School+Lunch+Nutrition

The universal opinion of school food (excluding that served at private institutions) seems to be that it’s gross: unappetizing, inedible, and unidentifiable. Beyond these obvious faults, however, there is a more hidden problem: the nutrition of these meals. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was originally instituted to provide post-WWII kids with nourishing meals to help counteract malnutrition, a big problem in the nation’s poor at the time. Now, however, the biggest nutrition issue for citizens living at or around the poverty line is obesity, and a nourishing but unhealthy meal may exacerbate the problem.
 * 1) ****Introduction to the problem**

Congress enacted the National School Lunch Program in the 1940s to combat the malnutrition seen in high numbers in army recruits. The nation’s children had to be protected, they said, from this problem. Malnutrition now, however, is much less a problem than obesity. Poverty and obesity have an intrinsic link today; one hundred calories in fresh produce is much more expensive than one hundred calories of junk food. Of course, many schools have implemented nutrition education programs. However, teaching healthy eating without serving healthy food is pointless at best. Rhode Island has implemented some of the most stringent nutritional standards for school food in the nation, surprisingly enough. Half of all grains served have to be whole grain, and only fruits and vegetables can be served for snacks in the elementary schools. In the upper schools, the number of fruits and vegetables offered each week has to meet a certain standard, and limits have been placed on fat and sodium content in the meals. Despite these standards, the meals still lack appeal and are still often greasy or fatty.

I chose to tackle the issue of school nutrition because eating healthy is an important part of my life, as well as I feel some concern for the growing waistline of America. A person's health is important, and starting early will help make healthy living a lifelong commitment.

**2) ****Strategies employed** a) There are several different solutions possible for the issue of nutrition in school lunches. The first, which is not really a solution at all, is to do nothing. The NSLP is an $8 billion per year government expenditure, however, and is only slated to go up. It seems to me that if we are spending so much money on this food, it should at least be going towards combating one of our nation’s biggest problems (and leading cause of death), obesity. Another solution would be to add more stringent standards to the meals served, because currently, the only national standards are that fruits and vegetables have to be served, milk has to be served, each meal should have a third of a day’s calories, and no more than 30% of the calories should be from fat. A whole grain mandate, such as the one in Rhode Island, should be enacted, along with the encouragement to serve less red meat. Sodium standards should be lowered, as well as the ones for fat. Another solution to this problem would be to privatize school lunch programs. Each school could serve the food according to its students’ demographics and needs. This solution, however, would raise costs to students and would most likely eliminate the free lunch program, effectively reducing the number of students who eat school lunch by half.

I believe the best solution to the nutrition issue would be to make standards nationally, and then at the state level, much more rigorous. As it is, foods are greasy and loaded with carbohydrates which, while important, should not make up the majority of a meal. Funding would have to be increased to this program to include more fresh produce. However, if red meats were replaced more often with legumes or other acceptable protein substitutes, that cost might be lowered.

b) The most successful step during this effort was most likely the nutrition feature article that I wrote for the Current Wave, the NKHS newspaper. The full color centerfold of the newspaper is the one most often read by students because it is usually full of graphic elements that are easy on the eyes. Several graphics went along with the article, such as a comparison between snack foods: which ones were healthier to choose. Planning the Homelunch Fest was also fun and challenging because I had to learn about economic food shopping and planning meals. Next time I think I would just try more diverse ways to aproach this issue and to make it more public.

a) I think the greatest limitation in my way in this project was the fact that the state of Rhode Island passed guidelines for schools just this July. Another improvement so soon is probably not logical or probable simply because no one has really seen how the first change is affecting kids. Further change would seem unnecessary just yet. Another limitation was my disinterest in the project; I probably should have picked something that I could become more passionate about so that I might've had more motivation.
 * 3) ****Outcomes of the project**

b) The next step in this project is most likely making the United States Dept. of Education aware of student desire for change. Because Rhode Island's standards are already quite comprehensive in comparison, bringing the national standard up to snuff would be highly beneficial to states where obesity is an even bigger problem. Although Rhode Island has the fourth lowest obesity rate for adults in the country, it comes in at number twenty-nine in childhood obesity. Not enough time has yet passed to see if the current standards are making a difference or if more stringent standards are needed here.  a) Each member of the group must submit a reflection which includes their thoughts about: i) what they learned about democracy from participating on this project ii) what they learned about themselves from working on this project iii) what they learned about cooperating with others from working on this project a) Each portfolio must include a minimum of one artifact from each of the following sub sections. You should include all artifacts that were actually created and you may also add ones which you did not use but could have used. i) __Public Education__ (1) Leaflet (on CD) : to be handed out at a school event where parents are present. Suggests calling a representative to demand healthier food for students. ii) __Direct Action__ (1) Boycotting/Buycotting (2) Picketing (3) Demonstrations and Protests (4) Strikes (5)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Nonviolent Civil Disobedience iii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Citizen Lobbying__ (1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Writing a bill & finding a sponsor (2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Testifying at committee hearings (3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Persuading Legislators iv)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __The Media__ (1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Letters to the Editor (2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Op-Ed Articles (3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Earning Media in Feature Articles (4)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Call-in shows/ Guest Shows (5)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> PSAs (6)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Radio Shows (7)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> News Releases / News Conferences (8)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Media Events <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">b) For students working alone there must be one entry per category c) For group with 3 or less members there must be two entries per category d) For groups with 4-5 members there must be three entries per category **6)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> ****Format of the portfolio** a)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Please compile the portfolio in a professional manner i)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Title & Date ii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> Credits: Contributors, Class Period, Date iii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Introduction to the problem__ iv)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Strategies employed__ v)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Outcomes of the project__ vi)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Reflections on the Project__ vii)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> __Appendix: Ways of Acting__ b)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> All entries should be typed, double spaced, 1” margins, and Times New Roman c)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> All media productions (audio or video) should be saved on a CD/DVD and should have descriptions entered into the Appendix d)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> All contributors to your project should be credited
 * 4)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> ****Reflections on the Project**
 * 5)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> ****Appendix: Ways of Acting**
 * e)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> **** All portfolios should be uploaded to: http://nkdemocracyproject.wikispaces.com **