by Juan Rosero-Narvaez
School lunches play a big role in students’ health; especially considering that a large portion of students consume these lunches. It is important to feed students nutritious food that ensures a positive and beneficial impact on their health. So, is the Oceanside cafeteria providing students with nutritious food? Let’s find out!
Menu
The Oceanside cafeteria menu consists of four main dishes, a variety of packaged chips, chocolate chip cookies, and several sugary-drinks. The four main dishes are cheese pizza, pizza nuggets, chicken nuggets, and four varieties of sandwich (Turkey, turkey and cheese, ham, ham and cheese).
Nutritional Analysis
- Cheese Pizza
The pizza is a popular choice among students; however it lacks nutritional value based on its ingredients. It offers carbs, protein, calcium, which are good for the body, but, unfortunately, it also contains unhealthy amounts of saturated fats and sodium. To improve the nutritional value of this dish, the school could incorporate vegetable toppings such as broccoli and spinach.
- Pizza Nuggets
Pizza nuggets are essentially traditional pizza in smaller and rounder portions. Due to their identical ingredients to pizza, they possess the same nutritional values, which makes this a not-so-healthy dish that could be improved by the same healthy vegetable incorporating suggested for the cheese pizza.
- Chicken Nuggets
Chicken nuggets can be an adequate source of protein and a healthy option for students when they are made with high quality, whole grain chicken breast and are baked rather than fried. Overall, this dish is a good cafeteria option for students.
- Sandwiches (Turkey, turkey and cheese, ham, ham and cheese)
These sandwiches consist of a plain brioche bun with three slices of their respective meat/protein, a slice of cheese (optonal), and NO tomatoes or lettuce like a traditional sandwich would. While turkey and ham provide protein and other nutrients, the lack of vegetables limit the sandwiches nutritional value. Adding vegetables like tomatoes and lettuce would be a great start in improving the quality of this option.
Conclusion
While some of the food options in our school cafeteria provide somewhat adequate nutrition, others do not. The incorporation of vegetables is very important for a balanced diet, and it is the area where the cafeteria dishes lack the most. One small change can create a big impact on the health of students at Oceanside High School. If we could incorporate some more vegetables into the school menu, that would go a long towards creating more healthy options for students.