Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

Kaitlin Gagen
PPE 310
Dr. Lineberry
March 14, 2016

Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

Introduction
As Americas population continues to increase, the need for healthier food has also increased.
Americans are being portrayed as obese, unhealthy human beings to much of the world. This
needs to be changed and the best way to get to the root of the problem is through schools.
MyPlate and ChooseMyPlate.gov are online tools that can help schools, parents, and teachers
make healthier decisions when it comes to choosing the right food. Schools are in charge of
providing millions of kids breakfast and lunch 5 days a week. To make sure that schools are
providing balanced meals, they follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the National
Standards for School Meals. This sets our students up for success in the classroom. When
students are full, they can learn fully without hunger consuming their thoughts. Teachers have to
lead the charge by making sure students get the balanced proportions of dairy, grain, protein,
vegetables and fruits in every meal that they consume. The only sure way for students to learn
the right way to eat, is if teachers teach it inside the classroom.

Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

National Standards for School Meals

The National Standards for School Meals were created for schools so that they could serve meals
that were healthy and fulfilling to students. The Standards require that schools, increase the
availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat fluid milk in the school
menu; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat and trans fat in school meals; and meet the
nutrition needs of school children within their calorie requirements (Nutrition Standards, 2012).
Shepherd Junior High is doing a great job in following these Standards. Shepherd does have a
free-reduced policy, which requires it to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The
students are required to take a piece of fruit with their meal and they also have a full fruit/salad
bar available to them if they are so inclined. The salad bar includes options like celery sticks,
sliced apples, and lettuce at all times and other options vary from day to day. The students are
offered a fat free fluid milk, a 1% fat fluid milk, or a chocolate milk with their meal. The options
are there for healthy choices if the students decide to choose them.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Based on the breakfast and lunch options served at Shepherd for this day, they did not give every
child the full amount of each of the daily food groups that is required. This child would have
eaten 2 oz. of grains, cup of vegetables, 1 cup of fruits, and 1 oz. of protein. This leaves
the child lacking in all the food groups and can promote childhood malnutrition. The guidelines
want Americans to increase the amount of vegetables and fruits that children eat daily, but the
truth is that the students have to make the decision to eat them. This child only ate about half of
what they should have consumed that day. As for the students sodium intake, it was at 1531mg

Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

when the limit is 2300mg. One of the guidelines is that the sodium level be under 2300mg,
which Shepherd has met. Lastly, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasizes people to,
Control total calorie intake to manage body weight. For people who are overweight or obese,
this will mean consuming fewer calories from foods and beverages (2014). This student only
consumed 1014 calories for these two meals and the limit is 2000. This student met some of the
guidelines, but they did not succeed in fulfilling them all.
Nutritional Improvements

To improve my schools menu for the students, I would start by having more protein in the
students meals than just milk. For breakfast, I would offer items like eggs or sausages instead of
a carb filled cinnamon roll. I would also add a yogurt parfait bar where the students could get a
side of yogurt and top it off with granola or fresh fruit. This would help students consume the
amount of fruit they need in a day, and it would also raise their calorie count for the day to a
more desirable level.
The second thing I would change at Shepherd Junior High would be the desert that is offered
with every meal. Students have the option to purchase a brownie or cookie with their meal if they
wish to. I would take this option away, given the chance, because it is a waste of calories and it
promotes unhealthy behaviors. A side of fruit should be enough sweetness for lunch and it should
not be ignored in favor of a high calorie, yet, low in nutrition, cookie. The students need calories
with healthy nutrition values and feeding them a desert item after lunch only encourages them to
eat dessert after each meal that they consume.
Lastly, I would change the way vegetables are presented to students. The vegetables that were
given to students on this day, was a side of baked potatoes wedges. I do not consider this a

Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

traditional vegetable item and I know many food experts would agree with me. A potato is full
of carbohydrates and contains little nutritional value. Potatoes do not have the nutritional levels
that are usually associated with vegetables, such as peas, green beans, and cucumber. I would
change the way students are given green vegetables by presenting them in a different, yet
appetizing, way. This way, students are enticed into eating the needed daily amount of vegetables
required according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Reflection
If I was a teacher at this school, I would approach my students about the matter of eating healthy.
I would ask them what they like and dislike about the food provided at the school. My students
have already brought up the fact that they are unhappy with the food that the cafeteria provides. I
would love to pursue my students thoughts on why they are so unhappy. I would also corral their
thoughts to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, by asking what their favorite
vegetables are that they like to eat. I would then go through each of the daily food groups and ask
students what they would like to eat instead of what the cafeteria provides.
I would then teach students how to use the food tracker tool online so that they could record
everything they eat for the next week. This would give me data on what the students are actually
consuming compared to what the school is offering. The school can offer nutritious options but it
doesnt help students if the students arent consuming them. This will also tell me whether the
problem with the food is with students eating habits or with the food actually being appetizing
itself.

Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

If I find that the food that is offered is the problem, I will organize my data and bring up my
concerns to the principal. I would then explain that I think the students are not eating as healthy
as they could because of what the school is offering them. If I find that the problem is that the
students just like to eat everything with carbohydrates, then I would approach the principal about
starting a program where students are taught about the food they are consuming on a daily basis.
If the principal agrees to enact a health program, I would make it a focus to teach students about
the daily food groups and the calorie limits that students should be following. Spending a few
minutes during their home room hour to talk about healthy food decisions can make a lasting
impression on these students. I would also incorporate a daily exercise routine that the students
have to do every morning to get them up and active before they start their day.
I believe that schools have much improvement to go yet, in making school lunches healthier and
more appetizing for students. I would love to be a change maker in a schools food program, but
the fact is, it is hard to change a system that is already set in its ways. I plan to continue
researching the healthy options that Shepherd Junior high could incorporate into the day that cost
nothing but that can a world of difference in their childrens health education. A healthy body
means a healthy mind and it is our job as teachers to make sure that students are learning the
most that they can.

Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

7
References

Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (2010, January). Retrieved March 10, 2016, from
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010.asp#overview
MyPlate. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved March 10, 2016, from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
about.html
Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. (2012).
Federal Registrar, 77(17), 4088-4089. Retrieved March 10, 2016, from
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf