Fat-controlled menus in a school lunch program
1984
Coale, Ellen K. | Bedford, Mary Ruth
Extract: Fat content in the diet of Americans has increased more than 10 percent in the past 70 years. Because dietary patterns are formed early in life, concern has arisen about the possible relationship between preferences of children for higher fat foods and the risk of heart disease. Because many children eat at least one meal a day at school, the school lunch program provided a controlled setting in which to originate some dietary modifications in fats. Using selected criteria, menus lower in total fat and saturated fat were planned, prepared, and served at a low enrollment elementary school for one month. This study determined acceptability of the menus, compared costs of the menu with current school lunch menus, and evaluated total fat and saturated fat content of both menus. Results obtained from questionnaires completed by students, plate waste studies, and participation rates indicated that fat-controlled menus were acceptable to the children, although a preference for higher fat foods was evident. Fat-controlled menus averaged $.015 less than current menus cost; however, because several commodity foods are higher in fat, current menus cost less when these foods were excluded. Appropriate substitutions were purchased locally for the fat-controlled menus. Positive responses were received from parents and teachers who were presented information on evaluating their current diets. (author)
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