Lunch gets a healthier twist

Add a cup of scheduling changes and a pinch of new federal nutrition regulations and you have an Elmbrook School District lunch program that is seeing dramatic changes, now and in the future

With the start of this school year, the district's curriculum now is delivered in fewer, larger blocks. That means lunch periods have been reduced from 50 to 30 minutes, meaning that dietary staff members have had to work differently to make sure food is served efficiently while maintaining quality. In addition, students have had to adjust to shorter meal times.

Now comes an updated set of school meal standards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to start this year and be phased in over the next decade.

Nutritional paradigm shift

The USDA's nutrition standards update is the first of its kind in 15 years. The Midwest Food Processors Association praised the new rules, pointing to nearly doubled requirements for fruits and vegetables and the establishment of a minimum number of starchy vegetables and legumes, such as peas and beans, which are important sources of potassium, fiber, iron and vitamin C.

Elmbrook Food and Nutrition Director Cheryl Peil also noted that standards require that whole grains make up at least half of the diet beginning next year. Sodium standard levels have been decreased and calorie ranges per grade group are replacing specific minimums.

Personal choices

Because students - especially in high school - often opt to bring their own lunches, it will be difficult to see how the new standards will affect their eating habits. Peil noted that habits may change over time, starting with the younger students who may eat more strictly school-made food.

"For a lot of the middle and high school students, I think the market around them influences the food they are exposed to," she said. "They may have certain foods at home, but fast foods still dictate their tastes. We try to offer good homemade food here as well as the fast food options like pizza."

But there is good news on the nutrition front even for older students.

"Over the past five years at Central, I have noticed a lot more students are eating salads and vegetables," Brookfield Central Food Service Manager Mary Golab said. "When I first started, students would eat the equivalent of one large bowl of lettuce for a lunch period. Now, we serve hundreds of salads. I definitely see a difference."

Katie Golab, Mary's daughter and an East senior, said the draw of fast food is still strong, however.

"They still go for the pizzas and cheeseburgers," she said of her classmates.

A new system

For Food and Nutrition Director Cheryl Peil, the scheduling changes have been less of an issue that anticipated.

"In the beginning, we worked out a system to set up the lines so that they would move along as quickly as possible," Peil said. "It has worked nicely so far. The students don't seem to mind. We worked to set up the lines nicely. The students don't seem to think it's an issue."

Katie Golab and other students reported the status of the new lunch schedule to the School Board on Jan. 24.

"The schedule is a big change, because we had almost twice the amount of time before," she said. "I didn't think it was that much of a change, but some students freaked out because they thought they wouldn't be able to eat and catch up on homework assignments. I guess that's the biggest difference. You don't get a chance to do that if you procrastinated in getting your homework done."