When one eats from the same source 180 days out of the year, naturally a routine develops. Furthermore, disruption of one’s routine can be mildly distressing. But what can one do?

Such is the plight of the High School hot lunch eater. Of course, changes to the lunch menu or the kiosk snack collection can be positive, yet it seems that in the age of obesity and subsequent diet regulations the majority of changes unfortunately disgruntle many students.

Most noticeable among the changes is the transition to whole grain in nearly all foods. This has dissuaded many students from buying the foods they once bought regularly.

“Everything is just blander now. Maybe that’s bad to say since the whole point is to be healthier, but I just don’t want to spend money on it [laughs]” said Megan Manzano ‘15.

Another senior, Jacey Wreggelsworth voiced similar sentiments, though she only occasionally buys snacks from the kiosks.

“Whole grain Rice Krispy Treats are not Rice Krispy Treats. Those were one of the only things I bought, too” she said. “They’ve gotten rid of the Lays chips too”

For others, the transition to whole grain has been bemoaned unjustly.

“All the whole grain pizza crusts and things aren’t really that bad. The complaining is undeserved. Really there’s not any difference.” said Dakota Brenner ‘15. His primary complaint lies in another change: the absence of fries. It was clear he was disheartened by their exclusion, and he said facetiously that he had heard “murmurs of mutiny”.

This exclusion of french fries is likely a byproduct of new sodium standards set this year on the federal level. A chart of lunch changes and their implementation dates can be found on page 41 of this document: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/LAC_03-06-12_0.pdf.

School lunch changes and nationwide nutrition was the reason for Representative Rick Larsen’s visit to AHS on Tuesday, Oct. 14. He served lunch for both the students and the cameras.

For better or worse, these changes are here to stay, and they were designed for the student body’s benefit, for the improvement of their health. It seems you can’t make an omelet without breaking the eggs, and that’s the way the cookie crumbles.