Congress and celebs alike are trying to tackle healthy lunches

Though the health care reform bill has taken up a lot of ink (and pixels) in the past few weeks, a close runner-up for the most talked-about health issue has got to be child nutrition and school lunches. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is headed to a final Senate vote, after passing through the Senate Agricultural Committee recently. It provides $4.5 billion to child nutrition programs over the next 10 years, and also includes health and safety provisions aimed at minimizing contamination. The bill is the most recent iteration of the Child Nutrition Act, which comes up for a funding vote every five years, and which funds school lunch programs across the country, as well as other supplemental nutrition programs for needy kids and families.

While most average Americans might not be aware of the legislation regarding school lunches, they are likely to have had the issue on the brain thanks to a new TV show tackling the subject that is making waves, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" on ABC, starring British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who is making it his personal crusade to improve the diets of American schoolchildren, particularly their diets during the school day. But it's proving to be a tough task - Oliver has so far met opposition from cafeteria workers, skeptical school administrators, and most of all, the kids themselves, who tend to dig in their heels and resist any efforts to take away their strawberry milk and chicken nuggets. In a particularly appalling scene, a classroom full of kids couldn't even name simple pieces of produce like tomatoes and potatoes when they were held up right in front of them.

Like it or not, though, kids might soon be forced to accept the tactics that Oliver is trying to introduce. According to the Delphos Herald, "The Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 under consideration in the House could amend the program to recommend offering more plant-based options. The act could also remove restrictions on providing non-dairy milk alternatives because some students are lactose intolerant, have allergies or choose not to drink milk for other reasons."

The New York Times recently reported that some schools have begun switching the order of recess and lunch - allowing kids to run around and play outside before eating, allowing them to work up an appetite, and therefore become more receptive to foods they might not otherwise try. Though it's an intriguing - and cost-effective - approach, the Times reports that "A 2006 study in The Journal of Childhood Nutrition & Management reported that fewer than 5 percent of the nation's elementary schools were scheduling recess before lunch."

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