Thursday, October 10, 2013

Food From Farm To School

I ran across this interesting piece called "farm to school."  There was a big stink about changes in school lunch menu's in 2010.  It looks like trends have changed or reversed as kids get used to more veggies and less hamburgers, fries and pizza.

"School cafeterias have never been awarded top-rated Zagat reviews, but the changes your children are seeing in the chow line are likely the result of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,” which required the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, even snacks and a la carte items, beyond the foods that are part of federally supported school meals programs.

Although the act doesn’t need to be fully implemented in schools yet, students in many schools are already seeing a marked difference: fewer fries and chicken nuggets, more fajita chicken and steamed broccoli. The idea is to increase the fruits, vegetables and whole grains and reduce the sodium on the school menu.

The act also promotes connections between schools and local farmers who can provide locally grown produce. Both the National Farm to School Network (http://www.farmtoschool.org) and Ohio State University Extension’s Ohio Farm to School program (http://farmtoschool.osu.edu), can help a community get started. It’s best to form a team involving school food service staff, teachers, administrators, local farmers, students, parents and community organizations, and establish just one or two attainable goals to start with. A Farm to School effort can go beyond the cafeteria serving line to promoting experiential learning by starting a school garden and organizing visits to local farms as well as incorporating more nutrition and agriculture into the school curriculum."

Many of you have emailed me about the diet I am on.  LuAnn is shrinking away and I have lost 7 pounds in 4 days.  We don't feel hungry or lack energy.  If we can keep this up, we will be well on our way to a healthier winter and you know how that season can put on the pounds!

I never knew a poached egg and half a grapefruit could taste so good with my morning coffee!

Blessings,

Ed Winkle

2 comments:

  1. Less fries, more broccoli, you're enforcing your own diet to your local schools too! These kids will never have the calories to grow up or feed their learning brains! ;) LuAnn shrinking... So that was your hidden goal all along, make LuAnn disappear? Don't let him do it, girl! Eat Ed's poached egg if you have to!
    I bet they do taste good when you're in a diet.
    Do you guys add a bit of vinegar in the poaching water? Helps coagulate the egg white faster, so it keeps a better shape.
    3 more pounds this morning, I mean 3 less, 9 total in 3 days. I guess mostly water loss, these fat cells have been surrendering a bit of their moisture. Your diet has absolutely no dairy, so to this French man, it could just as well be a full fledged fast. And it is...

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  2. You see FOOD is on my mind??? What I wouldn't give for a Cousin Willy's Vermont Cheddar popcorn right now! Tonight was steak night and it was excellent. This has made me hone my grilling skills so it melts in your mouth. Room temperature for hours and non fattening spices!

    LuAnn said YUCK on the vinegar, LOL. Never tried it. Looks like you are doing better than we are but each body is different. I do have a little lethargy in my legs but I am doing more than I did last week!

    Ed

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