HEALTH : A (Whole Wheat) Role Model to Be Proud Of : A national advocacy group discovers what schoolchildren in Arcadia already knew: Vitamin-packed, low-fat lunches are not only nutritious, they taste great.

On a chilly afternoon in Arcadia, a noisy band of first-, second- and third-graders piled into the Holly Avenue School cafeteria and lined up for salad and Indian food.

“I like this kind of food; it’s similar to what I eat at home,” said 8-year-old Abdullah Khwajazada as he dug into a plateful of dahl, a spicy bean dish; palov, a mild curried rice; salad, and a whole wheat tortilla.

This meal is an example of efforts by the Arcadia Unified School District to reduce fat and sodium while increasing iron and fiber. Other steps have included replacing white-flour hamburger buns with whole-wheat buns and increasing servings of legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

The program was recognized in August by the Washington-based advocacy group Public Voice for Food and Health Policy, which studied 41 schools nationwide and described Arcadia’s as a “role model for reform.”

“We have eliminated french fries altogether,” said Debra Amos, food service director for the Arcadia district. “We also did away with potato salad and mashed potatoes and gravy. And, surprisingly, kids have not asked for them.”

A salad bar, introduced to Arcadia’s elementary schools at the start of the school year, has proved especially popular, Amos said.

The changeover started in 1990 when the district was chosen to participate in a state campaign to point schoolchildren toward healthier ways of living. With a state grant, the district began analyzing menus and slowly making changes toward a more nutritious diet than the processed starches and high-fat contents familiar in many school cafeterias.

“We encourage the kids to make healthy choices,” Amos said. “And there is hardly any waste because they decide what and how much of it they want to eat.”

On this day, youngsters have a choice of fresh fruit, lettuce and tomato salad, croutons, raw carrots, pasta salad and gelatin. Most heaped cubes of red gelatin onto their trays and opted for pizza instead of Indian food, but the daring souls who tried the more exotic meal seemed to like it.

“I’ve never had this before, but it tastes good,” said 6-year-old Monique Bashaw.

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Arthur Lin, 7, agreed. “I like the Indian food,” he said with a full mouth.

In addition to the salad bar, students have a choice each day between two hot entrees or a sack lunch. Once each month, the second entree features ethnic food. All lunches cost $2.

A multicultural committee plans ethnic meals and highlights a different nation each month. Parents on a nutrition advisory council help with menu planning.

Nutrition is also covered in classroom instruction, newsletters and menus, Amos said.