The original title of Dr. Means’ article is “How One Educator Transformed Her School’s Food –and How You Can Too.” As I read it I realized that this article would be welcome by our very-food-conscientious families in Santa Cruz County, so I created a title to intrigue you on a personal level. The primary message of this article aligns with today’s increasing awareness of the relationship between what we eat and our health throughout our life. If we are eating well at home can that influence what we eat when we are away from home? And vice-versa, can eating well at school/work/restaurants influence and support how we are eating at home? Can we save on medical needs by being extremely conscientious about the food we bring into our homes?
Parmalee
How One Educator Transformed Her School’s Food –and How You Can Too
I receive countless emails from parents and teachers dismayed by the state of school food today. Reforming childhood nutrition has been a passion of mine for years because it’s unconscionable that, in the wealthiest country in the world, corporate interests are consistently prioritized over children’s health. Sadly, that’s the reality. (For more, check out my 2020 The Hill article, which I co-wrote with my dad! “USDA Abandons America’s Schoolchildren.”)
Just take a look at these important facts from Eat Real, a non-profit that works directly with public schools to replace ultra-processed items with nutritious, delicious, whole and sustainable food:
- 67% of our kids’ calories are ultra-processed, and Big Food is working hard to make sure that kids are being served ultra-processed food in and out of school.
- Public schools are the largest restaurant in the country, serving 7 BILLION meals a year. Some of these meals look really horrifying. US public schools have more locations than Starbucks, Subway and McDonald’s combined.
- 30 million kids in the US rely on school food for 30%-100% of their daily calories.
The Result: Kids born today are estimated to live shorter lives than their parents due to preventable issues including obesity. Today, around 40% of children are overweight or obese, and chronic disease is skyrocketing in kids. I interviewed the CEO of Eat Real here: 7 Tips to Encourage Kids to Eat Healthy, Whole Foods
Profit motive and entrenched norms in school food
The school food system has been corrupted and weaponized for profit:
- In a NYC bribery scandal, leading to the imprisonment of Eric Goldstein, the head of food services for the NYC district, schools were serving chicken filled with plastic and metal shards in school lunches.
- In recent years, the USDA brokered a deal with ultra processed food manufacturer Kraft Heinz to get Lunchables into school cafeterias, which took effect in April of 2024. The Lunchables made specifically for schools were found in independent testing to have relatively high levels of sodium, lead, cadmium, and phthalates. Fortunately, they were removed from schools in November 2024.
- The efforts of Big Food lobbying to influence the regulations around school lunches are very aggressive, with millions of dollars spent to try to get larger and larger shares of the multibillion National School Lunch Program budget. The National School Lunch Program spends over $17 billion dollars per year, and Big Food companies want as much of those dollars as possible. They are creating lifetime, addicted customers, for very unhealthy “foods.”
Hope: Transforming school food rapidly
Let’s focus on solutions. This week, I interviewed Dr. Rosalind Schoppet (“Dr. Roz”), a 20-year veteran educator who revolutionized her school’s food program rapidly after reading Good Energy. She is an inspiration!
Check out this 31 min video on Youtube on how a preschool director overhauled the food in her school to healthier options – and the kids love it!
My interview with Dr. Roz: How One Director Transformed School Food for Kids’ Health. At Pathways Tempe—a preschool for kids 6 weeks to 6 years old. Dr. Roz transitioned from serving standard, ultra-processed, sugary snacks (which are the norm in most public and private schools), to an organic, whole-food menu, free of added sugars and dyes.
Comparing the January 2024 Pathways menu with the Feb 2025 Menu!
I asked her how she decided what to originally serve in her preschool when she started Pathways in 2020:
“I based the Pathways menus off of what I knew from working in (public and private) schools. [In those schools], they served chocolate covered graham crackers, Goldfish, CheezIts, and would throw in fruit here and there. So I used my experience and did what I had learned.”
Then, she read Good Energy, and thought:
“Wow, I need to make some changes. I realized how what the kids are eating is so important to their lives, and we have to start early, and that moderation is not ok. We need to make sure that everything kids are eating is healthy, and I feel like we are responsible for taking care of them and I want to make sure they are healthy, so we started the changes.”
It’s important to note that the process of changing the food program in an independent preschool is very different (and more straightforward) than for a large public school. (This is why collaborating with a nonprofit like Eat Real can be so useful.) The purpose of sharing this story is to inspire awareness and inspiration to have these conversations with schools.
The results of changing the food program?
Benefits
- Lower costs: The new, organic menu is surprisingly cheaper than the former menu with packaged foods.
- Minimal added labor: The staff workload remains largely unchanged.
- Thrilled kids: Children now happily eat raw broccoli, cucumbers, fresh fruit, plain Greek yogurt, and Brazil nuts! The kids love it! (I know! Who knew?)
- Engaged parents: Families are inspired to pack healthier lunches and are excited by the change! (This is where lasting change occurs!)
Considerations
- Equipment: Dr. Roz purchased a freezer for frozen veggies and a hot plate for cooking.
- Food Preferences: Kids initially disliked quinoa and plain Greek yogurt but now enjoy both after adding a tiny bit of salt to the quinoa, and repeated exposure to the yogurt.
- Preparation Time: Quinoa takes slightly longer to prepare than serving packaged snacks – about 10 minutes.
Dr. Roz buys most of the food for the school at Costco. Utilizing Good Energy food principles and snack ideas (I list a bunch at the bottom of this email!!), she made her way back through the aisles and found snacks that provided healthier nutrition. She is now looking for ways to communicate the love of these foods to parents, in hopes of inspiring more organic whole foods in the kids’ lunches (which the parents pack), and even their meals around their homes. She says, “[When I initially made the changes]. I didn’t talk to the parents. You know, it was something that I feel was needed for the kids. So, I did it for the kids, hoping that the influence would go to the homes too, which it has.” – Dr. Roz
How to talk to your kids’ schools about making changes
Dr. Roz offers helpful suggestions on how to talk to your kids’ school about making changes:
- Provide Examples: Share healthy snack menus (e.g., Dr. Roz’s February 2025 menu, below).
- Share Resources: Give a copy of Good Energy to teachers or administrators and forward this newsletter or Youtube convo with Dr. Roz.
- Be Confident: Advocate boldly. As Dr. Roz says: “It’s okay to be open about how you feel. This is the health of your child.”
- Connect with Experts: Offer to connect your school with Dr. Roz—she’s happy to help. Reply to this email for more details.
- (And a bonus tip from me) Involve “Eat Real:” Get support from Eat Real, the amazing non-profit that works directly with public schools to replace ultra-processed items with nutritious, delicious, whole and sustainable food. They can certify and help a school transform its food program in two years or less. Learn more at eatreal.org.
Download this gorgeous menu for the month of February: preschool-menu-before-after-1
