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DPS Child Nutrition Services
Eat Smart!
 Eating smarter is easier in Durham Public Schools’ cafeterias this year thanks to changes to what’s served and sold.
Whole grain breads, baked French fries, 1 percent and skim flavored and unflavored milk, reduced sugar cereal and other offerings are now standard fare in our schools.
Nadine Blake, executive director of DPS Child Nutrition Services, said these changes and more are all designed to encourage better nutritional habits by students.
It’s a fact that nutrition plays an important part in academic achievement. Students who “Eat Smart” have better academic performance and improved behavior.
Some 1 million breakfasts and 3 million lunches are served each year in DPS. New state and national nutrition guidelines and standards and concern about childhood obesity are resulting in many improvements to the breakfasts and lunches served at school.
According to Eat Smart NC’s Recommended Standards for All Foods Available in Schools, “School meals provide the best nutritional value for the dollar. Overall, students who eat school lunch have higher intakes of key nutrients than students making any other noontime choice, even meals brought from home….students who eat the school lunch eat more vegetables and grains, and drink more milk, while eating fewer sweet and salty snacks and drinking fewer sweetened beverages.”
School lunches and breakfasts are planned to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans:
Offer a variety of foods
Limit fat to 30% of calories
Limit saturated fat to 10% of calories
Offer plenty of fruits and vegetables
Offer more grain products
Use salt and sugar in moderation.
DPS offers:
Reduced sugar/no artificial sweetener cereal
1% flavored and unflavored and Skim Milk
Reduced fat chocolate chip cookie
Baked French fries and potato chips
Water in vending machines
Whole grain breads
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