A+Group+Two+Slow+Food



Dear Mr. Bauer, We are the Slow Food Movement here to try to present our menu for an upgraded lunch menu. Our team consists of John Stalker, Vicky Davidson, Nate Quarles, and Inshirah Mohammad. Obesity, without a doubt is rising, and it is not a matter that we should just be concerned about for 5 minutes and then totally forget about it. That’s why we’re here; so that we can be one of those few who actually are trying to bring change. Instead of being all about just talk, we actually created up a menu to show how serious we are about this project.

Our lunch menu for a month is attached along with this letter. The reason we are trying to convince you to change your menu is because not only is our menu fun and variant, but also nutritious. Upper Merion lunches are absolutely unhealthy, with its cheese sticks, buttered rotini, etc. Yes, they sound delicious, but kids our age should not be surrounded by this type of food unless it’s on special occasions, because those eating habits will carry on through to their adulthood. We have foods such as water ices, salads, and bagels, that are fun yet served in healthy sizes and servings. These foods don’t have a lot of calories, and along with the water, juices, etc. served with them, and the sides such as cereal and watermelon, the kids will get filled up with different types of foods.

For our lunch program, the cost for a month will be between 400-500 dollars. This seems like a lot but isn’t, because taxes help out and also, fundraisers can also be held, and not just for money, but for food items, because people in our country waste a lot of good, healthy things that may be laying in their pantry.

I hope that you consider our lunch menu. Even if in the beginning they don’t like it, slowly the mind and body will work together and make the students in Upper Merion better ones. Their grades will go up and hopefully, slowly the waistlines will decrease or stay constant, but not rise. We may just be one school amongst the many in this nation, but we should try to be one of the ones that change for the better.

Sincerely, John, Vicky, Nate, and Inshirah :)

Week 1 Nutrition Information:-Inshirah //Monday://

**French Meadow Bakery Whole grain bread with lean chicken meat** **2/3 cup Bird’s Eye Baby Sweet Peas** **1 cup V8 Fusion-Pomegranate/Blueberry**

Calories- 395; Total fat-Total- 3.5 g; Protein- 29g; Sodium- 760 mg; Vitamin A- 13%; Vitamin C- 92%; Dietary Fiber- 8g; Calcium- 6%; Iron-18%;Carbs-Total-38g:: Sugars-5g::Fiber- 4g

//Tuesday:// ** 2 Whole wheat pancakes with fruits on top ** ** 5 saltine crackers ** ** Water **

Total fat-Total-4.5 g::Saturated-.5 g::Polyunsaturated Fat-1g; Protein-5g;Sodium-521 mg; Vitamin A-20%; Vitamin C-2%; Dietary Fiber-3g;Calcium-10%; Iron-20%; Carbs-Total-35g::Sugars-3g::Other carbs-21g

//Wednesday:// ** Tuna sandwich ** . ** 125 cup of Planters heart healthy mix ** ** 1 cup Florida’s Natural-Orange Juice **

Calories- 470; Total fat-Total20g::Sat. Fat-1.5g::Monounsaturated Fat-8g;Protein-13g; Sodium-55mg; Vitamin A-0%; Vitamin C-120%; Dietary Fiber-4g; Calcium-5%; Iron-9%; Carbs-Total-26g::Sugars-23g

Thursday: ** Half bagel with lowfat cream cheese, smoked salmon ** ** Two Cups of Sliced Watermelon ** ** Water **

Calories-343;Total fat-Total-3g;Protein-7g;Sodium-15mg;Vitamin A-34%; Vitamin C-42%;Dietary Fiber-2g;Calcium-4%;Iron-9%;Carbs-Total-28g::Sugars-18g

//Friday:// **1 ½ cups Salad-Fresh Express-American** **3/4 cup of dry cereal-Special K-Chocolatey Delight** **Motts-Apple Juice**

Calories-255; Total fat-Saturated-2g; Protein-3g; Sodium-984mg; Vitamin A-8%; Vitamin C-160%; Dietary Fiber-4g; Calcium-4%; Iron-55%-Carbs-Total-57g:: Sugars-11g::Other carbs-13g

** ﻿Why Week #1? ** The changes made to my week menu are pretty healthy. For each day, the calories are less than 500, which is pretty good, given that kids tend to each a lot for lunch and the calories pretty easily exceed a healthy range. Also, I tried to find foods with lower sugar levels, because there is no need for extra sugar, when most likely a child when he/she comes home, will end up eating a lot of sugar and then crash. The choices are also things that student might enjoy trying and fun. Overall, my menu shows a good balance among the food groups, and will hopefully show kids that they should slowly start to reduce the amount they eat for lunch.

