School Lunches Becoming Healthier, Statistics Indicate.
The humble school lunch — the staple of most every American child’s diet — has become healthier.
That was the conclusion of new data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that showed that the nutritional profile of meals in the nation’s public schools had improved substantially since higher government standards went into effect in 2012.
Nearly 80 percent of schools offered two or more vegetables a meal in 2014, the data showed, up from 62 percent in 2000. Two or more fruits were offered in about 78 percent of schools, up from 68 percent in 2000.
Since the 1970s, the prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled, substantially raising the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
But in recent years, health experts have documented small but promising improvements in the rate of childhood obesity, which stood at about 17 percent in 2012, the most recent year the government has measured. Obesity has declined among the youngest children, as well as among children of low-income families participating in federal food programs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/health/school-lunches-becoming-healthier-statistics-indicate.html?
Michelle Obama!!!
