School lunch menus could be ditching whole milk and adding more jicama, kiwi and brown rice.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released plans Thursday for its first major nutritional overhaul of students' meals in 15 years.

The guidelines, which would apply to meals subsidized by the federal government, would cut sodium by more than half, boost fresh fruits and vegetables, increase whole grains and require low- or nonfat milk. For the first time, there would be calorie caps on meals. Most trans fats would be banned.

"It is a change from where school lunch has been," said Luann Elliott, Utah's director of school nutrition programs. "The biggest change I can see is more fruits and vegetables. That's exactly what kids need."

In Utah, about 206,000 students receive free or reduced-price lunches because of their families' income status. Another 348,000 students buy school lunches, according to an October survey by the Utah Office of Education.

Elliott said school districts have been adding healthier options to lunch menus for years. Many have anticipated the new guidelines, which are based on 2009 recommendations by the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences. It could be several years before the proposed rules are implemented.

Fresh produce and whole grains are often more expensive options, Elliott said, but she added that Utah schools are up for the challenge. Plus, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, recently signed into law by President Barack Obama, increases the federal subsidy by 6 cents per meal.

Nationally, nearly 32 percent of children ages 6 to 19 are overweight or obese, according to the USDA. That number has tripled in the past few decades.

 "The United States is facing an obesity epidemic, and the crisis of poor diets threatens the future of our children — and our nation," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement.    

Salt Lake City School District has already switched from white to brown rice and added the option of entree-size salads at elementary schools. The new guidelines mean that elementary students will be given 100 fewer calories at lunch, said district dietician Cassi Robison.

"We've met most of [the guidelines] already," she said. "With the obesity epidemic, having fewer calories will help. Increasing fruits and vegetables and fiber, hopefully, will help [reduce] chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes down the line."

In the Granite district, Utah's largest, food-services director Rich Prall said he will need to pull whole milk from the menu, even though most children aren't choosing it now.

"Granite School District is way ahead of the curve," he said. "Almost all of our breads are made with whole wheat. We have unlimited fruits and vegetables with all of our meals."

Allowing children to dish their own servings has cut down on waste, he said. And elementary students are more likely to finish their meals because they have their choice of six different entrees each day. Secondary students pick from 18 options.

Canyons School District has tried to make vegetables more inviting by taking new approaches to old standbys. For instance, mashed cauliflower often takes the place of starchy mashed potatoes. The new guidelines would limit starch-loaded veggies to one serving a week.

Canyons has also eliminated deep fryers and white bread from elementary school cafeterias. Desserts are limited to once a week.

Sebasthian Varas, Canyons' director of nutrition services, said he hopes the new guidelines provide not only healthier meals for students, but an opportunity to educate parents and the community on healthy eating habits.

"We try to make the cafeteria a positive environment so it can become an educational tool for the students — not just a place to eat," he said.

For the first time, the new health act extends federal nutrition standards to other foods sold in schools that aren't subsidized. That includes à la carte foods in the lunch line and snacks in vending machines. Those standards are expected to be similar to the proposed lunch guidelines but will be written separately.

"That will make a difference," Elliott said, because children won't be able to skip nutritional lunch options for vending machine junk food. "We won't have the competition with school meals we once had. When more kids participate in the school meal, it makes it easier to provide a better meal."

rwinters@sltrib.com The Associated Presscontributed to this story. —

School lunch:Before and after

Here's a sample before-and-after menu released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to illustrate how new guidelines could impact school lunches.

Before • Hot dog on a bun with ketchup, canned pears, raw celery and carrots with ranch dressing, low-fat chocolate milk.

After • Whole-wheat spaghetti with meat sauce, whole-wheat roll with margarine, cooked green beans, broccoli and cauliflower with low-fat ranch dip, kiwi halves, low-fat milk. —

Scorecard ranks Utah last on school breakfast

Last year, 34 percent of low-income children who received school lunch also received school breakfast, according to the School Breakfast Scorecard released by the Food Research and Action Center. That places Utah 51st in the nation in a ranking of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national average for participation in school breakfast is 47 percent.

"Breakfast is proven to boost test scores, improve attendance and participation, and help children start their day ready to learn," Mike Evans of Utahns Against Hunger, said in a statement. "Utah should be doing all [it] can to maximize participation in this program, especially since it can be done with federal dollars."

The complete report is available at www.frac.org.