Week 2 Nutrition Information:-Vicki

//Monday://
 * Tuna salad served with dressing**
 * One orange**
 * One Fiber One Granola Bar water**

Calories-648; Total fat-12.2:: Saturated-8.5g; Protein-38.6g; Sodium-200mg; Vitamin A-75%; Vitamin C-75%; Dietary Fiber-6.3g; Calcium-7%; Iron-7%-Carbs-Total-69.4g:: Sugars-16.8g

Tuesday:
 * Macaroni and cheese**
 * One Oreo cookie**
 * Water**

Calories-463; Total fat-12.2:: Saturated-8.5g; Protein-16.1g; Sodium-1930mg; Vitamin A-5%; Vitamin C-0%; Dietary Fiber-3g; Calcium-15%; Iron-4%-Carbs-Total-65.2g:: Sugars-3.1g

//Wednesday://
 * Minestrone soup**
 * Five whole-wheat crackers**
 * Water**

Calories-262; Total fat-7.g:: Saturated-3.1g::Polyunsaturated-1.1g; Protein-10.3g; Sodium-1341mg; Vitamin A-51%%; Vitamin C-0%; Dietary Fiber-4g; Calcium-23%; Iron-13%-Carbs-Total-31.2g:: Sugars-3g

//Thursday:// **One turkey sandwich** (two slices wheat bread with three slices roasted turkey breast slice Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mustard) **Baked tortilla chips** **Apple** **Water**

Calories-413; Total fat-3.3g:: Saturated-.8g::Polyunsaturated-.1g; Protein-15.5g; Sodium-850mg; Vitamin A-5%; Vitamin C-16%; Dietary Fiber-7.5g; Calcium-12%; Iron-30%-Carbs-Total-71.9g:: Sugars-17.3g

//Friday://
 * One peanut butter and jelly sandwich (wheat bread with natural, chunky peanut butter)**
 * Pretzels**
 * Water**

Calories-453; Total fat-14.6g; Protein-11.8g; Sodium-923mg; Vitamin A-0%; Vitamin C-0%; Dietary Fiber-1g; Calcium-0%; Iron-10%-Carbs-Total-69.6g:: Sugars-10g

My menu is the best because I asked people what they wanted for lunch. There are fun items included, and though most of this food is not good, people desire it, so it will help with not boring out the students.
 * Why Week #2? **

Week #1: //Monday//

**Turkey** **Mashed potatoes** **Carrots** **Apple** **Skim Milk** **Sugar cookie** 470 Calories 9.9 g fat 19.5 protein 655 sodium 302 % vitamin A 23% vitamin C 5.2 g fiber 34% calcium

//Tuesday// **Whole Grain Spaghetti & meatballs** **Salad** **Orange** **Grape Juice** **Pudding** 530 Calories 4.5 g fat 12.6 protein 575 sodium 326 % vitamin A 19% vitamin C  6.3 g fiber 21% calcium

//Wednesday// 634 Calories 8.7 g fat 13.8 protein 487 sodium 326 % vitamin A 16% vitamin C 7.4 g fiber 20% calcium
 * Chicken Ceasar Salad**
 * Grapes**
 * Water**
 * Cookie**

//Thursday// 743 Calories 6.2 g fat 17.4 protein 734 sodium 342 % vitamin A 7% vitamin C 10.3 g fiber 14% calcium
 * Hotdog**
 * Corn on the cob**
 * Watermelon**
 * Kool Aid**
 * Water Ice**

//Friday// 672 Calories 6.6 g fat 17.3 protein 575 sodium 363 % vitamin A 18% vitamin C 9.3 g fiber 25% calcium
 * Tacos**
 * Salad**
 * Peas**
 * Milk**
 * Cake**

**Why Week #3?** This menu should be used because it has a variety of healthy foods that the students will enjoy. All of the food items are complex carbohydrates except for the beverage water. This menu provides healthier meals with all of the nutrients students need to be healthy. I'm sure that all of the students who buy their lunch will love this menu.

MONDAY Healthy Hamburger A Salad with choice of dressing Choice of juice or milk Calories-400 Total Fat-20g Protein-26g Sodium-164mg Vitamin A- Vitamin C- Dietary Fiber- Calcium-15% Iron-15% Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 2g TUESDAY Spaghetti with chopped tomatoes and meatballs Italian Bread A Fruit Salad Choice of juice or milk Calories-400 Total Fat-2g Protein-6g Sodium-335mg Vitamin A-7% Vitamin C-75% Dietary Fiber-4.5g Calcium-77% Iron-18% Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 97g

WEDNESDAY Chicken soup with crackers Choice of whole fruit Choice of juice or milk Calories-375 Total Fat-8g Protein-15g Sodium-2900mg Vitamin A-2% Vitamin C-1% Dietary Fiber-5g Calcium-15% Iron-15% Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 60g

THURSDAY Hoagie Choice Choice of a sliced fruit Choice of juice or milk Calories-500g Total Fat-45g Protein-35g Sodium-2500mg Vitamin A-1% Vitamin C-1% Dietary Fiber-4g Calcium-10% Iron-5% Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex-50g

FRIDAY Choice of Steak or Ribs Potatoes and/or Corn Choice of juice or milk Calories-225 Total Fat-12g Protein-25g Sodium-100mg Vitamin A-1% Vitamin C-1% Dietary Fiber-5g Calcium-10% Iron-17% Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 50g

This menu will benefit the students because they will have a healthier lunch. A healthier lunch menu with foods they will like means that they will not only enjoy the lunch but also become healthier. A student that has had a good lunch is likeir to pay attention and stay energized for the remainder of the school day. This will result in them having a greater intake of the information to score higher on their tests. This will also show up good for the school for parents will feel good that their school provides excellent lunch and education.