School lunches may soon look different – but not different enough to stem the tide of childhood obesity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued new guidelines for school lunches, but as a dietitian, I think it’s unfortunate that burgers, pizza and other unhealthy foods will likely still be front and center.

The new guidelines do not require schools to offer meatless entrées or nondairy beverage options to all students. Meat, milk and cheese are packed with calories and saturated fat, and they play a huge role in the obesity epidemic. The new guidelines offer low-fat and nonfat milk, but these products are still high in sugar and cholesterol. And a cup of 1 percent, unflavored low-fat milk has about the same number of calories as a cup of sugary soda.

It is estimated that students get half to a third of their calories at school. We need to make sure schools provide foods that set our future generations up for lifelong good eating habits – and lifelong good health.

SUSAN LEVIN

Director of Nutrition Education

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Washington, D.C.