School nutrition standards update: Study shows plant-based foods improve children's health
A recent study conducted by Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutritional Science and Policy found that while today's campus dining is significantly healthier than what American children ate before, there is still plenty of room for improvement, approx. A quarter of campus meals are considered to be of poor nutritional quality.
The study, recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that updating nutritional standards could bring significant benefits to thousands of children as they transition into adulthood. It’s worth noting that this change could also lead to huge financial reserves, potentially saving billions of dollars in lifetime medical costs.
"On average, school meals are healthier than the food American children eat from any other source, including at home," Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition at the Friedman School, said in a statement. , but we are at a critical juncture to further enhance nutrition.”
In fact, previous studies have found that 39% of U.S. teens ages 12 to 19 are overweight or obese; 53% have excess fat; 18% have symptoms of prediabetes; and 15% have high blood pressure.
This means that children already exhibit risk factors strongly associated with early onset heart disease and stroke. Changing their eating habits is crucial.
If schools limited added sugars, ensured all grains were whole grains, and reduced sodium intake in accordance with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the study suggests more than 10,600 annual deaths from diet-related diseases could be prevented.
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