Running head: CHOOSE MY PLATE

Choose My Plate
Allison Gross
PPE310
Dr. Hesse
April 3, 2016

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Introduction
As the childhood obesity epidemic, especially in the United States, increases the
initiatives to counteract the effects are also on the rise. New guidelines developed by various
health organizations in conjunction with government health groups have been updated and put
forth to be implemented school lunch programs across the nation. Tools, like the Supertracker on
choosemyplate.gov, are available online to track the different types of nutrients and minerals that
are being processed in order to analyze if the body is meeting its daily nutritional needs. This
approach to guide children from a young age about proper nutrition is a major step in ensuring a
healthy mind and body. Without proper nutrition needs being met children will not be in the
conditions suitable for effective learning to take place.
National Standards for School Meals
These standards go along with a program that is a common school lunch program nation-wide.
The government funded program assists school in providing lunches to students in schools who

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receive free or reduced lunch. In order to partake in this programs schools are to follow the
Nutrition Standards outlined with the program. There are multiple requirements that were
recently improved upon to receive aid in providing proper nutrition to students in schools. The
standards regard the increased availability of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in the school
menu, specific calorie limits to ensure age-appropriate meals for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12, and
gradual reductions in the sodium content of the meals (Nutrition Standards). Other rules discuss
the availability of fat-free and low-fat fluid milk, as well as reduced saturated fat and trans fat in
meals. These guidelines are made by various health professionals including those from the
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. These recommendations are created with the
purpose of enhancing daily meals and overall diet and health of children. They are also explained
with importance to breaking the increasing trend of childhood obesity. These are just one set of
recommendations set upon school lunches to better provide for childhood nutrition so that they
may at a point to learn effectively.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Another set of guidelines set forth to develop a healthy diet are the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans. The guidelines are centered on two concepts including, maintain calorie balance over
time to achieve and sustaining a healthy weight as well as monitoring specific types foods.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans some nutrients like sodium or sugar needs to
reduced. On the other hand, some should be increased like vitamin D, and calcium (Dietary
Guidelines for Americans). The guidelines provide background knowledge believed to help the
public understand more about what is in the food they eat so that they may choose wisely how
they reach nutritious goals. For instance, one component it discusses is the sodium. Sodium

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should be reduced, whereas other nutrients like, potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D,
should be consumed more often. To curb the obesity epidemic and improve their health, students
do not just need to focus on lowering calories to fit their age group but also being aware of where
those calories are from. It is more beneficial for the body to consume nutrient-dense foods and
beverages so that the body can work efficiently to reach its dietary needs.

Nutritional Improvements
Some improvements that can be taken at the school to better reach the dietary needs of the
students is to consume less calories throughout the day. The menu will list that the students are to
receive a breakfast sandwich when in actuality they are eating Apple Jacks cereal or chocolate
chip and oatmeal cookie bar for breakfast (March Breakfast and Lunch Menu). The first big
realization after reviewing this menu for the day is that the total number of calories, 2051, are
over the limit for the appropriate age group which was 2000.

Another red flag on this data, is that in all calories eaten that day not all of the dietary needs are
being met. For example, the amount of whole grains are not even at the halfway mark for what
has already been eaten, the resulting amount was 0oz eaten, while the refined grains had 8oz.
Sadly these refined grains do not provide the student with the same nutritional value as they are
converted to sugar and burned off at much faster rate. This leaves students sluggish and tired
even after eating grains. This is why school should reevaluate the types of grains that they use to
offer to kids to choose. To remedy this deficiency, more whole grain options should be available
for breakfast and lunch.

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Another less than favorable consistency with the meals provided at the school is the abundance
of sugar. In the plan, the students are suggested to have more access to fruits and veggies,
however, there is a disservice to the students being offered too much fruits especially in forms
that are more sugary than nutritional. In other words, students should have more access raw fruits
and veggies and or ones that have been prepared in a healthier way than canned or sitting in cup
full of corn syrup. A second example is students are also offered juice every morning with the
same lack of nutrition. It contributes to the excessive amount of fruit in addition to the excessive
amount of sugar. This negatively impacts their attention and focus throughout the day. Often
students are complaining of being hungry and tired before it is even time for lunch to begin.
Schools should have liquids that are made from real juice without added sugar to help student
reduced the amount of sugar take in throughout the day.

Reflection
According to the data, the school does not meet every National Standard for school meals the
students are eating. One example is on days that offer these foods, there is an excessive amount
of sugar and fruit at the same time there is not enough grains in the meals. As the standards
suggest there should be more fruits and veggies, the standards also outline that students keep
within range of the permitted calories for the day. In the example foods inserted in the
Supertracker food tracker tool, the foods eaten on that day went over the number of calories
allotted by 51.

Just as seen with the standards, these meals would not completely pass the Dietary guidelines for
Americans. First and foremost the reason for this failure is the overabundance of calories. In

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addition, the guidelines outlines different foods to reduce and increase. For instance, both the
food groups of dairy and of protein are meant to be reached. However, there is no increase of
protein or dairy being taken in, in fact according to the Supertracker both of these food groups
are deficient. In the opposite extreme, the guideline has consumers reduce the amount of sugar
taken in. According to the Supertracker the food group of fruits was overeaten. Since fruits
naturally have sugar, and the students eating fruit typically eat the fruit cup with corn syrup,
there is an addition of sugar to the daily diet. This goes against the American Guidelines.

As a teacher, it is really important to observe when students and know when students are
becoming too tired to process effectively what they are learning. Students basic needs have to be
met before learning, reflecting, and applying can begin. This activity could help teachers
recognize what nutrition needs are and are not being met. It is a great activity to do with students
to get them thinking not just about what they eat but about how that food affects them. By
noticing the way they feel when they eat different foods and meeting the daily goals of each food
group, they will be more informed and ready to make decisions to eat foods that will then
positively impact their mind and body. This helps them in the classroom because they will have
the ability to self-monitor their energy and focus level. If they are tired and sluggish because they
are hungry they may get their own snack, in order to stay alert and maintain focus. Outside of the
classroom, this activity benefits students because then they pass on what they learned to their
friends. Even more important they may apply what they learned and choose healthier foods that
leave more alert and refreshed at home and they may influence their family to also monitor what
kinds of foods they are eating.

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References
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (2010, January). Retrieved April 4, 2016, from
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010.asp#overview
MyPlate. (n.d.). Food Tracker . Retrieved April 4, 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 April 4, 2016, from
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf
March 2016 Valley View Elementary Breakfast and Lunch Menu. (2016, March). Retrieved
March 21, 2016.

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