Welcome back to school and to our new Dietitian's corner!
A new school year can be exciting for many reasons: new classes, new friends and new opportunities. With everything going on at school and at home, it can be difficult to find time to plan balanced meals.
Did you know that Lamar CISD follows the United States Department of Agriculture and Texas Department of Agriculture guidelines for the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program? These guidelines ensure students receive the recommended amount of calories, sodium and saturated fat for their age. In addition to monitoring these nutrients, each week your school's cafeteria offers vegetables from five different sub-groups: dark green, red/orange, legumes, starchy and other. This helps to ensure students are eating a variety of colors to help their bodies in different of ways.
What does a balanced school meal look like? Our meals are nutritionally analyzed, but breakfast and lunch are analyzed differently. To ensure students are getting a balanced meal at breakfast, they should choose at least three items and make one item a fruit. An example of this would be a breakfast of our new Eggstraveganza Breakfast Taco, a fresh orange and milk. Of course, if students are a little hungrier when they wake up they can take an extra item, such as an apple juice, as a part of their meal.
We offer five food components or groups during lunch: meat/meat alternates (cheese, soybutter, etc.), grains, vegetables, fruit and milk. A balanced meal for students should include at least three of these components and they may choose to take all five.
A student could choose our popular chicken and waffles, potato smiles, side salad, diced pears and milk. All students are able to take a cup of vegetables daily, and there will always be two choices. Students in grades pre-kindergarten through 8th grade can take ½ cup of fruit, while grades 9-12 can take a full cup of fruit. Students are not forced to take any component they do not want, reducing food waste.
How do I know what’s being offered every day? The Food Services Department posts monthly menus to our website. Or you can check out the new School Café App for interactive menus that show the nutritional information, allergens and allows a place for feedback and an opportunity to rate the food.
This all sounds great, but what if I have a food allergy? No problem! Lamar CISD is happy to help anyone who needs dietary accommodations due to a medical condition including food allergies, intolerances or disabilities. Accommodations will vary depending on the need and each will be handled on a case-by-case basis. A Physician’s Request Form (found on our website) can be filled out by your licensed medical authority and we’ll do the rest.
Join us September 8 for Grandparents’ Day and enjoy a meal of baked chicken, rolls, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, fresh watermelon and mandarin oranges.
Be on the lookout for more information and events coming soon!