Lunch at school - how well do your kids eat?

[KrisM]

I'm watching the Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution now. I volunteered in the lunchroom today for the kindergarten lunches.

DS1 refuses to buy lunch as he says it looks bad. It does :).

Today, I saw a lot of kids buy lunch and throw much of it away. Throw aways included unopened Trix yogurt, unopened cheese sticks, and then parts of other food.

A lot of the kids who brought lunch threw a lot away. One had a bag of pretzels and he tossed them, too.

DS1 doesn't throw anything away. If he doesn't eat it, it comes home. Today, he ate everything - a salami and cheese sandwich on wheat bread, strawberries and cantelope, carrots, sliced cheese. He drank about half a cup of orange juice.

He's only in K, but I'm happy he's still eating good foods. He's not a picky eater and I send a variety of food with him.

I hope DD will be better when she gets to K, but she's picky and doesn't want to try much. I hope she isn't one who throws it all in the trash.

How well do your kids eat?

[rlu]

DS is in K and he brings home what he doesn't eat and has it for after-school snack.

A couple days each week I stress with him which items must be eaten first (the ones that need to be kept cool) and he almost always eats those. Sometimes he brings home the cheese and I think it's ok as it's not too hot here.

[sariana]

My son takes almost the same thing every day:

Sunbutter and fruit spread sandwich on either whole wheat or Hawaiian
strawberry yogurt smoothie
string cheese
juice box (100% juice from Costco)
a banana
another "fruit"--apple, applesauce, Craisins, Brother's dried fruit
something crunchy, usually Goldfish crackers
a treat: fruit gummies, sometimes cinnnamon applesauce, Teddy Grahams

He has both snack and lunch; he can divide it up however he wants as far as I'm concerned.

Much of it comes home and becomes his after-school snack. Some days he eats more than other days.

He really wants to get "hot lunch," but I've seen the menu. Not only am I not impressed, but I really don't think he would like most of what is served.

DS is in kindergarten, BTW, but he has a long day split between two schools because he is in SpEd. Thus the large snack/lunch.

ETA: His class is nut-free, so our options are limited. He can't take granola bars, for example, or some snack mixes. And I try to avoid HFCS, which further limits our options.

ETA2: I have tried including things like baby carrots with dip, but he will not eat them. So I've given up on getting a vegetable in his lunch. Sometimes he will drink a V8.

[KrisM]

I'll add that he also has a snack at mid-morning. He gets white milk delivered to him and I send a bagel or a banana or something as his snack. Snacks need to be packaged separately from lunch.

[niccig]

DS is in pre-K, but at an elementary school. They get morning and afternoon snack from the school. If it's something like bagels and cream cheese then DS doesn't eat much lunch. He has to bring it all home, the teachers don't allow them to throw it out or trade lunches. A few times he hasn't eaten much, but generally he eats 2/3 of what I send. If it's oatmeal in his thermos with a small container of syrup, the thermos is licked clean! Next year I have to send snack as well for him.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

DD is almost 3 and since we are vegetarian, this could be an issue for us later on.

[mytwosons]

IME, the kids are too buys talking to eat, unless there is a parent volunteer constantly reminding them to eat their food. The lunch periods are only about 20 minutes, so way too short to eat an entire lunch unless the child is really focused on eating!

[JBaxter]

We pack Nathans lunch every day and they put the uneaten back in the lunch bag ( except applesauce / yogurt cups) He does ok.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Last year the school had typical crap the first few months (brand new charter school). But, the food service director is passionate about fresh, local, wholesome foods. He worked with the company that provided the food to come up with some better choices and by midway through last year the food was much, much better. They offered the kids back-ups of grilled cheese or pb and honey every day if they didn't like the main dish being served. Not terrible all around for a public school lunch.

This year, it is even better. Our school has no kitchen so food needs to be prepared off site. We found a vendor that is able to provide great, fresh, local food and they cook the food using recipes provided by our food service director (a former executive chef). I love eating there when I have to volunteer! Here are some of the things on the menu:

Root vegetable lasagna, oranges, spinach salad, milk
baked ham with cranberry chutney, stuffing, and salad
chicken enchiladas, brown rice, milk, fruit

ds came home raving about the chicken caesar wrap and peach cobbler he had the other day.
there is a vegetarian (though not usually vegan) offering every day

Breakfast is things like healthy cereal, fruit, muffins (homemade), bagels.

Does ds1 always eat it? No. But he also doesn't eat what I pack either. I like that the school is trying and that for some of our students this is the best food they will get as their families don't eat that well.

