Can chefs boost school-meal participation?

Having a chef prepare school lunches may convince students to eat more fruits and vegetables, suggests a new study.

According to authors of the study published in JAMA Pediatrics, several techniques were tested to improve student nutrition in low-income schools: having chefs develop flavorful recipes and serving vegetables first in lunch lines; serving fruit in colorful bowls; and having white milk ahead of chocolate milk, reports Scienceline.org.

Key findings of the study indicated that after the chefs had been in the schools for seven months, students were throwing away less food and eating more fruits and vegetables.

Juliana Cohen, nutritionist at Harvard University and lead author of the study, said she believed students had to get used to the new dishes.

“[Our study] gives us evidence that we don’t need to weaken nutrition standards. We really need to emphasize palatability of school meals,” Cohen said.

Check out the full story at Scienceline.org.