OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS & VIEWS : A Bunch of Lunch Options : Food Courts and Updated Menus Are Among Campus Attempts at More Nutritious--and Popular--Choices

The bell rings. An instant later, students dash down the halls in a seemingly million-dollar race. The prize? To be first in the lunch lines.

Hunger and the short length of lunch breaks are no doubt factors in the rush, but the quality of food being served may also be part of the attraction these days.

School cafeterias, like military chow lines, will always have their critics. But a definite move is afoot to bring healthier, more appealing food to students.

Some schools, especially ones that prohibit off-campus lunch periods, are creating food courts, and cafeterias are trying innovative menu items (such as turkey tacos and nachos) to better satisfy students and meet new nutritional guidelines established by the federal government.

Meeting those guidelines has meant lowering the amount of calories, fat, cholesterol and salt in school lunches. Ten years ago, a menu might have called for a cheeseburger, fries, chocolate chip cookie and whole milk. Today, the comparative menu calls for a hamburger without the cheese and on a whole wheat bun, the potatoes are baked not fried, the cookie is oatmeal and the milk is low-fat. The result of those changes adds up to a meal with half the salt, about half the fat and a hundred fewer calories.

Often the changes are a simple case of presentation. A whole apple is likely to go uneaten. But apple slices presented in appealing manner, with slices of another fruit, or simply garnished with a sprig of parsley or several grapes, stands a better chance of landing on a student’s lunch table. Or a slice of pizza might come with a slice of watermelon, adding fruit to the diet.

The introduction of food courts is a more dramatic departure from the traditional school lunch programs. Schools with food courts, usually clustered in a central mall area, offer fast foods from such establishments as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Ameci’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

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In 1992, Capistrano Valley High School was the first school in the nation to establish a food court. The idea is catching on.

“I think you’re going to see a continuing trend away from ‘little old ladies in uniforms and hair nets’ providing food students don’t want to eat,” said Richard Greene, manager of foods services for the Capistrano Unified School District. “We’ve done some marketing studies, talked with students and have done some menu testing with them.”

The students’ top three choices: hamburgers or cheeseburgers, pizza and chicken.

For schools without food courts, a la carte lunch lines are offering more variety. “Every secondary school in this district has an a la carte menu,” said Capistrano’s Greene. “Even the elementary schools do not have set daily menus. They have four choices from a list of 27 different items. They pick four a day. We serve them foods such as pizza, tacos and nachos.”

At recently built Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo, the jumbled mass of students jockeying in lunch lines attests to the popularity of food courts.

However, Sara Murphy, a junior at Capistrano Valley, is not so sure the changes are for the best. “School lunches are getting unhealthier. All you have to choose from is junk food, junk food or junk food,” she said, referring to fast-food options and the lunch trucks that park outside a school to cater to students.

However, fast foods being served at schools are expected to meet nutritional guidelines. In some cases, recipes have been modified so that they do.

Stephanie Clarke, who has worked for food services in the Capistrano district for 12 years, said, “It’s been proven that fast food covers the food groups.” She cites pizza and burritos, in particular.

Despite that fact, there is still concern that students aren’t getting enough fruits and vegetables.

“The biggest problem is the vegetables, fruits and milk that is provided in school lunches,” registered dietitian Susan Magrann said. “If the food courts would offer them in an attractive way, students would buy it.”

Magrann is nutrition coordinator for a state school program called Shaping Healthy Choices. Under this program, guidelines are provided to ensure that school lunches contain less fat and sodium and provide more grains, breads, fruits and vegetables.

Some schools, concerned whether students are eating anything at all in the mornings, now provide “nutrition breaks” during the day.

Denise Danne, principal of Aliso Niguel High School, said the school plans to have food available during a break after the first block of instructional time.

Despite strides in cafeteria food and the addition of food courts, students still look forward to venturing off campus for lunch, if allowed. Says Laguna Hills High School junior Mira Shani: “The school lunches look nasty. I don’t eat it; I go off campus. Going off campus is a privilege for the upperclassmen to look forward to.”

But for those who are not allowed off campus at lunch, efforts are continuing in Orange County school cafeterias to offer more nutritious--and more popular--food choices.

School Lunch Then, Now School districts in Orange County and across the country are drawing attention this week to the importance of healthy eating habits among students. Both National School Lunch Week and HeartFest, sponsored by the American Heart Assn., are being observed. An analysis by the heart association of comparative lunches served under the National School Lunch Program shows a significant shift in nutritional values over the past decade. * 1983 MENU * Cheeseburger Bun Lettuce, tomato, onion Dill pickle French fries Peach slices in syrup with berries Chocolate chip cookie Milk, whole * 1993 MENU * Hamburger, lean Whole wheat bun Lettuce, tomato, onion Pickle slices, two Oven-baked potatoes Peach slices in “lite” syrup with berries Oatmeal cookie Milk, 1% fat * Calories - THEN: 915, NOW: 810 Fat (grams) - THEN: 44, NOW: 23 Cholesterol (milligrams) - THEN: 112, NOW: 75 Sodium (milligrams) - THEN: 1,600, NOW: 850 % calories from fat - THEN: 42, NOW: 26 *

Note: The fat target for California school lunches is 30% to 35% when lunches are averaged for the week.

Source: Newport Mesa Unified School District