I had better luck getting ds1 to eat lunch back in preschool when they would microwave food for him. I'd send in chicken nuggets, pizza and other things that I knew he liked. In k I realized he'd still eat those if I heated them before school and wrapped them in foil because they stayed warm enough.

I think ds1 exists on air though. I have him buy because it saves me time, supports the lunch program and if he's not going to eat what I pack anymore than what the school serves then I'll save myself the effort since the alternative (the school lunch) is so good.

The kids at school have recess then lunch and this year I think that the kids are eating better at lunch time as a result.

Beth

[smilequeen]

DS is in all day preschool 3 days a week and I send a lunch with him. They eat family style with their teachers who won't let them throw their food away, so if they don't eat something it just comes home. He usually eats everything. He has very limited things he likes for me to send though...turkey and cheese sandwiches, edamame, fruit, yogurt, and milk is the typical lunch. Every once in a while he wants soup instead of the sandwich or Annie bunnies instead of yogurt. The fruit or crackers come home most often. And usually he wants to get it out and eat it in the car on the way home.

[hez]

1st grade here. We pack for DS-- easier with the egg allergy. DS brings home what he doesn't eat, and lately that's not anything. It probably took the first month or so of school to for us to get it right-- at first he brought home his sandwich, or whatever was intended for snack, and ate it in the car on the way home.

I was the lunch helper yesterday, and watched quite a bit of uneaten food get tossed by the kids :( Our kids have 30 minutes for lunch, and even with that amount of time some kiddos don't finish, or maybe don't choose to finish. I am impressed with the variety available to the kids who buy. Oh-- and being a lunch helper means I also get to spy on DS once or twice a month and see that he really does eat all of his lunch :)

[pinkmomagain]

My 10 yo eats horribly. She won't eat sandwiches or any typical lunch foods. So I pack her a frozen Gogurt, and healthier type snacks like, carrots, pretzels, wholegrain goldfish. I just don't want her to be hungry, so if she eats that, I'm happy. As far as I'm concerned, pretzels are the same kinda carbs as a bagel so who cares, as long as she's eating something.

[lilycat88]

DD has been at a private preschool/kindergarten since she was 2. They do not have their own kitchen but contract with a hospital across the street for hot lunches to be brought over. We've been extremely lucky, in my opinion. We've been generally pleased with the meals and snacks. There is a 6 week menu rotation and, of course, there is the obligatory chicken nugget day but overall, it's not bad. Pizza, french fries, tater tots, etc. don't appear. Because it's a pretty international/diverse group of kids, there is a vegetarian option each day. I've been really surprised at how well the kids eat. Because the food isn't bad and nobody packs a lunch (except for food allergy reasons), she's learned to eat what is put in front of her. Snacks are generally OK. Pita breat with dipping sauce, cheese, peanut butter and crackers, fruit, etc.

We've just been smacked up aside the head about 1st grade. She'll be entering the public school and I looked at the menu and was horrified. Literally, this past week, cheeseburgers were alternated with pizza and chicken nuggets. We've already planted the seed of "isn't taking your lunch cool" and hopefully, she'll agree to that in the fall at least a few days a week. We're not hard core on stuff like that but REALLY? Her current school follows the FDA guidelines and the food is good, inexpensive, and the kids eat it without it being crap all the time.

[JustMe]

Sigh, well I have posted about this before. Dd was an excellent eater before she hit elementary school (and this included less than perfect, but definitely not horrible all day preschool breakfast and lunches). Last year, in K, I started sending her own lunches, but she soon wanted the school lunches that over 90% (probably way over) of the kids that go to her school eat). Oh, and did I mention there's free breakfasts in the classrooms for everyone, and pizza is one of the better things I think they serve (imagine square waffle sticks with huge pockets of syrup, neon yellow french toast). Anyway, back to lunches, dd basically found a way to eat the school lunch no matter what I did (telling staff I did not pack her lunch, having a very picky eater friend who is more than happy to "share" much of her lunch with dd). I fought it every way I could, but I finally had to give in and allow her to eat the lunch, as she ate it whether or not I allowed her to. Home lunches came home uneaten. I tried to get the school to help, but they just cant or its not their priority...I would not be happy if it is just lunch...but she eats lunch, free breakfast, and free snack...I truly feel these foods are addicting...her eating habits have totally deteriorated. She ate vegetable happily so far...not now. It is so frustrating. I have tried to groups to help me take this on, but so far no such luck. I would love if JO would come to dd's school. I actually looked around his website for a contact/tell me your story section but couldnt find it.

