"When we were in school, I don't even think we had choices," Says local parent Taneka Courtney. "Whatever was on the menu was what we ate."
Courtney remembers when pizza, burgers and cake were offered as lunch items at school.
Back when there was no need for a vegetable or whole grain.
But when students like her fifth grade daughter return to school this fall, some of the biggest changes they'll notice may be in the food they eat.
"What they're going to notice are different serving sizes, and how were going to ask them to make selections," Explains AISD Nutrition Director Joann Knox.
The 'Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act' will now require all students to place at least one fruit or vegetable on their lunch tray.
Serving sizes will be smaller, and forget about white bread or white rice.
"We'll only have whole grain breads,some of our pastas we are trying, last year we went to whole grain spaghetti, we're looking at brown rice," Knox explained.
Knox believes the most difficult part of the change will come from students at the middle and high school level.
"We're going to have a big challenge ahead of us to get those secondary students to understand its different. That doesn't mean it's bad, it just means that it's different and that we're trying to follow these new guidelines," Knox said.
While the new guidelines may have some students turning up their nose, parents like Courtney are pleased their children will now have more, healthier lunch choices to choose from.
"I think its a good thing because it opens kids up to choices, healthy choices. And then it sets the grounds for them when they get older," Courtney said. "And it actually helps me out at home to kind of try and reinforce it more at home."
Courtney remembers when pizza, burgers and cake were offered as lunch items at school.
Back when there was no need for a vegetable or whole grain.
But when students like her fifth grade daughter return to school this fall, some of the biggest changes they'll notice may be in the food they eat.
"What they're going to notice are different serving sizes, and how were going to ask them to make selections," Explains AISD Nutrition Director Joann Knox.
The 'Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act' will now require all students to place at least one fruit or vegetable on their lunch tray.
Serving sizes will be smaller, and forget about white bread or white rice.
"We'll only have whole grain breads,some of our pastas we are trying, last year we went to whole grain spaghetti, we're looking at brown rice," Knox explained.
Knox believes the most difficult part of the change will come from students at the middle and high school level.
"We're going to have a big challenge ahead of us to get those secondary students to understand its different. That doesn't mean it's bad, it just means that it's different and that we're trying to follow these new guidelines," Knox said.
While the new guidelines may have some students turning up their nose, parents like Courtney are pleased their children will now have more, healthier lunch choices to choose from.
"I think its a good thing because it opens kids up to choices, healthy choices. And then it sets the grounds for them when they get older," Courtney said. "And it actually helps me out at home to kind of try and reinforce it more at home."
