Department of Nutrition Science and Wellness, Farmingdale State College, 2350 Broadhollow Rd, Farmingdale, NY 11735, USA.
Nutrients. 2023 Feb 23;15(5):1116. doi: 10.3390/nu15051116.
Packed school lunch consumption remains a sparsely studied aspect of childhood nutrition. Most American research focuses on in-school meals provided through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The wide variety of available in-home packed lunches are usually nutritionally inferior compared to the highly regulated in-school meals. The purpose of this study was to examine the consumption of home-packed lunches in a sample of elementary-grade children. Through weighing packed school lunches in a 3rd grade class, mean caloric intake was recorded at 67.3% (32.7% plate waste) of solid foods, while sugar-sweetened beverage intake reported a 94.6% intake. This study reported no significant consumption change in the macronutrient ratio. Intake showed significantly reduced levels of calories, sodium, cholesterol, and fiber from the home-packed lunches ( < 0.05). The packed school lunch consumption rates for this class were similar to those reported for the regulated in-school (hot) lunches. Calories, sodium, and cholesterol intake are within childhood meal recommendations. What is encouraging is that the children were not "filling up" on more processed foods at the expense of nutrient dense foods. Of concern is that these meals still fall short on several parameters, especially low fruit/vegetable intake and high simple sugar consumption. Overall, intake moved in a healthier direction compared to the meals packed from home.
包装好的学校午餐消费仍然是儿童营养研究中一个很少被关注的方面。大多数美国的研究都集中在通过国家学校午餐计划（NSLP）提供的校内餐食上。与高度监管的校内餐相比，可供选择的家庭准备的包装午餐种类繁多，但通常在营养上劣于校内餐。本研究旨在调查一组小学生中家庭准备的午餐的消费情况。通过对一个三年级班级的包装学校午餐进行称重，记录到固体食物的平均热量摄入量为 67.3%（32.7%的餐盘浪费），而含糖饮料的摄入量则为 94.6%。本研究报告称，宏量营养素比例没有明显的消费变化。与家庭准备的午餐相比，摄入的热量、钠、胆固醇和纤维明显减少（<0.05）。本班级的包装学校午餐消费率与受监管的校内（热）午餐报告的消费率相似。热量、钠和胆固醇的摄入量符合儿童膳食推荐标准。令人鼓舞的是，孩子们并没有以牺牲营养丰富的食物为代价，而更多地食用加工食品来填饱肚子。令人担忧的是，这些餐食在几个方面仍然存在不足，尤其是水果/蔬菜摄入量低和简单糖消耗高。总的来说，与家庭准备的餐食相比，摄入的食物更健康。