[sariana]

If it's oatmeal in his thermos with a small container of syrup, the thermos is licked clean!

We're not allowed to send in thermos containers. :( So that eliminates soup and things like that, too.

[g-mama]

The thing with throwing away unopened food is a problem when they buy because they don't have a lunchbox to bring it home in.

My kindergartener buys most days and I know he doesn't eat a LOT of what is served but he didn't eat much last year in pre-K at the preschool when I had to pack his lunch every day either. He has eating issues all around, though. He says he prefers the hot lunch and that most of his friends buy, so he wants to buy.

I see his classmates when I go in for lunch and many of them do not eat well. It's hard to watch all the uneaten food and milk being thrown away.

My third grader is a great eater w/ a big appetite. He will ask friends, "If you're not gonna eat that, I will" but they're not allowed. So into the trash it goes. :(

[Tondi G]

I have been having a bit of an issue with the school lunch program at my DS school and plan to speak with the principal about it when we return from spring break. While my DS is typically a good eater he is very picky about what he will eat from the cafeteria at school. The only things he likes are Bean and Cheese Burritos, chicken sandwich, hamburger. He used to eat the pizza and chicken nuggets but really doesn't like them anymore. On most days there are 2 options... ie bean burrito or PB&J pocket. He will not eat the PB&J pocket. On many occasions in the last couple of months by the time his class gets down to the cafeteria they will be out of Burritos so he is told by the lunch person to take a PB&J pocket. He can see the stacks of burritos being loaded on the cart behind the counter... intended for the kids in the next group. If he asks for the burrito he is told NO, so he takes the PB&J pocket and it immediately goes into the garbage (so wasteful, I wish they would just allow him to leave it on the counter). I told him to tell the lunch person he doesn't eat Peanut butter. They basically didn't give a damn. He was left with some soggy corn (which he won't eat) an apple and a small milk. He had an apple and milk for lunch. On a few occasions he has come out of school at the end of the day practically in tears cause he is so hungry and his response is to get emotional. No wonder sometimes his behavior isn't so great in class!

It's really sad how much waste there is.... i've seen the trash cans after lunch. It's also a bummer that even though there is a kitchen of sorts at our elementary school they are still trucking in prepackaged crap that is getting heated up in plastic containers... can't be good. They should revert back to MAKING lunch. How hard is it to make hamburgers on a grill? or big pots of spaghetti and sauce? Schools did it in the past.... they could do it again!

While I appreciated the convenience of being able to hand my son a dollar for lunch rather than making at home.... we make lunch more days than not now. At least I know he's eating that way.... and what he's eating.

[niccig]

We're not allowed to send in thermos containers. :( So that eliminates soup and things like that, too.

Oh no. I use the thermos a couple days a week, it gives us more variety.

DS's school is private and doesn't have a cafeteria. They contract with an outside vendor for lunches that get delivered. Parents have to order them the Friday before. They're very healthy and cost around $5-$6 a lunch. More than the $1-2 at public schools, but the extra cost is in the quality of the items. I would say that most kids seems to bring their lunches from home, and there's been no pressure from DS to buy his lunch He does have Pizza day on Fridays that the PTO organizes, so there is one day a week where he eats the same food - most kids do Pizza day.

[Tanya]

My daughter is in 1st grade and this is her first year that she's at school for lunch. Kindy was half days.

We started out with her just packing, then she asked to buy some and I gave in. We go through the menu every week and she decides when to buy (she likes anything chicken or pizza and she'll eat the turkey noodle soup...I think that's all). She always buys milk and typically it's chocolate (they have the option of chocolate or white), but she drinks white at home.
They are only given 15 minutes at lunch which made me mad. She was always bringing home a lot of her packed lunch, but throwing away some of the bought lunches which upset me even more. I finally found out from another mom that while they were dismissed after 15 minutes, they were allowed to stay longer (hmmmm, and miss recess???). I told DD that and she does stay longer to eat more now.

Her school is supposed to have healthier lunches. For example, kindergarteners aren't allowed to bring in juice to drink for their snack, they are supposed to have milk unless they have a doctor's note. However, DD says a lot of kids have juice boxes packed in their lunches. The school lunches always include a fruit and they try to make it fresh. As a result, DD is sick of apples and pears. They once in awhile get banana. Other than that, they have chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, chicken patties, cheeseburgers, pizza, various type of stuffed breadstix, ham and cheese, taco meat, etc. They sometimes have a salad with ranch, but my daughter prefers honey mustard dressing, so she packs that day.

