Summary
When the nutritional information of cafeteria food was provided, students were more likely to make healthy food choices, according to a study by Penn State University researchers, the Washington Post reports.
Original source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/13/AR2005071302017.html
Details
Students posed with those lunch-line dilemmas were more likely to select the healthier option when a school posted nutritional information at the cafeteria counter, according to a new study.
Researchers at Penn State University reported their findings in the latest issue of the Journal of Child Nutrition and Management after studying students' eating habits at six high schools in Pennsylvania in the fall of 2003.
Students weren't encouraged by teachers or cafeteria workers to make more health-conscious selections, and there were no changes in how food was prepared, said one of the study's authors, Martha Conklin.
Currently, schools aren't required to post nutritional information in a cafeteria, though many schools may mail the information home to parents or post it on a Web site.
In the study, only a few entrees were tested with nutritional boxes posted _ typically, pizza with or without pepperoni or burgers with or without cheese.
Comparisons couldn't be made between, for instance, a cheeseburger and a garden salad.
Even so, the results were encouraging, said Marilyn Tanner, a registered dietitian at Washington University in St. Louis and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
At one school, an average of 380 pepperoni pizzas were ordered each day during a six-week period when no nutritional boxes were displayed.
In the ensuing six weeks, when nutritional information was posted, an average of 346 pepperoni pizzas were ordered.
In another district, one school tested the nutritional boxes and another school did not.
Students at the first school ordered an average of 61 cheeseburgers per day during the non-test period; that declined to 43 per day while nutrition
information was posted.
There was no change in the second school.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body.
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Email this article to a friend
Share
this article on: 
