Nutrition in Schools
Proper nutrition is essential to a great education by helping students stay focused and retain information. In GISD, we support this by offering high-quality, nutritious meals following strict guidelines set by the United States and Texas Departments of Agriculture. Each student has individual needs that have many influences, such as religion and lifestyles. We offer a variety of choices for students to choose from daily, and feel it is important for you as a parent to know the nutritional value of the foods offered. To view the nutritional information of each menu item, please see the links below:
Fighting Childhood Obesity
Did you know that this generation is the first generation predicted to not outlive their parents? Over the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than doubled with over 9 million children, over the age of 6, considered to be obese (a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30%).
Overweight children and adolescents often lead to overweight adults, which cause a staggering $100 Billion a year in health care costs. Click on the BMI calculator below to see how your children measure up.
BMI measures weight in relation to height and while it is not a perfect indicator of obesity, it is a valuable tool for public health. Please view the Child and Teen BMI calculator to learn more information regarding your child's health.
Now is the time to reverse this trend…
The child nutrition industry has made great changes to improve menus that will help students learn and implement healthy food choices. We offer and promote a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily, limit the fat and saturated-fat in foods, eliminated deep-frying as a preparation method, and are finding ways to incorporate more whole wheat grains into our menus.
What you can do as parents…
Children consume 2/3 of their meals outside of school. Parents play a crucial role in teaching their children healthy choices. Teach your children about the importance of a healthy diet and daily physical activity starting at an early age. Remember, the best way to teach is by example. Staying home a few nights a week to cook together and taking family bicycle rides or walks will not only help you reach your health and fitness goals but give you an opportunity to spend quality time with your family. To learn more fun and exciting ways to incorporate healthy choices and physical activity in your family’s lives please view the links below.
Let's Move is a nationwide campaign, initiated by First Lady Michelle Obama, to tackle the challenge of making children healthier in a generation. This campaign is to get people moving.
Here are some fun ways to get your children active
- Sign up for recreational sports
- Go roller blading with your dog
- Dance to your favorite song
- Enjoy pool time with friends
- Enjoy interactive video games that make them sweat
Replacing the old MyPyramid icon is MyPlate, the new federal food icon, created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. MyPlate is intended to teach everyone about proper nutrition by filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables and the other half with whole grains and lean (low-fat) protein with a side of dairy.
Make eating healthy and proper fitness a way of life.
Below are some key things to remember to staying healthy
- Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
- Watch your portion sizes
- Get some kind of physical activity every day
Small changes can make a BIG difference
- Serve your children water instead of sweetened beverages such as soda and juice cocktails.
- Purchase whole grain pastas and rice and crackers instead of refined grains.
- To satisfy your child's sweet tooth offer them fruit with a small side of peanut butter
- Season foods with seasoning and spices instead of salt
- Whenever possible purchase fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables instead of canned.