(The New York Times News Service) -- In the land of corn dogs, cookies and chocolate milk, first-grader Gregory Lewis tries his best to make healthy choices in the Dunn Elementary School cafeteria lunch line.

"I got apples and cantaloupes," the 6-year-old said with a wide grin. "And Cheetos for dessert."

In schools across the state, there's a food fight going on as educators try to curb childhood obesity. This month, Texas schools began tackling obesity by adding more physical exercise to elementary school schedules and eliminating some of the worst junk foods from cafeterias.

The policies alone won't solve the nationwide problem of childhood obesity - an estimated 4.7 million children ages 6 to 17 are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - but educators hope they will eventually add up to a healthier student body.

"We've got a ways to go, and it will take a long time to get," said Georgi Roberts, health and physical education director for Fort Worth schools. "But our hope is we will be raising children to be responsible adults who know what they need to eat to be healthy."

The Texas Board of Education's Physical Activity Rule requires a minimum of 30 minutes daily or 135 minutes weekly exercise for children in kindergarten through sixth grade.

The Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value policy prohibits schools that receive federal funding for breakfast and lunch programs from selling or giving away foods that do not provide at least 5 percent of the recommended daily requirement of nutrients. The updated policy provides financial penalties for schools that violate the rules.

Many of the banned foods - including marshmallow candies, licorice and gum - rarely are sold at schools, but other calorie-packed foods, such as ice cream and chips, are offered every day.

Anything considered remotely healthy is allowed, said Debbie Graves Ratcliff, Texas Education Agency spokeswoman.

"Potato chips are not on the list because they have potatoes in them," she said. "Candy bars with nuts are not because the nuts contain protein."

Shane Reed, whose son Caleb is a Dunn fourth-grader, applauds schools for turning off the vending machines and sees nothing wrong with offering ice cream.

"But candy bars?" he said. "That's just wrong."

Vicki McDaniel, the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district's director of child nutrition, said the policy falls short by limiting junk food only in cafeterias while allowing it in hallways, patios and other locations. The country cannot achieve its goal of healthier children as long as sodas and sugary and high-fat snacks are still available on campus, she said.

"I don't see how the government regulations have helped anyone, anywhere," McDaniel said. "They certainly have not improved nutrition to any extent whatsoever."

In Arlington, Fort Worth, H-E-B and other school districts, vending machines are either unplugged during meals or have never been allowed in the cafeterias.

"But we have no control over what is on the rest of campus," McDaniel said. "They are in every secondary school and a couple of elementaries."

While the state board bans soft drinks in cafeterias, it does nothing to prohibit other sweet drinks that contain at least 5 percent juice.

For children who want to shed pounds, such drinks can be bad news.

Fruitopia, for example, is mostly sugar and water, said Samantha Powell, coordinator of the Tarrant County College dietetic program.

"I would prefer to see refrigerated vending machines with good things like yogurt, fresh fruit, low fat crackers and 100 percent juice," she said.

School districts might be reluctant to pull the plug on vending machines nationwide because they are a source of revenue. In Arlington schools, the machines generate an average of $75 a month in commissions per school, said Steve Brown associate superintendent of finance.

The National Soft Drinks Association has called bans on carbonated sodas "the politically popular thing to do" and has instead pushed for more exercise as a way to address obesity.

Educators said exercise alone isn't the answer; they want to teach students healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.

In Arlington schools, students can get healthy foods at the fruit and vegetable bar. They can add ice cream bars and potato chips to their meal only if they pay extra.

It's not part of her formal job, but Dunn cafeteria manager Martha Adams often tells students to put a wider variety of foods on their plates or to add sliced apples for a balanced meal.

Last week, when one boy tried to buy an ice cream bar before he ate his lunch, she told him to put the treat back.

"He just got his tray, and he hasn't even eaten a bite," she said. "And he was already going to get dessert."

In Fort Worth, where lunches average 30 grams of fat per day - the allowable amount under federal government dietary guidelines - the emphasis is on helping children make healthier choices, said Phyllis Propes, the school district's nutritional services director.

Although ice cream is high in sugar, it also contains calcium and, by comparison to some frozen treats, is much healthier, she said. With children, it's all about choosing high-quality foods with some nutritional value. "To be realistic, you can't expect a child never to want a candy bar," Propes said.

At Dunn Elementary, Gregory Lewis is allowed to eat treats, said his mother, Andrea Lewis.

"But he also eats yogurt and broccoli," she said.

Copyright 2002 The New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.