As the summer draws to a close and parents look ahead to the school year, the change in daily routine offers an opportunity to change our routine meals. Setting our students and families up for success can come in many forms. Eating better meals and more frequently as families are just two ways we as parents can help our students excel.
Eating dinner as a family can have an enormous impact on the health of kids. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that “teens who have dinner with their families at least five times per week are almost one and a half times less likely to report high levels of stress” than teens who don’t. Teens that eat frequent family meals are also more likely to have better relationships with their parents and eat healthier meals. August is Family Meals Month, so there is no better time to make gathering around the kitchen table a priority.
Fairfax County Public Schools has already taken steps to improve the nutrition in school meals. Over the next three years, FCPS will implement fruit and vegetable bars in all middle and high schools, and eliminate additional artificial additives, dyes, and preservatives. The schools will also implement a local purchase preference policy to bring fresher produce to students. These are good first steps. Hopefully, more will follow. As a parent, I am concerned about the quality of school meals and, more to the point, I know that no meal is a good one if kids won’t eat it.
The Real Food For Kids organization has been a leader in finding collaborative ways to increase the quantities of healthy foods in Fairfax County Public Schools and supporting programs that educate students and their families on making healthier lifestyle choices. Real Food For Kids Executive Director, JoAnne Hammermaster said, "School food is an incredibly important determinant to children's health outcomes as well as their academic success, behavior and well-being in and out of school.”
This school year let’s take small steps that can mean big successes for our kids. Better food and more time eating as family will help put our students on the path to a healthy, happy school year.