Kids At School Are Eating More Fruit: Health

New findings published in the journal Childhood Obesity show that more students are eating fruit during their school lunch period. Better still, students threw away less of their entrees and vegetables than before changes by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's healthier school meal standards. 

"This research adds to evidence that the updated nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program can succeed in helping students eat healthier," said Marlene Schwartz, the study's lead author and director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

This is among one of the first studies to measure student consumption of entrees, fruits, vegetables and milk during lunch before and after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's healthier school meal standards went into effect. The updated nutrition standards are based on recommendations from an Institute of Medicine panel of experts.

For the study, researchers analyzed students' food selection, consumption and waste both before and after the updated standards had gone into effect. They tracked students from 12 middle schools in an urban school district for three years before the standards changed and then two years after.

Findings revealed that over 70 percent of the students in the district qualify for free or reduced-price meals, with 47 percent African-American, 38 percent Hispanic and 15 percent white.

However, skeptics note the small data sample. "We have lots of concerns about this study because, among other things, it only collected data on one day each year at these schools," said Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association, an advocacy group backed in part by major food companies, via the New York Times.

However, researchers still point out that 17 different entrée options were offered throughout 36 days, pushing back the concern the day for a popular entrée, like Pizza, could interfere with study findings, according to Time.

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