Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

PPE 310: Health Literacy for Schools

My Plate Assignment
Matt Altman-Suchocki
PPE 310 - 79594
Jessica Skipper

Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

My Plate
For this assignment, two meals were taken directly from the school menu schedule of
Madison #1 Middle School, one breakfast meal and one lunch meal. The breakfast meal was
pretty typical: one cup of cooked oat bran cereal and a half-cup of chocolate milk (1%).
Chocolate milk was chosen for one meal (breakfast) and regular milk (also 1%) for the other
(lunch), since in limited observations the students of Madison #1 seem to split regular milk and
chocolate milk pretty evenly. For lunch, a meal was chosen that came directly from one of the
provided lunches last week, exactly as it was described during the schools morning
announcements: whole wheat pasta with meat sauce (serving size was approximately one-and-ahalf cups), a small slice of garlic bread, with a side of peaches for dessert (drained, with a
serving size of approximately one half-cup). Also included for assessment purposes was one
half-cup of regular milk (1%) to wash it all down. Using the food tracker tool from
choosemyplate.gov, some interesting results could be gleaned from the data concerning the
overall nutritional value of the two school meals that were focused on. A screenshot of the results
can be seen directly below.

Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

NATIONAL STANDARDS
The first thing to be done, then, after gathering and pouring over the food tracking tools
data analysis of these specific meals offered by Madison #1 Middle School, was to compare how
well this schools meals held up when assessed according to the National Standards for School
Meals. The results were a mixed bag. On the one hand, for lunch, Madison technically provided
the required two sides of food/vegetables (according to the national standards): the side of
peaches, and the tomato sauce of the pasta. Although pasta sauce should never be considered a
vegetable, in the eyes of Madison #1 that component was adequately covered. Since the pasta
was at least somewhat healthy in and of itself being made of whole wheat there were whole
grains provided, one of the most positive aspects of the lunch meal. One thing that was not
adequately covered, however, was the requirement of a fruit during breakfast. The National
Standards for School Meals states that schools should be offering fruit daily during breakfast
and lunch.

AMERICAN DIETARY GUIDELINES

After analyzing the national requirements met and not met by Madison #1 Middle
School, the next thing to be done, concordantly, was to then compare how these meals stacked up
to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The first glaring issue, when focusing on these two
specific meals, was the empty calories provided. One of the main pillars of the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans is to balance calories to manage weight. According to the online food
tracking tool, 278 of the 1071 calories of these two combined meals were empty calories. Over
one-fourth of each meal were simply empty, filler calories. Another main pillar of the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans is to focus on nutrient-rich foods and beverages. Simply put, these

Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

meals are lacking in this regard. Not only are they filled with empty calories, despite
incorporating fruit and whole wheat pasta, but they also violate another tenet of the American
dietary guidelines by not helping to reduce dietary intake of sodium and fat. The combined
breakfast and lunch meal had 1708mg of sodium, as well as 11g of saturated fat. The sodium
level almost met the daily allotment (2300mg), and the amount of saturated fat is enough to
amount to half of the daily allotment for saturated fat (22g). These meals are not meeting the
levels desired by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS

After analyzing the information provided by the online tool concerning the two meals
that were focused on, the next logical step was to come up with ways that the school meals of
Madison #1 Middle School could be changed and improved upon. There are a few primary steps
that could be taken to help make Madisons lunch and breakfast more nutritional. For one, the
amount of empty calories is too high. The garlic bread that was included with the lunch had 36
empty calories out of 128 total calories. An extra source of less-than-healthy bread is not doing
enough for the students daily nourishment. Another nutrient-rich vegetable source, like broccoli,
for example, would be much more beneficial. One of the most surprising things about the online
analysis from the food tracking tool was the amount of empty calories in the side of peaches;
more than half of the peaches calories were empty calories (54 out of 85). On the surface, many
might say but we had fruit in the meal!, but the reality is that the only fruit provided in either
meal fell well below standards. Healthier fruit (uncanned) would be much more beneficial and
nutritional. Lastly, the overall health of the breakfast could be improved upon in many facets. For
one, a fruit needs to be offered and/or required with every breakfast. Additionally, chocolate milk

Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

should be done away with during breakfast completely. Not only would that induce more
drinking of healthier milk, but it also only gives them one less chance to have the sugar-filled
chocolate milk (since many kids drink two a day, one during breakfast and one during lunch). In
the end, there are many small, albeit significant, changes that could be made to help improve the
nutritional value of breakfast and lunch.

Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

REFLECTION
After undergoing this assessment of my schools food and the improvements that could
be implemented therein, there are many things I can reflect upon in regards to how this
nutritional analysis will impact my future classrooms and teaching practices. For one, it is
important to have hard data that shows both the positive and negative nutritional aspects of the
food in our school systems. We push so hard for students to do better and be better; we need to
have scientific reasoning that can inform us on how to provide the proper fuel for our students to
achieve the success we desire for them. Using an online tool like the food tracking tool can
highlight the specific areas where nutritional value could be improved upon.
Additionally, one of the most important takeaways from this assignment is that there are
resources out there for students to monitor themselves. Teachers cannot just simply lecture over
and over about health and expect students to just become healthier and make healthier decisions
based on the words of others. They need to see and experience malnutrition for themselves. I can
already foresee me using this tool later on in my classrooms as a part of a be responsible for
your own health unit, wherein students keep track of their own meals and their subsequent
nutritional value. Relying upon the old clich teach others to teach themselves, health
education in particular cannot thrive without self-motivation and the intrinsic desire to better
oneself. I think this tool is perfect for developing this time of thinking.
One final thing I have to keep in mind as well is the overall nutritional value of the food
establishments near my school. Everyday after class I see a horde of students walking to either
Starbucks or Taco Bell, the two nearest fast food type of establishments. Although there are
other restaurants nearby, they are sit-down restaurants and bars, places that students would never
go in or eat at without a parent/adult. For hungry kids waiting on parents or the city bus to get

Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

home, fast food is their only option. I think the school should try to actively combat this by
supporting a local health-conscious restaurant and/or an afterschool nutritional meal program.
All in all, this assignment gave me much to think about. Since I now have a way to
legitimately assess my students meals going forward, I will be sure to implement this in some
way to give the students of my future classrooms a way to monitor and be responsible for
themselves.

Running Head: MY PLATE ASSIGNMENT

References

Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Health.gov. Retrieved on October 26th, 2015

from: http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

National School Lunch Program. Retrieved on October 26th, 2015 from:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf

Nutritional Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Gpo.gov.
Retrieved on October 26th, 2015 from: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-0126/pdf/2012-1010.pdf

Supertracker. Food tracking tool. Retrieved on October 22nd, 2015 from:

https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodtracker.aspx