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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, May 8, 2005

AFTER DEADLINE

Lunches guide had plenty to digest
 •  School lunches make the grade

By Anne Harpham
Advertiser Senior Editor

Last month, the federal government put out its new version of the food-guide pyramid to help Americans make healthful food choices. At the same time, medical professionals are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing epidemic of obesity among schoolchildren.

With that in mind, Island Life editor Elizabeth Kieszkowski and her staff set out to look at how lunches served in public schools match up with the new guidelines.

What children are eating at school not only can affect how well they learn but also can help set the standard for how they view healthful eating now and throughout their lives.

The aim of the project, which was the centerpiece in the Island Life section May 1, was to highlight the basics about school lunches in the context of the new guidelines. And we turned to experts to find out just how school lunches measure up.

In Hawai'i public schools, lunches — such as this one with a hotdog in a roll — use the traditional food-based menu- planning approach.

Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

It wasn't an obvious story, says Kieszkowski. School lunches don't violate federal guidelines or glaringly cross the line with unhealthy items.

Still, Kieszkowski and her staff found a disconnect between the guidelines, which suggest that Americans eat low-fat, high-fiber, nutrient-rich foods (particularly vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nonfat dairy products) and the public school lunch, which does not emphasize whole grains and includes many high-fat dishes.

As the story noted, the lunches tended to be near the top of limits for fat and low on fiber requirements. The consensus was that public school lunches are healthful, but there are areas of concern.

We wanted the package to be helpful to parents, and that made it an information-intensive project.

Reporter Zenaida Serrano worked with the state Department of Education to find a nutritionist who has consulted for the schools and who could break down the menus to create a nutritional analysis of a representative week's menus.

Serrano then brought the information to an independent expert, Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children registered dietician Rebecca Matsuura. She gave us suggestions for ways she felt the school lunches could be improved nutritionally.

She also rounded out our package with suggestions for healthful foods that would complement the lunches in a child's daily diet.

Gene Kaneshiro, director of the school food service branch for the state Department of Education, said he welcomed the spotlight on school lunches. He even felt the suggestions on how lunches could be better nutritionally were good.

Kaneshiro, who was quoted in the story, said he appreciated the outside analysis of the lunch offerings. He said he hopes that parents will trust the findings of the story because it didn't just rely on DOE information.

Matsuura said she felt the package was an "eye-opener to a lot of people." She liked the idea of including the tips for parents, including the suggestions for home-packed school lunches.

If you missed the package on May 1, you can still read it online at the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/May/01/il/il01a.html.

Senior editor Anne Harpham is The Advertiser's reader representative. Reach her at aharpham@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8033.