School lunches healthier

PROVO — Youngsters at Freedom Academy are eating healthier and doing better in their classes thanks to a volunteer dietitian.

April Dean, a part-time nutrition instructor at Brigham Young University, was shocked at what she found in the sack lunches kids brought when she visited the school. So she evaluated the sack lunches' nutritional value and began creating a healthy lunch program for the school.

With her guidance, the school is now operating under the federal school lunch program.

"This year we put lunchtime after recess and we found that the kids are eating more and are better behaved," she said.

The school also subscribes to the federal wellness program, which eliminates junk food. Teachers don't allow junk food at the school except on six holidays. Teachers can't eat candy or drink sodas in front of the children. The federal program is designed to combat childhood obesity.

"If children eat healthy foods, their weight will take care of itself," Dean said. "(They) are better behaved and happier."

"They come back to class calmer," said teacher Jennifer Williamson.

School officials found that when children play before lunch, they take more time with their food and eat more. When recess followed lunch, kids would cut short eating to go play. "They aren't as hungry in class (under the new policy)," Williamson said.

Diana Loveridge of Spanish Fork says her children are healthier under the new program.

Freedom also has no vending machines.

"Vending machine people approached me when we first started this program. I told them I would entertain the idea if they could put healthy foods in them. No one ever came back," Dean said.

The nutritional standards are very specific. Each meal has to include a vegetable and a juice drink that is 100 percent juice. To meet the federal law, schools can base compliance on nutritional value or use of accepted food groups. Freedom uses the nutritional value method. Under the less exact food grouping method, some schools classify ketchup as a vegetable, Dean said.

Physical activity is an important part of the program. The school requires every child to take physical education, then offers a water bottle to keep the students hydrated. Parents sign their children up for the water bottle program for a small fee.