Thanks to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, major improvements are coming soon to the meals served to kids in school. New USDA regulations will raise nutrition standards for the first time in more than 15 years; they’re designed to improve the health of the nearly 32 million kids who participate in national school meal programs. Both school breakfasts and lunches get a nutrition bump. The changes incorporate many of the same kinds of practical efforts you’re already making at home, including:
? Offering both fruits and vegetables every day of the week
? Increasing selections of whole grain–rich foods
? Offering only low-fat or fat-free varieties of milk
? Limiting calories based on children’s ages to help ensure proper portion sizes
? Reducing the amounts of sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium
It’s long proven that the benefits of breakfast are significant and far-reaching. Research shows that a nutritious morning meal helps students stay alert and perform better in school. It also helps children develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime and contributes to overall well-being.
Further Benefits
The advantages of the school breakfast program go beyond simply improving health. For example, those schools that serve breakfast in the classroom have experienced a decrease in tardiness and suspensions and have seen improved student behavior and attentiveness. A classroom breakfast also makes it convenient for those children to get fed who miss the first meal of the day at home due to barriers like time constraints and tight family budgets. A well-planned breakfast program means no child needs to start the school day hungry!
To stay committed to a healthier lifestyle, you also need to be committed to eating healthfully. This includes monitoring intakes of sodium, trans fats, and calories, and making smart choices like starting each day with a nutritious breakfast. In compliance with the new school nutrition standards, Tyson Foods has taken an active approach and made every effort to ensure that its new food options align with the USDA guidelines. As a mom, you can feel confident that your child will have school breakfasts that are tasty, but with less fat and sodium and fewer calories. To learn more about Tyson Foods’ commitment to helping provide nutritionally balanced school nmeals and raising a healthier generation of children, visit TysonFoodService.com/K12.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
