They only eat things they are familiar with. I use the traditional meal pattern when preparing a menu. If the menu has choices, students will make appropriate choices. We teach nutrition education grades K through eight. We also teach the food guide pyramid.
Children do make healthy choices if given the opportunity.
This pattern is becoming more the norm - for districts to provide menus with choices. We do not do salad bars any more. We prefer pre-packaged salads. High schools and middle schools also have additional food bars, pizza-bars, etc. We try to treat the student as a customer.