Many of us have heard that there is a healthy and convenient option for students to get their lunch at Montrose. Smart Lunches are advertised as nutritious meals. So, the big question is: Are Smart Lunches a better choice than bringing your own lunch to school? Much of the appeal of Smart Lunches is the convenience; you can order whatever you want and pick it up everyday at lunch time.
According to Mrs. Senackerib, who coordinates the Smart Lunch Program along with Mrs. Baker, Smart Lunches are very nutritionally dense, but not necessarily low-calorie; the calories that they do contain are packed with nutrients.
There are some very desirable aspects to ordering your lunches from Smart Lunch. First, Smart Lunch tells you how many calories you should be eating based on your age, height and weight. The Smart Lunch Program also lets you choose your main course, side and a treat for your meal. This allows you to customize the lunch to your liking. When choosing your meal, you can see the nutrition facts for every item available for you to order.
The price of Smart Lunches may be a “turn-off” for some people. Mrs. Senackerib, who has experience in school lunches, explained how Smart Lunch sets the cost: “Only half the cost is the food. The other half is what it costs for preparation, delivery and packaging.”
Mrs. Senackerib reported that the number of students purchasing Smart Lunches remains small, but the school offers this option as a service to the community. “Last year, there were about 10 people per day using Smart Lunches. So far this year, Smart Lunches seems to be off to a slow start, with about 3 to 4 students per day buying Smart Lunches. It’s possible that number will increase as the fall goes on.”
Although Smart Lunches are a wise choice for a nutritious meal, you can also make good decisions when bringing your own lunch to school. Many students bring items that are similar in their lunches from home to the Smart Lunches. Grilled Chicken, quesadillas, pasta, apples, and pretzels are among some of the items offered by Smart Lunch that are also commonly seen in Montrose lunch boxes.
But, looking around the Montrose cafeteria, I see students making good healthy decisions for the most part. Montrosians enjoy sandwiches, salads, yogurt, fruit, pasta and other healthy lunch choices, along with the occasional whoopie pie, cookie, muffin and bag of chips. When asked if she thought Smart Lunches were healthier than what students already bring to school, Mrs. Baker said, “Most kids bring a fairly healthy lunch.”
Both Ms. Senackerib and Mrs. Baker said that they think an ideal lunch for students should consist of a protein, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and something with carbs to sustain you. Are Smart Lunches a better choice than bringing a lunch from home? All in all, Montrosians make good decisions when it comes to picking out nutritious meals, yet Smart Lunches are a healthy, quick,and easy substitute for anyone who doesn’t usually have time to prepare a lunch, wants to keep healthy, as well as anyone who just wants to switch up their normal lunch routine. As stated by Mrs. Baker, “Montrosians are never shy about eating.”