Many students and parents have reacted strongly to National School Lunch Program updates introduced this year that mandate calorie limits and more fruits and vegetables, saying the meals are unappealing or leave kids hungry.

The new guidelines are broad and affect all Ohio school cafeterias and students who purchase lunches.Some say the changes go too far, while others argue they are necessary for student health.

Courtney Griffin, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Carlisle’s Chamberlain Middle School, said she hasn’t noticed any major differences in portion sizes this year.

“I think the portions are the same size,” Griffin said, but admitted she’s still hungry after eating her meal. “The meals might be healthier, but kids don’t always eat their fruit and vegetables. Sometimes, by the time the second lunch period gets in here, the fruit is all squishy and just doesn’t taste right, so we throw it away.”

The changes were part of reauthorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child Nutrition Programs — including the National School Lunch Program — with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Efforts for the legislation were led by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign meant to encourage activity and decrease childhood obesity, which increased nationally from 7 percent for kids aged 6 to 11 in 1980 to 20 percent in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Ohio, 15 percent of high school students were obese in 2011.

Officials say they hope the changes help children stay healthy now and also teach better habits for the future. They also warn that the lunch program meals are meant to be only part of a child’s eating plan for the day.

Danielle Laffoon, registered dietitian at West Chester Hospital, said the new federal nutrition standards for school lunch and breakfast programs are “a step in the right direction.”

But Laffoon said it remains crucial for school districts to complement the new nutrition standards inside the classroom as well — such as teachers in health class sharing the importance of portion control, what a healthy weight is by age, and appropriate ways to lose weight.

“With the obesity problem, it’s good to teach kids to eat healthy in school,” Laffoon said, especially when many parents aren’t eating healthy.

Laffoon said it’s becoming more common for younger adults in their early 20s to be diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension — high blood pressure. Laffoon said hopefully overtime the prevalence of health issues will decline as more schools begin teaching healthy habits at a young age.

What’s for lunch?

Before the new standards, there were no calorie limits on meals, and one-half to three-fourths of a cup or any mix of fruits or vegetables was allowed. Beginning this school year, there are per-meal calorie requirements depending on grades, ranging from a minimum of 350 calories in kindergarten to maximum of 850 calories in 12th grade. Meals must include one-half of a cup to 1 cup of fruits and three-fourths of a cup to 1 cup of vegetables.

There are separate standards for meats, grains, whole grains, milk, sodium and fat.

Schools must meet those standards to be reimbursed by the federal government, with rates ranging from $2.46 to $3.09 per meal, depending on its contents. In fiscal year 2011, the USDA paid more than $311 million in reimbursements to Ohio schools for the National School Lunch Program, part of $10.1 billion paid out nationally.

Laffoon said there are many potential health benefits within the nutritional standards. She said by incorporating whole grains students will receive more fiber and protein, and larger portions of fruits and vegetables translates to more vitamins and minerals.

“For growing bodies, especially athletes, milk keeps bones strong,” Laffoon said, suggesting students opt for 1 percent or slim. “You don’t need the added fat and calories,” from 2 percent or whole milk.

On the preparation side, Laffoon said cafeteria staff should prepare food in as healthy a way possible, such as grilling or baking a meat item rather than frying. She said school districts should be mindful when using canned fruits and vegetables, to purchase fruits canned in their own juices — rather than heavy syrup — and vegetables canned with no salt added.

Lois Harvey, a cafeteria leader for Carlisle’s Chamberlain Middle School, said the district has made strides in preparing foods in a healthier way. She said the district has limited its servings of potatoes, especially in how often students can buy french fries.

“Another change is that we no longer cook in shortening, there’s no butter and there’s no salt in anything,” Harvey said. “It used to be that we had salt shakers on the tables. Not any more.”

Madelyn Cox, a sophomore at Lakota West High School, said there are notable improvements in the school lunches this year. She said the variety in food options is greater, but there’s still room to grow. Cox said since she doesn’t like vegetables, she wishes there was a better mix of fruit.

“I’ll have a different meal every day,” Cox said of chicken wraps or the daily special. “It’s so much more healthier. I saw someone eating squash and hummus; that was never an option before.”

Mixed reviews

Some parents expressed concern about their children getting enough food to last through the day, particularly if they take part in after-school activities.

Alan Shannon, a USDA public affairs director, said the updates were necessary for the health of the school program.

“If it is a federally funded meal, that meal should not contribute to the poor health of the child,” he said.

Chris Burkhardt, director of child nutrition for Lakota Local Schools, said he often hears the comment that students are “starving” by the time school ends. He said that’s often because students aren’t starting their day with the needed 500 calories from breakfast.

“A lot of students don’t eat breakfast and rely strictly on the lunch calories,” Burkhardt said. “Breakfast is part of a well-rounded diet; it’s not just all about lunch.”

At Carlisle, Harvey said the feedback she’s heard from students has been positive. Harvey said Carlisle has begun offer more choices for the fruits and vegetables students can opt to put on their plate. She said during a recent lunch period, the students had the vegetable options of broccoli and salad, with fruit options of oranges, grapes, apples, peaches and strawberries.

“We can’t serve a sandwich with a milk or a soda anymore,” Harvey said. “That was considered an A lunch last year, but with the new requirements the kids are getting more fruits and vegetables.”

Gage Schul, 14, an eighth grader at Chamberlain Middle School, said he’s not pleased with the lack of Gatorade now available in cafeterias.

“This is all because Michelle Obama wanted school lunches to be healthier,” Schul said. “I think they’re somewhat better, and I like their pizza. But the fruit and vegetables, most of it just gets thrown away.”

For other students, such as Bailey Chasteen — a Chamberlain eighth grader — the increase in fruits and vegetables is a welcome sight.

“The lunches are better than they used to be,” Chasteen said. “There’s better options and I like the better fruit and vegetable options. You can get a salad or a wrap, now.”

At Lakota schools, Burkhardt said the staff have tried to introduce new items such as hummus, whipped sweet potato and sweet potato french fries, and pumpkin crunch (mashed pumpkin with crushed graham cracker).

“(People) get a little apprehensive to try something that seems weird and different,” Laffoon said. “But most people are pleasantly surprised and end up liking the new, healthy product if prepared well.”