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"  Yesterday, many people-including soap opera actress Diedre Hall and Desperate Housewives actress Andrew Bowen-converged on Capitol Hill as part of the Healthy School Food Brigade. Just what is their mission? To get junk food out of schools.  As the mom of a soon-to-be first grader, there are few topics that are as important to me as school nutrition. While meals served under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are required to meet certain guidelines for calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, and several key nutrients, there&amp;#039;s plenty of room for improvement. For example, schools aren&amp;#039;t required to serve whole grain products nor do they have to control the amount of sugar they feed kids. Case in point: My son is regularly offered pancakes with syrup and giant white bagels with jelly at breakfast.  There&amp;#039;s more to be concerned about, too: Schools may serve other fare that directly competes with meals served under the NSLP, and that could range from slushy drinks to soda to fast food. These extras may appear in the same lunch line as the NSLP lunch but these foods don&amp;#039;t have to adhere to the same nutrition standards. Fortunately, there&amp;#039;s hope on the horizon. Congress is presently working on updating and reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act, a policy that governs school the types of foods sold at school. At Good Housekeeping, we are following this important legislation very closely and will continue to keep you updated with any news. You can do your part by writing your congressmen to support making the Child Nutrition Act stronger.  In the meantime, even though school is out, check out these quick kid-friendly lunches-perfect for taking to camp, the beach, or the pool. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a22281/upgrading-school-lunches/>