HEALTHY EATING BEGINS ... IN HIGH SCHOOL MONROE LEADS THE WAY IN HELPING STUDENTS MAKE RIGHT CHOICES.Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer Monroe High School For other uses, see James Monroe High School. Monroe High School may refer to:
At food fairs, kids have been introduced to such items as edamame Edamame is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod commonly found in China and Japan. The pods are boiled in water together with condiments such as salt, and served whole. , soy crisps and grilled tofu tofu Soft, bland, custardlike food product made from soybeans. Believed to date from China's Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), tofu is today an important source of protein in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. . Over the next few months, the student store will phase out packaged fried chips and chocolate, replacing them with baked chips, fruit bars and nuts. The school also made a deal with Coca-Cola to restock re·stock tr.v. re·stocked, re·stock·ing, re·stocks To furnish new stock for; stock again. Verb 1. restock - stock again; "He restocked his land with pheasants" all vending machines with water, 100 percent fruit juices and sports drinks. In the cafeteria, students receive hamburgers on whole-wheat buns accompanied by baked fries. The yogurt salad typically sells out. Over the next two years, Monroe administrators plan to go even further with the help of a state nutrition grant. ``We have a moral obligation to do this,'' said Greg Vallone, Monroe's principal. ``Childhood obesity is a real problem. We need to be a model for the schools.'' Big problem According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released this month, 15 percent of American children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight, triple the rate in 1980. Among African-American and Mexican-American adolescents, the figure climbed to 24 percent. In 2000, the U.S. spent $61 billion on health care and other direct costs related to obesity. That figure threatens to spiral out of control once the current generation of youth hits adulthood, said Rosa Soto, regional director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. . Diseases such as hypertension and Type II diabetes Type II diabetes Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and usually appears in middle aged adults. It is often associated with obesity and may be delayed or controlled with diet and exercise. Mentioned in: Diabetic Ketoacidosis , almost never diagnosed in children 20 years ago, are becoming increasingly common today. National studies are now under way to determine the prevalence of Type II diabetes - also known as adult onset diabetes - among children, said Dr. Francine Kaufman, an endocrinologist at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . A decade ago, only 2 percent of diabetic children treated at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles suffered from Type II. Today the number has jumped to more than 25 percent, Kaufman said. ``This is a complex interplay of genetic background that's hugely impacted by environment,'' she said. ``We live in an environment where the food supply does not end.'' In August, the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) board voted to ban the sale of soft drinks on campus. The ban goes into full effect in January 2004, coinciding with a state law restricting soda sales at middle schools. ``This is a giant step because L.A. Unified is the first district of magnitude to do that,'' Soto said. ``It's also a small step because of the complexity of the issue. As you see, a school like Monroe is looking at a more complex approach that includes the a la carte menu, the vending machine items, everything that is consumed by youth.'' Change of heart Principal Vallone jokes about a portly port·ly adj. port·li·er, port·li·est 1. Comfortably stout; corpulent. See Synonyms at fat. 2. Archaic Stately; majestic; imposing. [From port5. man becoming a crusader for better nutrition. In his younger years, he gulped down fast food as he ran from his classroom to the football field to a night master's program. Now, he is trying to change his habits along with his students. The shift began with the Stanford 9 exam last spring. A former athletics coach, Vallone wanted to provide students a snack for optimal performance on the exam. Looking at the latest research on brain function, Vallone and environmental science teacher Lisa Jones-Rath supplied the kids with string cheese, banana bread and milk. Meanwhile, Vallone began to hear about the diseases linked to the rising childhood obesity rate from his son and daughter-in-law, both in the medical profession. He decided it was time to do more. With a district nutrition grant, Jones-Rath set up a food fair and invited Whole Foods vendors, who provided free samples to the kids. The goal was to have students discover that healthy food wasn't so bad. The next day, a number of parents called Jones-Rath, asking how to spell edamame, the Japanese name for soybeans, and where to buy grilled tofu. Now, working with a two-year state pilot program grant, Jones-Rath is tackling the bigger challenge of remaking the food offerings. The LAUSD's Venice High School Venice High School may refer to:
A better burger At Monroe, the student-store fare is easy enough to change. But the cafeteria, part of a district-wide operation, is another story. The cafeteria has done simple things like switch to baked fries and offer the popular yogurt salad. For Jones-Rath, the toughest task to date has been the effort to bring a veggie burger For a burgerless burger, see . A veggie burger is a vegetarian hamburger. The patty of a veggie burger can be made from vegetables, nuts, dairy, mushrooms, textured vegetable protein (TVP), or a combination of these. They are sometimes vegan. to the menu. Among the hurdles are school district contractors who say they can't supply the ingredients in a cost-effective manner, the low rate of reimbursement from the National School Lunch Program and meeting the federal program's menu guidelines. ``To get the Garden Burger is probably going to take me two years,'' Jones-Rath said. ``Hopefully, by the end, we'll have a great repertoire of alternative snack foods A list of snack foods is shown below. For more information, see snack foods. List of snack foods Chips (Crisps)
