LAWRENCE -
A new study puts Indiana very high on a list of the most obese states.
When it comes to fighting weight problems, experts say the earlier the better.
For some 31 million low and moderate income children, school lunches are the best opportunity they have each day to eat a balanced meal. New federal guidelines in effect this year are intended to make those meals less fatty and more healthy.
Students looking for lunch are finding bigger selections and larger portions of fruits, vegetables and salads. Meghan Siemers, a Lawrence Central senior who makes her own lunch because it's healthier, spotted the changes.
"Our a la carte line has definitely improved, with more salads and healthier choices," Siemers said.
The healthy choices are the result of new USDA guidelines aimed at reducing child obesity and changing eating habits that often last a lifetime. At Lawrence Central, menus and pricing encourage - if not force - students into buying a balanced meal.
"We provide choices for students they need," said Stephanie Tragesser, dietitian for Lawrence Schools.
Tragesser can easily see a lot of students choosing what they want, not what they need. There was a healthy crowd of students lined up for the healthiest meals, but the largest crowd was still lined up for the least healthy lunch, including burgers and pizza. Senior Keoantey Bowens went with french fries, breadsticks and a little fruit, turning down the healthiest options.
"I don't like it. I don't like to grab it. I don't like it," he said. The cafeteria staff is facing a health food fight.
"Some students don't know at this grade level what they should be choosing, so we attempting to give them a little bit of nutrition education," Tragesser said.
Along with "How to Eat Right" posters, cashiers frequently tell students how to better balance their plate, but they don't always listen.
"Some of them do, some of them don't," said one cashier.
Putting more fruits and vegetables on the serving lines is becoming more difficult than schools counted on. Eyewitness News learned the drought is making some of those healthy foods hard to find and more expensive.
School districts have been working on healthier meals for more than a decade. Some have eliminated candy and soda machines from their schools.
Lawrence schools eliminated fryers from elementary school kitchens years ago. This summer, they disappeared from the middle schools. Hamilton Southeastern schools has now eliminated french fries from all schools, Center Grove cafeterias will only use Romaine lettuce and spinach in salads this year and the bread in Wayne Township schools will be whole grain.
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