Schools

Speak Out: Are Healthy School Lunches Skimpy School Lunches?

Some kids say they're "starving" without french fries and pizza.

 

There is apparently a new kind of contraband filling kids' lockers in public schools -- giant bags of Doritos and other junk food designed to supplement new healthier lunch menus. Or at least that's what a video spoof shows.

Federal guidelines now in effect at public schools across the country reduce fat and limit calories in response to a program pushed by First Lady Michelle Obama in the first major revision of school menus in 15 years.

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But some students say they're not getting the fuel they need to maintain energy throughout the school day or to succeed at after-school activities, including sports.

In fact, they say in the tongue-in-cheek video, they're ready to collapse.

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The video "We are Hungry," produced by teachers and high school students in Kansas, has gone viral.

The new school lunch guidelines limit calories for kindergarten through 5th grade to 650 calories, 6th to 8th grade to 700 calories and 9th to 12th to 850 calories, according to CBS News.

Students, say government officials, can have unlimited servings of healthy fruits and vegetables served in their lunch.

In Montgomery County, schools spokesman Dana Tofig says county school lunches are healthier than ever.

"We continue to work on making school lunches as healthy as we can," he said. "We certainly try to go well above and beyond nutrition expectations" from the government.

What do you think? Are kids getting enough to eat in school lunches under the new guidelines?


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