The Austin High School cafeteria is getting new food options for students.

“The goal with those changes is to really help our kids be healthier,” School Dietitian Jen Haugen said.

The new school regulations for lunches requires that all grains must be whole grain and that the a la carte must offer snacks that have whole-grains, along with less sugar and calories. The All-Acart changes were put into place on July 1.

“The new regulations are in effect for the whole school district,” Haugen said. “That required some changes in there that Mary [Weikum] was already working on prior to me coming.”

Haugen came to work for the school in August of 2014, after being the head dietitian at Hy-Vee for several years.

“We want to meet the regulations because its really important that our kids are healthy,” she said.

The new regulations now offer more options for fruits and vegetables, as well as more protein.

“That creates a balanced meal and also creates a healthier student,” Haugen said.

Yet the new regulations aren’t the only changes being made in the cafeteria.

The district now offers free breakfast for every student at all the sites, regardless of parental income. That breakfast includes a whole grain, fresh fruit, juice and milk.

“So it’s a balanced breakfast that they can have when they get to school,” Haugen said.

She said many classrooms are actually offering breakfasts in the room, so students can eat and get straight to learning.

Another change in the cafeteria is the addition of food options for lunch. Haugen wants to add healthy options for students, but she doesn’t want to do it alone.

“We’re working on what kind of new foods will the students want,” she said. “And we’ll do some tastings and trying out new menus.”

The goal is to start implementing taste-testing in October, to see what students would prefer to be added to the lunch menu, and to find out what they don’t like.

“We want to make sure that their input is taken into consideration when we’re putting new items in the menu,” Haugen said.

She said there is already a new menu item that will be for grades five through 12, and will be sampled at the elementary schools. The item is called “Jumpin Jack Wraps,” and they are made with a whole-grain tortilla, turkey, cheese, and vegetables. Hummus will be available for students who want it.

“We’re just starting to delve into that,” Haugen said about trying out new recipes.

She said though they are small changes, each change makes a big difference, and in the school will benefit.

“Changes take time, so you can’t just all of a sudden blanket-change everything,” Haugen said.

Though it seems like everything on the menu is changing, Haugen said that is not the case.

“There’s a lot of good things on the menu already,” she said.

There are a lot of whole grains in the current foods, such as the buns on the hamburgers and hot-dogs, and the tortillas in the taco shells. There are also healthy foods that may be unexpected, such as the hamburgers that are already served during lunch that have applesauce in them. Yet people don’t necessarily know these foods are already on to the menu.

“Some of those things are just about communicating those so that people know to change the perception,” Haugen said.

Haugen encouraged parents to share their thoughts and ideas on school lunches.

“If parents have input, we definitely value that input,” she said.

To get in touch with Haugen, call 507-460-1921, or email jen.haugen@austin.k12.mn.us. To get in touch with Food and Nutrition Director Mary Weikum, call 507-460-1919, or email mary.weikum@austin.k12.mn.us.