Imitation Fries hit the menu in Arizona schools

I've been making a version of this for years and the girls like them. I do spray them with a little PAM so I might not satisfy the purists but at least they're no longer deepfried and dripping.

A soggy fry is yucky no matter if it's baked or fried. If they can solve that problem on a large scale, I bet the kids will eat them.

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That's a step in the right direction! The real challenge will be for kids to not eat any type of french fries and instead want vegetables or fruit instead. I wonder - is that even possible?

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why make an imitation fry? why not just get rid of them, and kids will have to deal with it. why continue to encourage fast food-like habits with fries of any kind? juvenille diabetes is up drastically and so is obesity in children. teach healthy habits young!

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This sounds suspiciously like what we in the UK call 'oven chips' - we buy them frozen and bake them. They're a staple in most British freezers, so this isn't as original an idea as it might seem.

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we have them too... Im not sure why this is shocking... doesnt everyone buy frizen fries and bake them? Isnt that the Ore Ida empire? LOL. Schools are silly.

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I'd have to read the ingredients to know how much fat, etc. the frozen fries have. And yes I use them too.

When I make my own though, I know exactly what's in them. Healthy potatoes only (usually with their skins) which I would serve often anyway in one form or another.

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We make oven fries with drizzled olive oil and usually some spices like pepper. Yummy.

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I agree with Indiana. Why not just get rid of fries completely and replace them with real friuts or vegetables? My kids are 6 and 4 and they have never eaten fries in any version. I don't let my daugther buy a school lunch if fries are on the menu for the day. To me, they are one of the unhealthiest foods out there (along with hotdogs). Not eating them can only help our kids in this time of childhood obesity and diabetes.

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I too am confused as to why fries are a staple of these children`s diet. There are so many better and healthier foods that they could replace the fries with. I imagine the kids who do really like fries would actually do better in an environment where they weren`t available at all, rather than one where they were given a strange fake version.
I guess I just can`t see the NEED for fries to be on the menu. They`re an okay side-dish/snack every once in a while, but I really don`t see why they need to be provided. Give the kids something NEW to try - they might actually like it!

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Schools serve fries because they are cheap and the government allows fries to be counted as a vegetable. It's all about the bottom line, not about providing healthy foods for children. School lunches are a joke.

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I am not so much worried about them serving a potato...it is what they serve it with. French Fries and Pizza is not a healthy combo no matter how you slice it. Kids glycemic index after a lunch like that is going to spike and a crash. We need to reclassify potatoes as a starch and not a vegetable.

Pizza is ok if you balance it with veggies and fruit. Potatoes are ok if you balance them with veggies and lean proteins. Schools need to see this and not just make what kids will eat, but make combos of what kids need.

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These days each schools in this region is changing the way kids eat. My son said that there food at school taste bad and there are smaller portions. Friench fries I wonder what is next the chicken or fish they will change next?

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I made baked fries for my kids now I do it for the grandkids spray some pan put them on a pizza stone we all love them whats the big deal?

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I work in a school cafeteria. Not every school serves a bunch of unhealthy foods. We do have choices. The main menu and other items. Because kids can be very picky eaters. Yes we want them to eat healthy, but our main goal is that they eat! We have fruits and veggies ad juices for them to choose from too. Believe it or not the kids choose more of the healthy foods. I would be happy if our school got rid of the fries!! Mainly because I serve them, Not to mention we really don't have enough room (ovens) or time to bake fries because they go so fast.

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GET RID OF THEM, AMAZINGLY CHILDREN WILL ADAPT TO CHANGE,GIVE THEM AN ALTERNATIVE "NEW" MENU ITEM TO REPLACE FRIES,GET THEM OUT,PROBLEM SOLVED.MY SON IS ADHD, SEVEN YEARS OLD,VERY PICKY EATER,WE PACK HIS LUNCH,NO FRIES FOR HIM THIS YEAR,HE'S EATS FRUIT,GRAIN,CEREALS (HEALTHY ONES),AND THE OCCASIONAL "TREAT",(VANILLA WAFERS,LOWFAT DEVILS FOOD COOKIES ETC.THEY WILL ADAPT!WE KNOW,WEVE HAD TO DO IT!!!TAKE THEM OFF THE MENU ALL TOGETHER!!!NOW.

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Potatoes are NOT vegetables, they are a starch. Starch+fat+less excercise=more overweight, seriously unhealthy kids (and people in general). I say; Dump the fries.

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Let's give kids food they actually like at school. If that means it is a 'french fry', then so be it. Bake instead of frying, but still offer. If you have ever been to a school lunch period, you would see how much waste there is! If the kids don't like it, they will throw it away and eat nothing. Obesity may be on the rise, but you are not going to change it from a school lunch. It starts at home. Don't forget there are skinny kids out there too, who actually need some fat on their bones.

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Personally I dont think food is the problem with obese kids..Its the
lack of excerise. When I was a teenage I was able to split a pound of
macaroni with 2 girlfriends with melted cheese and ricotta on it every
day if I wanted to..The trick was I walked about 3/4 mile to school
everyday, walked home, then walked to my friends house, walked home
for dinner, walked back to friends house after dinner and then walked
home for 10:00...I must have walked 5 miles a day.. Also the key is we
had GYM everyday for 40 minutes in High School...Schools are screaming
about the lack of excerise in kids..Guess what BRING GYM daily instead
of 2-3 a week...You can curtail food so much but the key is moderation
with exercise!!! Get off the computer and play outside is what I tell my kids..Get on the trampoline, go to the local gym, ride a bike, roller skate..

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you people need to lighten up if you dont like what is ont the menu give them a lunch to take from home.
the problem is if you deney your child something everyone else has they will stilltry it and you will never know.our kids now days have enough trouble fitting in,and you just make it harder by saying no u cant have it,its bad for you.
you can eat anything in moderation,deny them and they will pig out on it the first chance they get.

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This is the most ridiculous thing I've heard of in a long time. The State Government of Arizona has nothing better to do than put a "ban" on junk food in schools? Does anyone really think thats going to deter or change a childs rationale when it comes to eating junk food? They are only more likely to pig out when they return home. Everything sounds good in theory, (i.e. eat healthier, less t.v. & video games, excercise more) but there are other venues to explore than banning certain items from a child's school lunch.

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