MACON, Ga. — As part of the Macon Food Story, we’re taking a closer look at some of the comfort foods that help feed our spirits and our stomachs on a cold winter’s day.
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In Bibb County Schools, district nutritionists are working to keep students comforted and healthy at the same time.
When it's chilly outside, students at Rosa Taylor Elementary know exactly how to warm up -- beef soup.
It's a multi-functional comfort food and while the nutritionists can appreciate that about the soup, they're more concerned with one thing while preparing lunch at the district kitchen -- health.
“One of the things I like about soup is whatever nutrients might be released from a vegetable during cooking, it’s still in that water and so you’re not going to lose anything," said district nutritionist Dalia Kinsey.
She oversees nutrition for students and says soups are a great way to pack in the vegetables.
“So this is giving them a different option texture wise and flavor wise. If the kid maybe doesn’t like the flavor of okra, when it’s in the soup it’s going to take on the flavor of all the vegetables and the beef and some people like that more than just okra," she said.
Kinsey says foods like soup are a great way to up the nutrition ante without skimping on the comfort.
"There are a lot of kids that wouldn’t eat steamed carrots but maybe would eat carrots if they were part of another dish or part of a soup, so we’re always looking for ways to add vegetables to other dishes," she said. "I think just in our mind, winter and soup all goes together and people generally do like warm things and find them more comforting."
Kinsey says there are different types of soups on the menu during the winter months.
To find out what’s being served in your child’s lunchroom, head on over to the Bibb County School District’s website.