Why Your School Cafeteria Matters
To some, the words school cafeteria may not sound that exciting, but there are a lot of amazing things about school food, not least how tasty it can be!
School food lacks stigma, since everyone shares the same meal. Children are so sensitive to being different – that shame or embarrassment often makes them unwilling to eat certain food.
This aside; school food can teach great eating habits if done the right way. It can help children develop a taste for fresh, nutritious food and decrease the consumption of eating processed food that’s high in fat, salt, and sugar. Once children are introduced to healthier foods they are far more likely to maintain a healthy eating habit. But eating healthy every day don’t just have long term benefits – eating a healthy meal makes the body feel better instantly too.
Good school food can contain all the nutrients children need to grow and develop. The Minuteman Café at Maranatha High School recently underwent a restructuring to become more of a restaurant than a school cafeteria. Under their new philosophy “Farm to School”, they prepare delicious meals with locally sourced fresh fruit and vegetables, made from scratch.
A daily menu includes seasonal and cross cultural cuisines and is served both at morning break and lunch time. The cafeteria is run on the principles above, that high quality, affordable food will bring nothing but benefits to growing children.
For more information on Maranatha High School you can visit www.maranathahighschool.org. They are located at 169 South Saint John Avenue in Pasadena and can be reached at (626) 8174000.