Andrew Tesoro, a senior, supports the changes at Monroe. ``My grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl both have diabetes, and I have to watch my health,'' he said. Senior Tiffany McGrew approves of adding healthier offerings, as long as it doesn't mean getting rid of all the junk food junk food n. Any of various prepackaged snack foods high in calories but low in nutritional value. junk food . ``I'm a junk-food addict,'' McGrew proclaimed. ``I like soy chips and baked chips, but I don't want to be limited to that.'' Jones-Rath engaged McGrew and some other seniors in a discussion about the cafeteria menu. Ella Mae Bersabal complained that the cafeteria skimps on salad toppings. Kiaynna Todd would like romaine lettuce rather than iceberg. Even McGrew, momentarily forgetting her junk-food addiction, offered a suggestion. She'd like a salad with turkey. REPORT CARD How much nutritional value do teens get for their lunch money? We asked Carol Koprowski, assistant professor at USC's department of preventive medicine preventive medicine, branch of medicine dealing with the prevention of disease and the maintenance of good health practices. Until recently preventive medicine was largely the domain of the U.S. and a registered dietitian registered dietitian, n See dietitian, registered. , to evaluate four kinds of lunches. The cafeteria lunch was one of 11 offerings at Monroe High School on Oct. 8. The sack lunch was created by the Daily News. The junk-food lunch is based on observations by Monroe High School staff. And the taco salad The taco salad is a Mexican inspired dish consisting of the contents of a taco on a bed of lettuce instead of a tortilla. Some forms of taco salad are served in an edible tortilla shell bowl. The Taco salad first appeared in America in the 1960s. lunch was dreamed up by Lisa Jones-Rath, a Monroe teacher who received a state nutrition grant to remake the food offerings at her school. She hopes the taco salad soon will be among the cafeteria's offerings. Koprowski estimated serving sizes and in some cases recipe ingredients in her evaluation of the menus. She based her analysis on dietary guidelines dietary guidelines Cardiology A series of dietary recommendations from the Nutrition Committee of the Am Heart Assn, that promote cardiovascular health. See Caloric restriction, food pyramid, French paradox. for Americans that call for less than 30 percent of calories from fat, 15 to 20 percent of calories from protein, and 50 to 60 percent of calories from carbohydrates. National School Lunch guidelines average 825 calories for lunch over a week and call for less than 30 percent of calories from fat. A high-school-age boy who is lightly active and maintains a healthy weight should consume roughly 3,500 calories per day. A high-school-age girl who is lightly active and maintains a healthy weight should consume about 2,600 calories per day. ``The grades assigned to each lunch menu represent only one meal consumed during the day,'' Koprowski said. ``Just as report card grades are the result of many tests and assignments, your diet should be considered over the course of a week, not a single meal. The more 'A' meals you eat, the higher your diet grade-point average. The more 'F' meals you eat, the lower your grade-point average.'' - Mariko Thompson CAFETERIA LUNCH: Hamburger on wheat bun, slice of cheese, slice of iceberg lettuce and tomato, baked french fries, apple, nonfat non·fat adj. Lacking fat solids or having the fat content removed. milk and orange juice Calories: 664 Protein: 22 percent Carbohydrates: 48 percent Fat: 30 percent Dietary Fiber dietary fiber n. Coarse, indigestible plant matter, consisting primarily of polysaccharides, that when eaten stimulates intestinal peristalsis. : 7.5 grams Sugar: 49 grams Calcium: 560 milligrams Iron: 3.8 milligrams Grade: B plus Comments: Distribution of calories falls in line with recommendations. Although french fries count as a vegetable, replacing the orange juice or apple with another nonstarchy vegetable would improve this lunch. SACK LUNCH: Peanut butter and jelly on white bread, grapes, soft granola bar, bottled lemonade Calories: 752 Protein: 7 percent Carbohydrates: 66 percent Fat: 27 percent Dietary Fiber: 4.7 grams Sugar: 90 grams Calcium: 99 milligrams Iron: 2.9 milligrams Grade: C minus Comments: This lunch can be improved by substituting nonfat milk for the lemonade, which will increase calcium by 350 mg, eliminating 140 calories and decreasing simple sugar intake. Using whole grain bread instead of white bread will increase fiber intake by 2 to 3 grams. Adding raw vegetables such as carrot sticks will increase nutrient content without much change in total calories. JUNK-FOOD LUNCH: 3-ounce bag of cheese puffs, king-size chocolate bar and a cola Calories: 1,176 Protein: 5 percent Carbohydrates: 51 percent Fat: 44 percent Dietary Fiber: 5.8 grams Sugar 98 grams Calcium: 167 milligrams Iron: 2.8 milligrams Grade: F Comments: This lunch provides too many calories and too few nutrients. Protein content is low and does not provide all of the essential amino acids essential amino acid n. An alpha-amino acid that is required for protein synthesis but cannot be synthesized by humans and must be obtained in the diet. . Of the 150 grams of carbohydrates, almost 100 come from simple sugars. DREAM LUNCH: Taco salad made of baby greens, black beans, cheddar cheese, salsa, low-fat dressing, and baked tortilla chips for garnish. Koprowski added nonfat milk and an apple (not pictured) into her calculations to balance out the meal. Calories: 637 Protein: 20 percent Carbohydrates: 66 percent Fat: 14 percent Dietary fiber: 23.2 grams Sugar: 37.5 grams Calcium: 628 milligrams Iron: 6.6 milligrams Grade: A Comments: Distribution of calories falls within recommended guidelines. Provides a substantial amount of fiber and almost 50 percent of the recommended daily allowance for calcium. Also provides 44 percent of the RDA RDA abbr. recommended daily allowance Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are quantities of nutrients in the diet that are required to maintain good health in people. for iron for a high-school-age female. CAPTION(S): 6 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) smart food Is your lunch healthy enough to earn a passing grade? (2) Students at Monroe High School in North Hills now have many healthy items to choose from in the school cafeteria. David Sprague/Staff Photographer (3) CAFETERIA LUNCH (4) SACK LUNCH (5) JUNK-FOOD LUNCH (6) DREAM LUNCH Box: REPORT CARD (see text) |
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