Back in July I posted about my trip to Denver in which I was a guest of the School Nutrition Association : Annual National Conference. During this extremely educational conference I learned what goes into making school lunches and learned they aren’t nearly what I thought they were (in a positive way).
Note: I received a lot of comments regarding, “How great it would be if your local schools did this”, or “I wish my school would follow this”. The guidelines I wrote about in that initial post are Federal guidelines. Your schools have no choice they are required to make changes to meet the guidelines. I just wanted to make that clear to all readers.
By now I think most children in the US are in school. My children started on August 20th and despite already having to missed days due to a hurricane we are in full blown school mode hear. This year was the first year that I have strongly encouraged my children to opt for the school lunches. By school lunches I mean the school lunch program, not the a la cart items that are brought in by local vendors. Due to health reason my youngest son and I have sat down and gone through the menu highlighting the items he wants to eat so we know when to prepare a home meal and when he will purchase a school lunch.
I wanted to introduce you today to a brand new site, created by the School Nutrition Association, called Tray Talk. You can find a lot of great information on this site regarding school lunches, communities, and recipes.
You can check out some of the current Hot Topics on Tray Talk such as:
- Chefs Cooking Up Healthy Ideas for School Meals
- Homework for the Holidays: Inspiring Healthy Habits
- School Meals Will Meet New Nutrition Standards
Read or Submit your own Success stories regarding community outreach and help:
- Florida Students are Gobbling up their Greens
- Colorado Schools Get Students and Parents Involved in Menu Improvements
Check out some healthy and appetizing recipes:
Find some great tips and answers to frequently asked questions like:
How can parents get involved in school meals programs?
- Review cafeteria menus with your child and be encouraging about trying new menu items. Try new foods – especially fruits and vegetables – at home and your child may be more willing to try these foods at school.
- Visit the school cafeteria to make your own observations and have lunch. Check with the principal first to make sure that is allowed!
- Introduce yourself to the school nutrition staff at your child’s school. They can answer questions or concerns about everything from menu options and meal preparation methods to waiting time in line.
The site is full of amazing information. I encourage you to take a look and become informed about your choices, how to get involved, and just school lunch facts in general. You can get up to date information by following Tray Talk on their brand new Facebook page.
Since we are talking about school lunches and nutrition I had to share with you an interesting experience. I representative that works with Schwan’s Food saw my previous article School Lunch (Part 1) : Do You Kow What Is In Your School Lunch? and contacted me. She shared with me some interesting information regarding their company and the make up of their pizza. Look for that information coming in the next day or two.
Disclaimer: My traveling expenses and trip to the conference was paid for by the representing pr agency. Opinions are my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. You may read more of my disclosure here.
