About the Red Bowl

Dear Parents and Students of Parkview School,

My name is Christine Beaulieu, and I am the person in charge of the food services in Parkview’s cafeteria.

I have a lot of experience in the food industry, and it will be a pleasure to cook nutritious meals and snacks, in many varieties and most importantly, that everyone will appreciate.

I work with the MELS program, ‘Going the Healthy Route at School’, and also ‘La santé au menu (guide d’accompagnement pour les cafétérias d’école) from l’Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec so that the students have all the energy they need to be successful at school.

Here are the bases I use to establish the menus:

1. Offer a variety of foods and give priority to foods of good nutritional value.

a. Offer meals that include foods from each of the four food groups of Canada’s Food Guide: Vegetables and Fruits, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives, and Meat and Alternatives.

b. Prepare a main course accompanied by at least one vegetable.

c. Provide a variety of fruits and vegetables.

d. Provide a variety of 100% pure (unsweetened) fruit juices and vegetable juices in addition to milk and water.

e. Give priority to whole grain products.

f. Offer desserts made with fruit, milk products and whole grain products; avoid desserts that have a high fat or sugar content.

g. Reduce the fat content of meats.

h. Favor low-fat or nonfat cooking methods, such as steaming, baking, braising, poaching, grilling or roasting.

i. Avoid products containing saturated or hydrogenated fats (trans fats).

2. Eliminate foods of low nutritional value from all school food supplies.

a. Eliminate sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened (diet) soft drinks as well as sugar-sweetened beverages.

b. Eliminate products in which sugar or a sugar substitute is the first ingredient listed.

c. Eliminate French fries.

d. Eliminate frying and deep-frying, and avoid commercial or pre-fried breaded foods.

e. Sell or offer foods and beverages that meet dietary guidelines at fundraising events, special events, on school trips, outings, etc.

Included, you will find next week’s detailed menu.

For more information, do not hesitate to communicate with me at 579-488-8877.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Christine