Childhood obesity and school nutrition are hot topics these days. I have been a proponent of changing cafeteria food being offered in schools ever since I began my own awareness of its shortcomings after viewing the movies Food Inc. and Two Angry Moms. The first movie exposed the sorry state of our national food industry and the second inspired in me the desire to make some changes at a local level.
What can YOU do to help the cause? I’m glad that you asked!
1. Get educated! Watch the movies listed above, really look at the menus being offered to your kids in school cafeterias and restaurants, read the book Free for All: Fixing School Food in America.
2. Eat lunch with your child in the fall in the school cafeteria. Actually buy the lunch. Decide whether the food served was nutritious, fresh and enticing to eat. Notice the waste. What is being thrown away? What are the kids drinking? Are whole fruits being tossed out? Does your school’s kitchen have actual pots, pans, cooking utensils or ovens? Does your child’s school offer knives? Do kids have access to lunch food extras such as ice-cream, cookies and chips ?
When I started to really pay attention to what my kids were eating at school and how they were eating at school, it really opened my eyes. Why do my kids use their fingers to push food onto their forks? Maybe because at school they don’t have knives to reinforce proper knife use. I began to notice that much of the lunch time food options were all “side of the highway” finger junk food. The cafeteria claims not to fry anything, but the processed food often already comes pre-fried so the schools just need to reheat. Often whole fruit is tossed away as kids don’t have the time to eat a big piece of fruit. Research has shown that cutting up FRESH fruit and making it finger and mouth friendly makes a huge difference in consumption.
3. Check to see if the school’s health program has a nutrition segment. If so, does it carry over into the cafeteria? Who teaches the curriculum and can you work with them to make changes in the cafeteria? Can you implement the same program ideas at home?
Our school district uses a program called GO, SLOW, WHOA! The nurses teach this nutrition curriculum stressing what types of food you can eat anytime like fruit and vegetables, what food you can eat but with less frequency and what food is a special treat and should not be eaten more than once or twice a week. We are trying to link the program to what the kids eat and see in the cafeteria. Children can see the dual messages and it is confusing. Creating an awareness is the first step. Once a parent or child is aware of the system, then they can decide what should be bought that week. The world is full of choices. We need to teach our kids how to live in this world of choices.
4. Say no to corn syrup and trans fats. Start to read labels and have your kids read them too. There are many great substitutes for regularly eaten food that are healthier. You do not need to eliminate chips, cookies and ketchup from your child’s diet but switch to a brand that has natural ingredients and no corn syrup or trans fats.
The government’s new focus on childhood obesity and nutrition makes it the perfect time as parents to make our voices heard. Take a step to help kids stay healthy. Now is the time.
Links of interest:
Farm to School Program Changes Kids’ Views on Food
7 comments
Comments feed for this article
August 5, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Donna Freeman
This is such a vital topic. Love your suggestions for parents to become pro-active especially #2 – my stomach actually revolts just at the thought of eating a school lunch again. Hopefully they have improved since I was in grade school.
For more ideas visit
http://yogainmyschool.com/2010/02/26/childrens-relationship-to-food-needs-an-overhaul/
Donna Freeman
http://www.yogainmyschool.com
August 7, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Renée A. Schuls-Jacobson
I actually LOVED school lunch when I was in school — but back then, the lunch ladies made the lunches. They actually cooked in the cafeteria! My elementary school spaghetti with meat sauce was better than at many restaurants! (But that was back when white milk was 8 cents.
This stuff is so important. I will report to my blog! I am hopeful that with baby steps, we might be able to make some changes in our district! Especially with devoted, informed parents like yourself at the helm.
August 9, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Aruna
On your number 4 point – there was an interesting article on Vitaminwater – which sounds healthy but when you read the label you see its not.
Coke is being taken to court for misleading advertising for the name Vitamin water. Coke’s response to the law suit is jaw dropping. Here’s the article about it in the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/the-dark-side-of-vitaminw_b_669716.html
August 9, 2010 at 5:49 pm
karmaspot
Aruna, thanks for this link. I am going to post it on my facebook and school health site. I admit to jumping on the Vitamin Water band wagon initially while training for some triathlons a couple of years back. I gained weight!! I was exercising a couple of hours a day and managed to consume too many calories. I had surmised it was from those drinks.
August 12, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Aruna
I know some parents who only let their kids drink Vitamin Water. It is so misleading – I’m glad someone had the ability to take them to court over it.
Calories can be so easily consumed in what we drink but its easy to forget about this intake.
September 18, 2010 at 1:09 pm
What Our Actions Teach Our Kids About The Earth « Lessons From Teachers and Twits
[…] daily fare; after all, that is what the district health curriculum preaches. She has written an amazing blog on the topic of school nutrition. I am behind her 100%. How far are people willing to go to learn […]
April 18, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Real Food = Real Health « Karmaspot's Blog
[…] couple of years, I have started to educate myself more and more about food. I have posted here and there about some of my findings and always try to spread the awareness—hopefully without being […]