Demise of the deep-fried?

Many teenagers don't think twice about digging into a deep-fried lunch.

"I eat fries, like, pretty much every day," Larkin sophomore Chris Sanavongsay said Tuesday as he inhaled a spicy chicken sandwich and cheese fries in the school cafeteria.

Illinois lawmakers hope to outlaw similar fatty feasts. In a 33-19 vote last week, the state Senate voted to ban the use of trans fats in school lunches. The bill heads to the House next week.

If approved, Illinois would be the ninth state to restrict trans fats in schools.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, trans fats are made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, a process that lengthens a food's shelf life.

Unlike heart-healthy unsaturated fats found in foods, such as peanut butter, fish and avocados, trans fats raise a person's level of "bad cholesterol" and are linked to obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

The plan would require the state board of education to eliminate food cooked with vegetable oils containing trans fats by July 2009.

In 2010, all foods with added trans fats from cafeterias, vending machines and a la carte items would be outlawed. Foods with naturally occurring trans fats -- including meat, milk and cheese -- would be exempt.

The Illinois Association of School Boards, an umbrella organization for local boards, calls the pending legislation unnecessary.

"There are lines between what is the legislature's role and what is a school district's role," associate executive director Benjamin Schwarm said Monday. "We certainly think these are local decisions to make."

Ken Kaczynski, president of Elgin Area School District U-46's school board, said the district generally backs the position of the state school board association.

The district now follows state and federal school lunch guidelines, Kaczynski said. It has also instituted its own "wellness policy" that promotes healthy choices and increased physical activity.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 30 percent of school lunch calories can come from fat.

Illinois school meals must meet federal nutrition requirements and adhere to dietary guidelines for students' age groups, but decisions about what foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by school food authorities.

"I think we're doing what we can," Kaczynski said. "The adult in me says maybe we should impose more limits. The kid in me says there are already enough. … I think a balance between the two is key."

But french fries banished from the Larkin cafeteria?

"It'd be really different around here if they did," Sanavongsay said.

"Yeah," his pal Chris Lanham echoed. "But it might be kind of good."