Running head: ASSIGNMENT 8:1

Mariela Chavez 1

Assignment 8:1
Mariela Chavez
PPE 310 #79591
Arizona State University
Fall, 2015

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 8:1

Mariela Chavez 2

National Standards for School Meals and Collier Elementary School

Looking at the National Standards for School Meals requirements, Collier Elementary
School is one of many schools across the Valley which aims to meet the requirements, yet fails to
meet them all. Out of the many requirements, one of the most notable characteristics of Colliers
meal plans is that there is a lack meals with specific calorie ranges for every grade level.
Students across grades K-8 all receive the same breakfast and lunch options. Another
requirement that has not been met, is the availability of whole grains. Out of the many breakfast
and lunch options such as banana bread, assorted cereal, corn dogs, and burritos, there is a lack
of whole grains used to prepare the foods. Lastly, Collier does not offer a meat/meat alternate for
breakfast. The breakfast meal choices generally consist of meatless foods with little or no sources
of protein. Aside from the negative characteristics of the Collier Elementary School meals, there
are many requirements that are met and placed into effect. For instance, fruits and vegetables are

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 8:1

Mariela Chavez 3

offered as two separate meal components. Breakfast meals all include a fruit option and lunch
meals provide students with a fresh vegetable bar with multiple vegetables to choose from.
Beverages offered during meal times also provide students with the opportunity to choose from
fat free as well as low fat milk options. All in all, its apparent that Collier is making a large
effort to meet the National Standards for School Meals requirements to their best ability. The
school is a participant in the free-reduced meal policy, which also means they must meet the
requirements of the Local School Wellness Policy. Those requirements specify that schools must
include goals for education and promotion of nutrition, include nutrition guidelines to promote
student health, permit parents and school staff members to participate in the implementation of
the wellness policy, maintain the general public informed of the local wellness policies, and
lastly schools must provide periodical compliance assessment results with the public.
Dietary Guidelines
The breakfast and lunch meals consumed in this case consisted of a variety of foods.
Breakfast included a bean and cheese burrito, an orange, apple juice, and a low fat 1% milk
container. Lunch included a slice of peperoni pizza, steamed broccoli florets, a small slice of
watermelon, and a low fat 1% milk container. According to the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, a child consuming these meals would meet the guidelines in regards to eating more
foods such as fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products. The oranges, watermelon slices, and
broccoli florets are nutritious options for students to consume the nutrients they need. The low
fat 1% milk is also a great source of dairy for the childrens diets. The food tracker shows that
the fruit, vegetable, and dairy consumption targets are almost reaching their daily limit, with only
the vegetable consumption under the target at a little under 50%. Both meals also aid in the effort

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 8:1

Mariela Chavez 4

to reduce high sodium consumption. The food tracker calculated 1540mg of sodium intake out of
2300mg of the daily limit. This number seems relatively low considering it accounts for two out
of three recommended meals. In regards to the guideline aimed at balancing calorie intake with
physical activity to gain weight, these meals are unable to accurately account for this
requirement.
Improving Nutrition
Changes I would make to improve the food students eat, would be to provide students
with less processed foods, such as the breakfast muffins loaded with sugar and preservatives, and
more fresh food options rich in vitamins and proteins. Another change would be to ensure that
food options are prepared with more diligence in regards to their nutritional values. Most food
options provide specific nutritional sources and are offered separately such as finding vitamin D
in milk and vitamin C in oranges. Though the nutritional value is present, it creates a problem
when students routinely choose one option and not the other, making it difficult for the students
to consistently consume all the nutritional components they need. For this reason, I think it
would be beneficial to provide entre meals that have as much nutritional value as possible in
order to benefit those students who regularly stray from certain foods. The last change I would
make to improve the food students eat, would be to include a wider variety of meal options.
There are multiple fruits and vegetables available to interest students in eating healthier and
broaden their perceptions of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. For instance, most schools
offer the same variety of produce such as bananas, apples, oranges, cucumbers, and carrots. I
would make an effort to include other items such as blueberries, raspberries, persimmons,

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 8:1

Mariela Chavez 5

asparagus, or squash. I understand some food options may be determined by harvesting seasons,
but the possibility is still there.
Reflection
After completing this activity and utilizing the tools found within the My Plate resources,
I was able to gain a new perspective as a teacher in regards to nutrition education. There are
multiple dietary requirements in place that attempt to ration nutrition for students benefits and as
a teacher, its essential that my students eat well so they are able to learn to their best abilities.
The data found within this activity allows me to take a closer look at nutrition in school settings
and how it impacts their wellbeing in and outside of the classroom. It acts as a guide for health
conscious lesson planning in the classroom and could also be used to make students accountable
for their own health outside of the classroom.
As a future educator, the data from the food tracker tool was eye opening and insightful
to my career. The accurate statistics allow me to look at what students are eating and how I could
address healthy eating in the classroom. For instance, we could track our daily meals as a class
and we could discuss how to reach maximum nutrition based on what our meals offer for the day.
A simple activity like this could make a large impact as students become aware of their health.
These statistics also provide students with a concrete depiction of nutrition that otherwise would
be difficult to understand. The numbers and graphs are an excellent visual to differentiate
nutritional factors. As far as identifying the benefit for students outside of the classroom, I can
see that students would highly benefit by taking accountability for their own nutrition at home!
Students could take what they learn in the classroom and feel compelled to share it with families.

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 8:1

Mariela Chavez 6

Placing enough effort to change health and nutrition in the classroom provides the opportunity
for families to become inspired to make positive life changes.
The overall benefits of utilizing tools such as My Plate are outstanding for the classroom.
Teachers are highly influential people in childrens lives, and by using providing knowledge
about nutrition, students gain new skills beneficial for their health. Teachers are also able to
extend the application of these skills in order to reach families and the community.
References
2010 Dietary Guidelines. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010/.
Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. (n.d.).
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf.
Super Tracker. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodtracker.aspx
Team Nutrition. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/local-school-wellness-policyrequirements.