Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released MyPyramid, a new food pyramid that calls for more vegetables and fruits, whole grains and milk products in the American diet. The pyramid is a graphic representation of a healthy, balanced meal — one packed with nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, minerals and calcium.

While public school lunches can be a good source for such balanced meals, the foods can be high in fat and sodium and lacking in fiber.

Experts advise that if parents don't take responsibility and pay careful attention to what's in their own cupboards and refrigerators, kids' diets can grow lopsided— and that's not a healthy option.

Among the greatest concerns is the growing number of childhood obesity cases nationwide.

About 16 percent of children ages 6 to 19 are overweight, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This number has gone up four-fold over the past 30 years, said Rebecca Matsuura, a registered dietician who works in the pediatric unit at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children.

An unhealthy diet can also lead to diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers, Matsuura said.

"A lot of these calories and proteins are consumed in school; if they eat breakfast and lunch (in school), that's two-thirds (of their meals)," Matsuura said. "So parents want their children to receive a lot of nutrient-dense foods that will promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle."

Parents send their children off to school expecting they will receive a quality learning experience.

But for many, what fills kids' tummies in the cafeteria is just as important as what fills their minds in the classroom.

"We want to make sure our kids are getting healthy foods," said 'Ewa Beach parent Eliza Shumway, 32, who considers herself a health conscious person. Shumway's children attend Holomua Elementary School.

What's in a school lunch?

Cutting down the fat content in school meals is a priority, say experts, to help counter the increasing child obesity problem in the U.S. Gannett News Service

"Cucumbers and pineapples," the confident 8-year-old answered in a flash.

Amber, a third-grader at Holomua Elementary School in 'Ewa Beach, is a big fan of the fruits and vegetables served at lunch.

"I like to get oranges, carrot sticks and celery," Amber said brightly. "I eat it every time they serve it."

Fruits and vegetables are significant components of Hawai'i public school lunches, which are regulated under the USDA's National School Lunch program. Lunches must follow the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the basis of MyPyramid. The guidelines, often referred to as the gold standard of nutrition advice, are revised every five years, and were most recently updated in January.

The guidelines, like the food pyramid, recommend lots of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products in a daily diet.

Over the past decade, schools have been offering more fresh foods, like fruits and vegetables. But lunches changed very little, if at all, following the release of the revised dietary guidelines, said Gene Kaneshiro, director of the school food services branch for the state Department of Education.

"We didn't have to change the menu drastically," Kaneshiro said. "For us, it's just a continuous effort to continue to reduce fat levels."

Fat is a concern — as is fiber content and the veggie offerings provided by a school sharing a sample menu, according to an analysis provided by Deanna Moncrief, a nutritionist with Pacific Nutrition Specialists and a DOE consultant.

Given a menu from one week in April at a Honolulu-area public elementary school, Moncrief broke down the meals to estimate the daily values of nutrients in the foods served.

The sampling included meals commonly served statewide, such as batter-fried fish with rice, chili with rice, and beef lasagna, and the analysis is based on serving sizes for 4th-grade students. Moncrief provided estimated values, because recipes vary among schools.

With food offerings such as hot dogs, chili and batter-fried fish, not surprisingly, the school lunches analyzed averaged out near the top of limits for fat established by the USDA. About 28 percent of the meals' calories came from fat, and the dietary guidelines cap the proportion of calories from fat at 30 percent.

The meals were also high in saturated fat, Moncrief said.

"In general, I think that the school meals should always strive to be as low in fat and sodium as palatable, as well as possible," Moncrief said.

The daily average of sodium over this week was nearly 1,200 milligrams. The dietary guidelines suggest a maximum daily amount of 2,300 milligrams of sodium.

"The sodium is a little high, as it is providing about half the amount of sodium needed in a day, in one meal," Matsuura said.

Matsuura also would like to see fiber increased in the lunches.

The recommended daily fiber requirement for a child is usually calculated by adding 5 to the child's age, Matsuura said. Since 9-year-olds were eating these lunches, the daily fiber requirement would be 14 grams. Lunches are required to meet one-third of that amount, or about 5 grams.

The lunches averaged 4 grams of fiber.

"I do think the school lunches should include more dark green, leafy and/or orange vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, spinach and carrots," which are high in fiber and vitamins, Matsuura said.

How could meals be better?

