Did You Know?

The MNPS Food Services Department will serve more than 6.5 million lunches and 2.3 million breakfasts during the 2010-11 school year.

MNPS cafeterias incorporate healthy alternatives – like high-fiber, wheat crust pizza; low-fat turkey-meat corndogs; and low-sugar flavored milks - into the lunch line. Most students gobble these healthier versions up as quickly as they would gobble the unhealthy alternatives.

All MNPS meals are planned by a registered dietician, and many of the healthier items are even taste-tested by students prior to serving.

Funded under the National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act, the Food and Nutrition Services program at Metro Nashville Public Schools is an extension of the educational programs of the school system. The MNPS food services team takes great pride in offering tasty and nutritious meals to our students, as well as educating students and parents on the importance of nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle. One way the department will do this is by offering monthly food tips, the first of which focuses on protein.

Remember Popeye’s love for spinach? And the bulging biceps he immediately grew after downing the leafy, nutrient-rich greens? While slightly exaggerated, this is a great example of a primary benefit of healthy eating; it's good for the body. Spinach, you see, is an excellent source of iron and protein, among numerous other vitamins and nutrients. Protein specifically is necessary in building and maintaining all body tissues and muscles. It is also an important ingredient for enzymes, hormones and fluids of the body. Food sources of protein are lean meat, poultry, fish, seafood’s, eggs, milk, dry beans, peas, nuts, and yes, spinach! Cereals, breads, vegetables and fruits also provide some protein.

Next month, the mineral your body can't do without.