Idaho students will see fewer chicken nuggets, tater tots, french fries and chicken patties on the school lunch menu this fall.

And the ranch dressing many kids relied on to spice up virtually all their entrees? It will still be available, but in small portions, says Heidi Martin, coordinator of child nutrition programs for the state Department  of Education.

The preference is to serve fresh fruit and vegetables. If students are served canned vegetables, the veggies must be  low in sodium. Canned fruit will be served in light syrup, Martin said.

The changes are happening as the state  implements  new nutritional standards for school meals for virtually all public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade, she said.

In 2008, the Department of Education’s child nutrition programs worked with food-service professionals and dietitians from across Idaho to develop 14 new nutrition standards based on a publication from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA, which manages the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, is updating its dietary requirements in a partnership with the Institute of Medicine.

Under the new standards, all Idaho schools participating in the National School Lunch Program will:

•  Serve more foods with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, low-fat milk and lean protein.

•  Limit foods high in fat, sodium or sugar.

•  Stop providing salt shakers, sugar packets and deep-fat fried foods.

In addition, the department has created information specifically for parents so they can offer more healthy choices to their children at home.
To learn more about the new nutrition standards, visit www.sde.idaho.gov/site/cnp.

PACKING A GOOD LUNCH

Ideas from Nampa mom and blogger Miranda Kuskie:

•  Include your children when you shop. “Put your grocery list down where your children can reach it, and they might surprise you by saying they want something healthy like carrots or more fruit.”

•  Pack lunches the night before, or even a whole week at a time. Make and freeze peanut butter sandwiches. “It’s so easy to just reach into your freezer and have what you need.”

•  Stock up on what you need: lunch boxes, individual snack containers and thermoses. You’ll be less likely to reach for  the expensive single-serving bags of chips.

•  Use a bento box. It allows for easy portion control, and it’s reusable.

•  Let the kids pack the lunches,  or have them help by preparing the fruits and vegetables.

•  Love: “I like to leave my daughter a little note that I write out on her napkin, so she knows I’m thinking about her while she’s at school.”

Read Miranda Kuskie’s blog at http://keeperofthecheerios.com

Some easy healthy choices

•  Sandwiches on whole grain, not white bread; fill them with organic peanut butter or lower-fat deli meats, such as turkey or chicken.

•  Baked chips, air-popped popcorn, trail mix; nix the fried chips.

•  Thinly sliced veggies and dip, low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit or fruit in natural juices (not syrup).

•  Homemade baked goods, such as peanut butter or oatmeal cookies, fruit muffins

•  Water, low-fat milk, 100 percent fruit juice; no soda or fruit drinks.

Source: Kidshealth.org, MCT photo service

Packing tips from Albertsons dietitian Heidi Diller:

•  Use leftovers. If you’re baking chicken for dinner, make a few extra drumsticks for tomorrow’s lunch.

•  Go meatless. Lunch meat can be the most expensive item in a child’s lunch. Mix it up and save money by packing a meatless lunch such as refried beans and shredded cheese wrapped in a whole-wheat tortilla, with a little salsa on the side for dipping.

•  Kids love “fun foods.” Use cocktail straws to create mini-kabobs of cheese cubes, chunks of turkey and bite-sized pieces of fruit.

•  Some assembly required. Pack a container of homemade or deli chicken salad or tuna salad with a few whole lettuce leaves for kids to assemble their own lettuce wraps.

•  Share a laugh. Use a food-safe pen to write a riddle on a napkin or the peel of a banana or orange (with the answer on the other side), such as:  Can you spell eighty in two letters? Answer: A T.