Welcome to the Breakfast in the Classroom Nutrition Information Page.

Transcription

1 Salem Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services Department Welcome to the Breakfast in the Classroom Nutrition Information Page. There exists no safe level of inadequate nutrition for healthy, growing children. Even nutritional deficiencies of a relatively short duration a missed breakfast, an inadequate lunch impair children s ability to function and learn. When children attend school inadequately nourished, their bodies conserve the limited food energy that is available. Energy is first reserved for critical organ functions. If sufficient energy remains, it then is allocated for growth. The last priority is for social activity and learning. As a result, undernourished children become more apathetic and have impaired cognitive capacity. 1 Dr. J. Larry Brown, Harvard School of Public Health, Founding Director, Center on Hunger and Poverty The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) made sweeping, critical changes to the USDA s core child nutrition programs. The law seeks to substantially change the nutritional profile of foods served to children in U.S. public schools. The intent of the law is to help all children learn to adopt healthy eating habits, to reduce obesity levels among children, and to improve the overall health of American children. HHFKA establishes guidelines for both reimbursable school meals as well as other foods served outside the school meals program at any time during the school day. Emphasis is placed on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, with limits on sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, and age-specific calorie requirements. It should be noted that these standards are minimum standards. Individual states and school districts are allowed the flexibility to establish additional standards as long as they are consistent with the Federal standards. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education s (DESE) Child Nutrition Outreach Program (CNOP) champions additional policy standards as well as providing help to Massachusetts school districts that are implementing the new USDA standards. Salem Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services encourages all parents and students to become familiar with the USDA standards. CNOP provides an easy to read summary of USDA standards. Here in Salem Public Schools, the Food & Nutrition Services department not only complies with all of the USDA and DESE standards, but also tries to go one step further in limiting sugar in individual meal components wherever possible. We are also committed to introducing farm fresh, organic produce and scratch cooking while also minimizing processed foods. The new school nutrition standards increase access to healthy food and encourage kids to make smart food choices. We are working to make meals more nutritious, keep all Salem students hunger-free, and help children maintain or reach a healthy weight. Your children benefit from healthier meals that include more whole grains, fresh fruits & vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lower sodium foods, and less saturated fat. 1

2 Salem Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services Department Breakfast Nutrition In order to count breakfast as a complete meal and receive state reimbursement, schools must serve four items (or meal components) to students, and fluid milk must be one of the items offered. While four items must be offered, students may decline any one of the four food items, including the milk. USDA standards require schools to offer the following breakfast items: 1 serving of fluid milk 1 serving of 100% fruit juice / fruit / vegetable 2 servings of whole grain cereal / bread (1 additional protein serving may replace 1 grain serving.) Please note that with the Breakfast in the classroom program, foods served must be easy to select, open, eat, and clean up within minutes after the school bell rings for start of the school day. Also, the foods must be easy to handle since students are simultaneously attending to a academic lesson such as quiet reading. All of the requirements and concerns listed above, as well as USDA caloric and nutritional standards, are carefully taken into consideration when School Food & Nutrition Services plans Breakfast menus. USDA breakfast requirements emphasize healthy carbohydrates and protein. HEALTHY CARBOHYDRATES are found in foods such as whole grain cereal, fruit, and dairy. They fall into two categories: Simple and Complex. Both types are essential in one s diet because they produce energy to help run important bodily funtions like heartbeat, digestion, breathing and body movement. 2 Simple carbs, such as those found in healthy foods like fruit or in lactose found in milk, metabolize quickly in the body providing a quick energy boost. Complex carbs, such as those found in healthy foods like green and starchy vegetables, whole grains and legumes, are often higher in fiber and take longer to metabolize in the body. They don t raise the sugar levels in the blood as quickly as simple carbs and help to make us feel full longer. Working together in breakfast, simple carbs give you a natural energy boost while complex carbs give you sustained energy throughout the morning. This is substantiated by outside sources, such as the Harvard School of Public Health s The Nutrition Source: A good rule of thumb: Choose a cereal that has at least 4 grams of fiber and less than 8 grams of sugar per serving. 3 Salem Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services strictly adhere to an 8 grams or less standard for sugar in CEREALS -- most of our offerings have 6 or less sugars per serving and two are gluten-free. Further, ALL of our CEREALS list WHOLE GRAIN as the ingredient -- we offer a variety of whole grain cereal options including Brown Rice, Wheat, Oats, and Corn. Each week, we serve one low sugar cereal (Cheerios or Rice Krispies) and one higher sugar cereal in order to limit the total sugar from cereal per week. It is very important to note that popular BRAND CEREALS we serve for Breakfast in the Classroom -- and for all breakfasts served in Salem Public Schools -- are NOT EQUIVALENT to the the SAME NAME COMMERCIAL BRANDS you would find in the supermarket. For example, Apple 2 Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates, 3

