic diseases (such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity) that shorten life spans. Everyone, especially growing students, should do their best to follow a healthy eating pattern.
A healthy eating pattern includes:
A healthy eating pattern limits:
A healthy eating pattern can be achieved by eating more variety, both in each food group and among all food groups. For example, students can fill up on the fresh salad bar to get their recommended fruits and vegetables and try something new. At home, replace a hamburger a couple times a week with a bean or seafood dish and add a colorful salad to dinner. This helps you add more nutrient dense foods that keep you full and provide all the nutrients you need while still tasting great. The best part is you don’t have to stop eating your favorite unhealthy foods – just eat them less frequently, or have smaller portions and fill up with a nutrient-dense salad or vegetable side dish.
A fresh salad bar with vegetables and beans gives students the option to build their own healthy meals.
It’s also good to remember that taste buds change, so just because you didn’t like a fruit or vegetable when you were younger doesn’t mean you won’t like it now. Preparing a fruit or vegetable in a new and interesting way can greatly improve its taste. For example, many people don’t like cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts when they’re young, but learn to love it by trying a new preparation with an open mind. Next time you go through the school salad bar, try adding chickpeas, bell peppers, or purple cabbage and see how your taste buds may have grown.
Chula Vista High School students got a treat Monday during finals week: a free taste test! Held in a high traffic location on the Senior Lawn, the Taste of Cafe Agua Dulce taste test featured five new items students might see on the menu for breakfast and lunch next year. The roughly 200 students who participated had the opportunity to weigh in on the new items, helping shape what will actually be on the menu.
Homemade tzatziki dressing, cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta cheese on the Greek salad.
The new menu items included two breakfast items and three lunch items:
All of the menu items follow federal nutritional guidelines for saturated fat and sodium limits but are modified to be appealing to students. For example, the Tornado uses a whole grain flour tortilla and low-fat cheese, and the tuna melt uses whole grain bread and relies on mustard and other spices to enhance the flavor. Sweetwater sources fish from Catalina Offshore Products, purveyor of local, fresh fish around San Diego, further adding to the appeal of the tuna melt.
The Tornado is egg, turkey sausage, and cheese wrapped in a whole grain flour tortilla covered in spices.
Most of the new items will be in the regular rotation, but at least one will be offered a la carte: the fair style turkey leg. Though today students got sample cups with turkey leg meat, the actual leg is a hefty size and will be finished on the grill. After spotting what the turkey legs will look like, two Juniors commented on how expensive they are at the fair and that they are excited to be able to order one at school for much less.
Much more than bite-sized: full turkey legs will be added to the a la carte lunch menu.
About 75 students filled out a survey after trying the samples, ranking each item on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being best). However, it was easy to tell which items were popular based on how quickly staff had to replace the samples! The Tornados were overwhelmingly the favorite breakfast item and eventually ran out, and Nutrition Services employees were constantly putting out extra tuna melt and turkey leg samples.
The tuna melt with whole grain bread, pepper jack cheese, and homemade tuna salad was a hit.
Students chatted about the items while they snacked, giving the Nutrition Services team an early peek into what they liked and what they didn’t like. The Greek salad, with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, and a homemade tzatziki dressing, was a hit among both students and staff members, who are all interested in more salad variety. Next year, the salad will be served with either chicken or falafel for a complete meal. One staff member even asked for the tuna melt recipe, saying she planned to recreate it at home. Quite the compliment!
The school-wide taste test was piloted by Alberto Apalategui’s Power Thinking class a couple of weeks ago. Paired with a nutrition lesson my Registered Dietitian Devon Walker, the class learned more about the importance of nutrition and also how to critique food. Many of these same students came for Taste of Cafe Agua Dulce, eager to try even more potential new menu items and give their voices greater reach.
Taste of Cafe Agua Dulce was partially inspired by the need to create more awareness for the district’s summer meals program. Seamless Summer is a USDA program providing free meals to all children 18 years of age and under. SUHSD meal sites will be at 7 middle schools, 7 high schools, and the Westfield Plaza Bonita Mall. Anyone 18 and under can come to these locations for fresh salads, sandwiches, grill items (ribs, burgers, and nachos), and a variety of sides from June 11 to June 29.
Additionally, the district is hard at work this summer developing and perfecting new recipes for next year. These recipes will follow federal guidelines for nutrition, including sodium and saturated fat reductions, but will also take into account student opinions. The surveys help us know what students like about recipes and what can be improved so more students (and staff) are eager to eat a healthy and delicious school lunch. Be sure to visit us next year to see the changes we’re making!
