Healthier Food on the Menu in SLP Schools

Out with sugar, in with greens—that's among the changes to this year’s St. Louis Park Public Schools menu.

The biggest differences in 2011 will be “more fruit, more vegetables, and more whole grains,” with no cookies in bag lunches, said the district's nutrition supervisor, Kathleen Milbrath.

“Young people tend to be incredibly deficient on eating vegetables and that is why we are trying very hard to make it more appealing," Milbrath said. "But it helps if the kids are exposed to these things at home. That’s where good nutrition is modeled.”

Most students eat responsibly, she said. But staff has cringed in the past watching kids keep the cookie and throw out the rest of their bag lunch. So they’ll lose the sweet treat and—hopefully—stay awake in class.

“When their bodies are loaded with sugar, they aren’t worth much in the classroom," Milbrath said. "But with our anti-oxidants and good complex carbohydrates, they’re going to be able to learn and absorb as much information as possible.”

Staying ahead of anticipated changes in USDA and Institute of Medicine recommendations, the district has ordered “the elimination of fat in milk, so we’re doing 1 percent and skim milk, and skim chocolate milk,” said Milbrath.

Menus will remain sensitive to religious dietary restrictions, “keeping everyone as happy as possible.” Hot dogs are all-beef and rarely-served egg rolls have pork, but it’s indicated on the menu.

“We’re all in this together. We’re on the parents' side to have the healthiest children we can,” Milbrath added.

FAST FOOD FACTS:

• St. Louis Park Students' Favorite Food: Spaghetti
• Least Favorite: Fish
• What’s New for Elementary Grades: Thousand Hills brand, grass-fed, all-beef hot dogs with omega-3 fatty acids and no nitrates
• Why Only Elementary Students Get Them: They are more than twice as expensive, but the upgrade was affordable because younger students eat just one.