Do You Know What You Are Eating?

     A typical LHS student has eaten school lunch at least once during the school year; do these students know what they’re eating? Maschio’s Food Service Inc provides students with “nutritious and affordable school lunches.” According to the website, where this quote was taken, eating healthier will lead to a better academic career for students. Each lunch is filled with nutrients that we students need to function.  Most lunches come with a fruit or a vegetable, in order to promote a healthy lifestyle.

     We spoke to the school lunch staff, and they gave us some insight on what students purchase most often in the Leonia High School cafeteria.  A student favorite, from the eyes of the LHS lunch staff,  is the ravioli or the curly fries. These hot lunches sell the best.  After doing some research, we found that the ravioli is made with ricotta cheese from cow’s milk and imported Romano cheese made from sheep’s milk. The only non-natural ingredient is in the wheat flour. The curly fries, which also appear to be a student favorite, are, surprisingly relatively healthy, and they are only 110 calories per serving, with only 45 of those being from fat. What is the healthiest option in the Leonia High School lunch menu? That would be the Caesar salad.

     We interviewed LHS students during their lunch periods and found some interesting similarities between students.  We found that one of the least favorite lunch options is the “fake Chinese food,” as all of students addressed it as.  The actual name for this lunch is “Mandarin Chicken.”  Contrary to popular belief, this is actually a healthy school lunch, with meat coming from actual chicken legs.  Some of the ingredients are chemically altered, but most of them are from natural plants.  Students such as senior, Anne Dottino, believe that this lunch is “too chewy and, like, processed.” Leonia High School junior, Anna Maria Voitko claims that the “hamburgers are really sketchy. And there aren’t that many choices for vegetarians. Even the salads have meat (chicken) in them. It’s ridiculous.” But, on the other hand, she agrees that the “Chinese food is not that bad.” Unlike  Anna Maria, junior, Sarah Rosenbloom just hates the school lunch in general. She claims that “the school lunch is disgusting.”  Lastly, another Leonia High School junior, Eugenia disagrees with the others and states that “it is not that bad for a school lunch. It could be worse.” She mentioned that she often bought pretzels rather than the school lunches.

     A favorite lunch of LHS students is the burrito or the cheesesteak.  Interestingly enough, these favorites aren’t mentioned on the Maschio’s lunch website.  They do not provide nutritional information on these items.  This leads us to believe that these lunches are created by the lunch staff and are not a menu item directly associated with Maschio’s.

     Next time you go to the LHS cafeteria and buy school lunch, think to yourself, “What am I eating?”