I prefer to pack her lunches. What she doesn't eat there, comes home and she finishes after school. I use the laptop lunchbox and she eats a variety of things. She even had another kid comment on her lunch being really healthy. I also sometimes send a thermos for variety.

DD saw a little of Jamie Oliver's show and she commented that she never throws that much food away. That's a relief at least. I am tired of the chicken nugget addiction though.

[niccig]

I think the school lunches will only change if Jamie Oliver and others can do it for the same amount of money. Beth, it sounds like your school lunches are good - how much does it cost for the children?

People don't want to pay extra money. Parents don't want to pay more than a couple of dollars, and no one seems to want more money in the school budget for better food. And this irks me. I know I wouldn't eat the crap that gets served, so why should the kids eat it.

I hope things can be improved.

[strollerqueen]

Our school works with local farmer's markets, so they always have fresh fruit and vegetable. I was pleased when I found out my son was getting the salad bar for lunch every day. Until I found out he was only getting it for the cookie on the side, and throwing out the rest!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think the school lunches will only change if Jamie Oliver and others can do it for the same amount of money. Beth, it sounds like your school lunches are good - how much does it cost for the children?

People don't want to pay extra money. Parents don't want to pay more than a couple of dollars, and no one seems to want more money in the school budget for better food. And this irks me. I know I wouldn't eat the crap that gets served, so why should the kids eat it.

I hope things can be improved.

I think it''s $1.75. They have Paypal so I just send in a big payment and they email me when I need to send more in.

Beth

[wolverine2]

I work at an elementary school and have lunch groups with the kids- a LOT of food is thrown away. They have a morning snack though, and I think a lot of them eat more for snack and less for lunch. I sometimes get the stuff from the kids before they throw it away... I have a fridge full of cheese sticks!

[g-mama]

I think it''s $1.75. They have Paypal so I just send in a big payment and they email me when I need to send more in.

Beth

Wow. Ours costs $2.65 and the food is highly processed and not so good.

[niccig]

I think it''s $1.75. They have Paypal so I just send in a big payment and they email me when I need to send more in.

Beth

If your school can do it, then others should be able to do so. Kudos to your Cafeteria Director..

[octmom]

The kids at school have recess then lunch and this year I think that the kids are eating better at lunch time as a result.


There was a piece in the NYTimes a few months ago about this. I think I may have posted the link here in the Lounge. It makes so much sense.

[sarahsthreads]

DD1 brings lunch usually 4 days out of 5. She'd prefer to buy more than once a week, but only so she could get ice cream every day (which is extra). When I ask her about the lunch she bought, if it's one of the main foods she'll tell me it was too hot to eat or not to her liking, so I bet she throws 99% of it out. If she gets PB&J (which are the prepackaged circle ones, whatever they're called) she says she eats it all. I don't like the selection much - every week they have pizza one day, chicken - usually nuggets - another day, pasta of some sort one day, and then the other two days are a mix of subs, tacos, etc. They can get a turkey, tuna or PB&J sandwich instead of the main entree.

In contrast, when I send her lunch with her, almost none of it comes home. I usually send a cut up sunbutter & jelly or a ham & cream cheese sandwich on a sandwich thin, rolled in flatbread or on a mini bagel, baby carrots and/or sugar snap peas and/or leftover cooked veggies, olives, grapes or berries or cut up apple or pear, two small (nilla wafer size, but without the HFCS & trans fats) cookies, and as fillers (I pack a bento for her) I'll throw in a handful of goldfish or craisins. There might be a couple of carrots or goldfish left when she gets home, but that's about it.

I don't know if it's that she has more time to eat (not having to stand in line probably saves her 5-10 minutes) or if she likes the food better. The problem is, she *wants* to buy lunch (and ice cream every day) like "all her school friends" do. I don't believe for a minute that all her classmates buy ice cream every day, but I do hear her say some things that make me believe that she's being teased for the content of her lunch. (Or perhaps the container.) I'm not sure how to handle it, frankly.

Sarah

[DrSally]

IME, the kids are too buys talking to eat, unless there is a parent volunteer constantly reminding them to eat their food. The lunch periods are only about 20 minutes, so way too short to eat an entire lunch unless the child is really focused on eating!

