With the new school year well underway, many students return, hungry for another great Northwest experience. However, recent changes may cause some shifts in appetite this year. Yes, the hallway floors are so clean you could eat off them, and seniors are excited about the privilege of open lunch, as they always are, but something in particular tastes different about Northwest this year. Nachos are not being sold in the cafeteria anymore and nutri-grain bars are a new fad in the vending machines. Something in the school smells healthy and it’s the new MCPS Nutrition policy.
    Many new standards have been set to benefit student health. All food/ beverages must have;

• 7 grams or less fat (except nuts and seed mix)
• 2 grams or less of saturated fat
• 15 grams or less of sugar (except fresh/dried fruits)
• Beverage container sizes do not exceed 16 ounces (except unflavored water)
• All fruit beverages must contain a minimum of 50% fruit juice

    Just to name a few. Other minimum requirements that cafeterias in MCPS must meet (when it comes to lunch time) include providing a “½ pint of milk, 1 serving of bread/grain, 2 ounces equivalent meat/protein, and 2 servings (minimum ¾ c total) fruits/veggies.”
    Schools across Montgomery County have made adjustments to follow these new policy requirements, and many agree that this is a good step in the right direction.
“I see where they’re coming from,” commented Mr. Corpuz of the athletic department here at Northwest, “School offers so many choices when it comes to what we eat, but I believe in moderation. But if that’s (junk food from vending machines) all you eat, that’s not good.” This policy applies gentle pressure to students to not make their meals out of what is in the vending machines all the time, and if they still decide to do that, at least they have some healthier alternatives that may “guilt” them into a healthier choice. 
    “Junk foods just aren’t healthy for you. Everything should be about our health, so I’m all for this change,” said principal Dempsy. Everyone has to admit that health is a top concern in life. Why not take a step to improve that with healthier food choices?
Some students even feel that this type of change is well overdue. “I think the new policy is great,” remarked senior Tiernan Mendes, “as a nation I think we’re too dependent on fast food and stuff, and we should have gotten rid of soda a long time ago.”
    On the other hand, some students are not big fans of this new policy and enjoyed having all their favorite goodies available. “I want my junk food and I want it now!” exclaimed senior Zack Gerdes. It seems like those with such a sweet tooth are going to have to suffer a little disappointment this year.
    And there are also those who aren’t pleased with the new beverage limitations now in place, throwing off senior Diane Bui’s caffeine routine. “I need my soda. I need that energy boost in the middle of the day,” added Bui. That type of disruption to a beverage schedule can throw you off pretty badly sometimes. 
    But whether or not this nutrition policy is seen as a good or bad thing, it is here for us to embrace, or put up with. So yeah, we can’t get those greasy nachos from the cafeteria anymore like we could a couple years back, and we need to settle for Gatorade instead of soda, but in the long run this policy was implemented to benefit the health of MCPS students. So, will you snack healthy?