20 Days Till School: Top 5 Most Unhealthful School Lunches

Remember Salisbury steak? Turkey stew? Cheeseburgers, corn dogs, chicken nuggets and meatloaf (sometimes referred to as "mystery meat")?

Hopping in line in the school cafeteria was often a gamble, and most of us probably have memories of certain school lunches — good and bad — that stick in our minds.

But how healthful are school lunches, and which ones should students avoid?

In 2010, dietitians from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) reviewed nutrient analysis data from 18 elementary schools across the country and determined which school lunches are the worst.

This is what they came up with:

1. Beef and cheese nachos. With 24 grams of fat and almost 1,500 milligrams of sodium, these nachos are the worst school lunch item on the menu.
2. Meatloaf and potatoes. We knew there was good reason not to like "mystery meat." This dish has an average of 472 calories and 78 milligrams of cholesterol.
3. Cheeseburgers. One cheeseburger has more saturated fat than a child should consume in an entire meal.
4. Cheese sandwiches. This includes toasted cheese and cheese quesadillas, which often have more than 7 grams of saturated fat and almost 1,000 milligrams of sodium.
5. Pepperoni pizza. This favorite has an average of more than 6 grams of saturated fat, and pepperoni is a processed meat that increases cancer risk.

For information on the PCRM's Healthy School Lunch Campaign, click here.

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