Do-it-yourself lunch options Packing a homemade lunch for your child? Consider healthy foods such as a low-fat chicken breast sandwich or a peanut-butter sandwich, which is a good source of protein. For snacks, forget the cookies and chips, and opt for fruits and vegetables packed with fiber and vitamins. Popular choices include bananas, apples and carrots. Kids can wash it all down with fat-free skim milk. Here are more ideas: • Pita pockets stuffed with tuna and light mayonnaise, tomatoes and sprouts; 6 to 8 ounces of yogurt; half a cup of grapes; 8 ounces of skim milk • Turkey or chicken breast sandwich on whole-wheat or whole-grain bread with lettuce and tomatoes; string cheese; half a pear; 8 ounces of skim milk • A peanut-butter sandwich with fruit, such as banana, rather than jelly; half an apple; half a cup of carrot sticks; 8 ounces of skim milk Source: Rebecca Matsuura, registered dietician at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children

While many of the kids steered clear of the carrot sticks, the wiener in a roll was clearly a winner. And the students had nothing but praise for the tater tots and cold milk.

"I like the orange," said a soft-spoken Marissa, about to bite into the juicy wedge.

Marissa's classmates — their mouths full of food — had no complaints about the food. But with or without students' suggestions, school lunches are evolving, and improvements are a continuous effort, Kaneshiro said.

School lunch officials are exploring options that lower the fat and sodium content of meals. For example, officials recently switched from 1 percent chocolate milk to fat-free chocolate skim milk.

"We know that lowering the fat contributes to a better lunch," Kaneshiro said. "Hopefully, kids will tell their parents, 'Hey, I drink skim milk at school. Why can't we drink it at home?' "

School food service managers are looking into using more fresh fruits and vegetables.

More schools will also probably soon offer brown rice — already served in several lunchrooms — to increase fiber content.

Expect to see additional whole wheat products, too, Kaneshiro said.

Rosey Potts, Marissa's mother, is satisfied with the nutritional quality of her daughters' lunches at Kailua elementary and intermediate schools.

"Nutrition-wise, it's fine," said the Kailua resident, 42. ... "For a dollar it's well worth it and there's nothing to complain about."

The problem instead, is getting the children to actually eat the food, Potts said.

"It's a well-balanced lunch if they don't throw it away," she said.

School lunch officials should jazz up the choices rather than serve the usuals, like pizza and spaghetti, she said.

"Make it more appealing or offer more of a variety for the children," Potts suggested, such as different curries and soups.

Marissa agreed.

"I've been eating the same things since the second grade," the 10-year-old said.

But Suzanne Perreira, mother of Amber, the confident Holomua third-grader, is pleased with the variety.

"It's different from when I was in school," said Perreira, 27, of 'Ewa beach. She's especially impressed by dishes such as pork adobo, kalua turkey, chicken wrap, fried noodles and taco burger.

Satisfying finicky tastebuds is one of the main roadblocks to any changes made to the school lunch menu, Kaneshiro said.

"One of the biggest hurdles is what will the the kids eat and what do we think is nutritious for them, and how do we bridge that?" Kaneshiro said.

In an effort to promote nutrition and improve menu offerings, Moncrief is working with Kaneshiro and the DOE on developing a training program for the state's 202 food service managers, slated to begin sometime next year.

"They really do want to improve meals on a continuing basis and they want to make it healthy for kids, but they also want to make it taste good," Moncrief said.

What parents should do

Shumway, the 32-year-old mother of Holomua students, is satisfied with the foods her children eat at school. But the 'Ewa Beach mom makes it a point to offer them healthy meals at home, too.

Breakfasts include oatmeal and healthy cereals, such as Cheerios. A popular after-school snack are soy beans. Some favorite vegetable sides for dinner are corn, cucumbers and beets. And her kids can forget about guzzling down soda.

"When you teach them at a young age to eat right, they'll eat right when they're older," said Shumway, a piano and choir teacher.

While school meals are a significant part of a child's diet, parents can ensure their children's full nutritional needs are met each day by being mindful of what they're serving at home, Matsuura said.

And parents should teach their children healthy eating habits long before they go to school, Moncrief said.

"It starts really young," she said. "You've got to teach your kids to be open to a wide variety of foods and to try new things."

Make foods fun and pleasurable, as well.

For example, Moncrief suggests parents chop up raw vegetables to go with a healthy dip, such as low-fat ranch dressing or low-fat sour cream with some garlic salt and pepper.

"They love to dip things," said Moncrief, who's also a parent. "Playing with food is totally fine, because it lets them explore."

More important, parents need to stock their kitchens with healthy foods, especially grains, vegetables, fruits and milk products, as recommended in MyPyramid.

"If parents are buying junk and that's all that's in the house, then that's all their kids are going to eat," Moncrief said.

Kaneshiro also suggests parents be in the loop on what's being served at their children's school.

"Just like how (parents) should get involved with the education of their children, they need to be aware of what's happening in the cafeteria, too," he said.

Don't hesitate to ask questions or offer ideas to the school principal — often the information will be passed onto the school food service manager, Kaneshiro said.

"We don't ignore what we hear," Kaneshiro said. ... "If there is enough call for something, we would make changes as necessary."