DR. WALLACE: Ever since September, I have been trying to get our high school cafeteria to serve more fresh fruits and vegetables for our lunch program. I have stopped eating in our cafeteria because the foods they serve are loaded with fat (French fries, greasy sloppy Joes, pizza) and starches and carbohydrates (potatoes, white bread, pasta). Even the milk that is served is whole milk, which is loaded with unnecessary fat.

When I spoke with our principal, she said our lunches satisfy the United States Department of Agriculture recommendation for a healthy meal. I don't think so!

Why can't schools offer healthy meals? Even fast-food restaurants are offering healthier alternatives for those of us who care about what we eat. — Sarah, Indianapolis, Ind.

SARAH: Many school districts operate their food program on the premise that if they don't give the students what they want (hamburgers, French fries, pizza, etc.), their program will lose money. Unfortunately, there is some truth to this. Lunch programs have to be self-sufficient.

The USDA runs the National School Lunch Program for over 28 million students in our 95,000 schools and is aware that the menu must include more fresh fruits and vegetables. But these nutritious foods must be prepared in such a way that the students will eat them. Even pizza can be a healthy, nutritious food if prepared to limit fats.

In some schools, brand-name fast foods are in direct competition with the cafeteria. Again, it's the money thing. But the school program is not entirely to blame when it comes to serving foods with excess fats and carbohydrates. That's what students eat at home and that's what they want served at school. Some school districts have invited parents to participate in school menus. In these districts, more fresh fruits and salads are available.

The school lunch program was started shortly after the end of World War 11 to fight malnutrition. Today, the program is struggling to keep students from becoming obese. Several sources, including the American Dietetic Association, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Washington University School of Medicine, offer these excellent tips on how to improve school lunches. I'm sure you will agree:

1. Enforce the rule requiring that no more than 30 percent of a meal's calories come from fat.

2. Reward schools financially when they meet the government's dietary regulations.

3. Limit or ban junk food from school vending machines.

4. Require comprehensive nutrition education for all children, introducing them to healthy foods in the classroom.

5. Replace refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, with whole grains.

6. Make fresh produce and whole-grain products priorities in government commodity purchases.

7. Give children more ways to assemble their own healthy meals, such as salad and sandwich bars.

8. Give parents more influence in lunch program oversight.

9. Offer more vegetarian alternatives.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.