MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- A whole new era in school lunches has begun as the man who invented the South Beach Diet implements a new nutrition plan that kicked off in a handful of Miami-Dade County elementary schools this year.

When school children are asked what they like for lunch, fruits and vegetables rarely make the top 10. But cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston plans to change that.

"Kids today are literally not only overweight and overfed, but they are literally malnourished," Agatston said.

Agatston, who created the popular South Beach Diet, has developed a program called Healthier Options for Schoolchildren, or HOPS, in an attempt to make school meals more nutritious. The program launched in Kissimmee and has now come to Miami-Dade County.

More information on HOPS at nbc6.net.