DS brings his lunch to his MDO program. He gets a soybutter and jam on wheat sandwich, carrots and dip or yogurt, cheese, grapes or cutie, and sometimes a little treat--like a rice krispie bar or 2 small cookies, plus water. Most of the time his bag is empty, but I think the teachers may throw it away if he doesn't eat it (the previous year, they sent the remainders home. He said one day he only had time to eat one piece of his cutie, and they threw the rest away (ran out of time). The teachers do say that some kids spend so much time talking, that they don't have time to eat a lot. DS generally doesn't talk a lot to begin with, but apparently, he remembered when I told him not to talk when he's got food in his mouth so he doesn't choke. He took this to mean that he shouldn't talk at school when he's eating. I told him he can talk after he's swallowed and in between bites, as we're also working on being more socially interactive.

ETA: Buying hot lunch was too expensive for us, but I remember eating every last bite when I was a kid. I used to love it (I did most of my growing in elementary school and was always hungry). If there were leftovers, you could also go back for seconds some days, which I did (and got teased at times). I have to admit that when I brought my bag lunch, I ate the treats and then threw *everything* else away. I didn't like the sandwiches my mom packed (didn't like lunchmeat).

[DrSally]

...but I do hear her say some things that make me believe that she's being teased for the content of her lunch. (Or perhaps the container.) I'm not sure how to handle it, frankly.

Sarah

I do remember feeling embarrassed about bringing my lunch (b/c nearly everyone else bought hot lunch). I wasn't really embarrassed to have the reduced price hot lunch tickets (I wasn't teased about either).

[graciebellesmomma]

First grader here.

We have a very small school. 109 kids, k-8. My daughter's class has 13
kids in it. They don't have a cafeteria and we contract out to my friend's
restaurant. We pay 4.50 per lunch and it's worth it.

They make everything fresh. Soups, salads, pizza, grilled chicken
wraps, etc. My daughter gets to pick out one hot lunch each week. She always
picks the chicken noodle or minestrone soup. It comes with a ww roll, a salad, a piece of fruit, and a treat. The treat is made in their restaurant. Yummy treats, but kid
size, thankfully. She often brings the treat home and forgets to eat it.

We make her lunch the other days. She helps me make it before she goes
to bed, part of the night time wind down. She loves to make her lunch.
We do lots of left overs in our thermos container. Lentil, sausage, spinach soup,
chicken with mushroom soup, pasta with spinach/tomato/turkey, ground turkey with
lots of veggies, and lots more. We cook very healthy at home, and she loves
to take asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower cold (but grilled the night before), she
loves sliced oranges, cantaloupe, grapes. She's allergic to stone fruit and a few other random things, like carrots!

Basically, she gets an entree, some veggie, some fruit, and some sort of
cracker thing. Either TJ's multigrain crackers and a slice of cheddar cheese, some snap pea cracker things with a little cup of hummus, or a granola bar. She gets a big bottle of water to drink. She loves water. She drinks juice about twice a week. We bake about once a week and she gets a little treat 1-2 times a week. Every once in a while I mix it up and buy some Cheetos or Doritos and slip a baggie into her lunch. I always think she will be excited, but she really isn't. She is a much healthier eater than her Father and I are. We are still a work in progress.

Our school does not allow sharing food, and they don't let the kids throw
away their food or even baggies. Their theory is that the parents need to see what their
kids are eating. I think it's a fantastic concept. When my son was in school,
I sent him with his lunch most days, and it always came home empty...even though he wasn't eating it all.

I also send a prune, 2 fish oil capsules and 2 echinacea with vit. c. She's had some constipation issues and the prune really helps. The fish oil is for her dry skin, and the ech/c has helped her only miss one day of school this school year!

[DrSally]

I also send a prune, 2 fish oil capsules and 2 echinacea with vit. c. She's had some constipation issues and the prune really helps. The fish oil is for her dry skin, and the ech/c has helped her only miss one day of school this school year!

We do whole prunes here too. They help keep things soft and DS likes them (he gets 2 a day). DD loves them so much, she snuck the container and gobbled up a bunch and had a runny diaper the next day. So, you find the fish oil helps for dry skin? Have you seen a noticable difference. I just bought some Dr. Sears fish oil chews and unfortunately, DS doesn't like them.

[g-mama]

I also send a prune, 2 fish oil capsules and 2 echinacea with vit. c. She's had some constipation issues and the prune really helps. The fish oil is for her dry skin, and the ech/c has helped her only miss one day of school this school year!

I'm curious...why don't you have her take the fish oil capsules and echinacea at home instead of packing it for school?

[amyd]

SnuggleBuggles POST #9 RECESS before LUNCH is such a great idea! thanks for sharing that, I am going to speak w/other moms about it and maybe start a movement at ds elementary school.