3 Jacks cereal that you buy in the SUPERMARKET lists SUGAR as the INGREDIENT and contains 12 grams of sugar per serving. Breakfast in the Classroom Apple Jacks cereal lists Corn as the and contain 8 grams of sugar. MILK is a very important part of a school breakfast. It provides PROTEIN, fats and hydration. We urge you to talk with your child to explain that milk is an essential element of breakfast. Since they will be able to choose Milk and Fruit Juice at least twice a week, please encourage them to drink their milk before they drink their juice. and s work together as a team to promote a slow, steady release of energy in the body and a sense of being full longer. Other protein / whole grain combinations served for school breakfast may include whole grain bagels stuffed with cream cheese or a tub of peanut- and tree-nut free sun butter served with whole grain graham animal crackers -- the kids love to dip! Since one whole grain can be replaced by one protein, we add cheese sticks on some days in the place of one grain serving. Please note that ALL of our DAIRY products are either Fat Free (FF) or Low Fat (LF) which is defined as containing less than 1% fat. Fruit and Fruit Juices are simple carbohydrates that can help provide a natural energy boost in the morning and are far more healthy options than coffee or energy drinks. In addition to serving FRUIT like bananas, apples, unsweetened applesauce, or raisins, we also serve fruit juice, which is considered a serving of fruit. The FRUIT JUICE we serve is 100% juice from concentrate. Please take a moment to read through our list of foods that are currently offered for Breakfast in the Classroom. We are changing and adding foods to this list every month, so please check back often! Abbreviations: WG = GF = Gluten-Free FF = Fat-Free LF = Low-Fat Recipe Description Notable Feature(s) Brand Bagel, Stuffers with Cream Cheese Butter, Sunflower Seed Spread Salem Public Schools Breakfast in the Classroom Nutrition Facts Fiber, Low Fat 2.5 oz 190 WG Wheat Sunflower seed alternative to Peanut Butter; Peanut-free, Tree-Nut Free, Gluten-Free Sunbutter 1.5 oz 266 Sunflower Seed Cereal, Apple Jacks, Low Kellogg 1 oz 110 WG Corn Cereal, Cheerios, Low General Mills 1 oz 100 WG Oats Cereal, Cheerios Multigrain, Low General Mills 1 oz 110 WG Corn

4 Recipe Description Notable Feature(s) Brand Fiber Cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Low General Mills 1 oz 110 WG Wheat Cereal, Cocoa Puffs, Low General Mills 1 oz 110 WG Corn Cereal, Fruit Loops, Low Kellogg s 1 oz 70 WG Wheat Cereal, Rice Chex, Gluten Free, Gluten-Free, Low General Mills 1 oz 100 WG Rice Cereal, Rice Krispies, Gluten Free Brown Rice, Gluten- Free, Low Kellogg s 1 oz 110 WG Brown Rice <1 1 2 Cereal, Trix, Low General Mills 1 oz 110 WG Corn Cereal Bar, Nutrigrain Bar Kellogg s 1 Bar 120 WG Oats Cheese, Mozzarella, String Non-Fat Great Lakes 1 stick 80 Part Skim Milk Fruit, Apple Nutrient dense, all natural Various 1 piece 116 Apple Fruit, Applesauce, Unsweetened All natural, great source of Vitamin C Various 111 g 50 Apples Fruit, Banana Nutrient dense, all natural, great source of Potassium Various 1 piece 105 Banana Fruit, California Clementines Nutrient dense, all natural, Easy Peel Various 1 piece 35 Clementine Fruit, Pear Nutrient dense, all natural Various 1 piece 96 Pear Fruit, Raisins Nutrient dense, all natural, great source of Potassium Sun-Maid 1 box, 2 oz 90 Raisins Graham Cracker Pouch, Low MJM 1 oz 110 WG Wheat Granola ES Foods 1 pouch 140 WG Oats Juice, Dragon Punch Juice, Wango Mango Kosher; Contains Sweet Potato, Jujube, Concentrates of Apple, Pear, Carrot, Aronia, Celery, Kale, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach Kosher; Contains Sweet Potato, Jujube, Concentrates of Apple, Pineapple, Mango, Carrot, Celery, Kale, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach Juice4U 4 fl oz 50 Water Juice4U 4 fl oz 60 Water Milk, Fat Free Fat-Free Garelick 8 fl oz 90 FF Milk Milk, 1% Low Fat Low-Fat Garelick 8 fl oz 90 LF Milk Muffin, Apple Cinnamon 2 oz 170 WG Wheat Muffin, Banana 2 oz 160 WG Wheat Muffin, Blueberry 2 oz 160 WG Wheat

5 Recipe Description Notable Feature(s) Brand Muffin, Corn Muffin, Orange Cranberry Fiber 2 oz 150 WG Corn oz 170 WG Wheat Yogurt, Banana Strawberry Fat-Free Upstate Farms 4 oz 90 FF Milk Yogurt, Cherry Vanilla Fat-Free Upstate Farms 4 oz 90 FF Milk Yogurt, Peach Fat-Free Upstate Farms 4 oz 90 FF Milk Yogurt, Strawberry Fat-Free Upstate Farms 4 oz 90 FF Milk