Comments on Fear and Loathing in the Kitchen: School Nutrition Policies - A Step in the Same Dir...

J, it's the legislation that bothers me. The info ...

2008-04-21T11:23:00.000-04:00

J, it's the legislation that bothers me. The info it's based on is accepted as a given, when it's never even been proven! Argh!

Susan, thanks for the video link. You the author of the book? There's another problem - all the emphasis on low fat/no sat fat means TONS of veggie oil - especially in cafeterias.

Vesna, it's frustrating - the evidence that it's the sugar has been around forever, but here we are, beating our heads against the wall (and hoping we burn off some calories in the process).

In my state, they put in legislation dictating wha...

2008-04-21T08:03:00.000-04:00

In my state, they put in legislation dictating what can be served in public schools. Again, low fat is promoted. They are trying to get the sugar out of the schools which is a step in the right direction. The dreaded weekly bake sale was eliminated - yay! The choices still aren't great and it's probably three times a year that my son buys lunch (usually pizza) and my daughter only buys when I have run out of almost every thing for lunch (son needs to order lunch monthly so he gets first dibs while daughter can buy with cash). No one is allowed to give any child food which is great - too many teachers use candy/treats as rewards. This also means no birthday snacks.

Unfortunately, when my daughter goes to private high school next year, these rules do not apply. When she visited the school, she went to a class where the teacher had all sorts of treats in the back of the classroom and the students could graze. I'm working on her to get her to understand what's good for her and what has too many carbs but teenagers are tough.

Wow. Soda removed and replaced with fruit juice an...

2008-04-20T11:59:00.000-04:00

Wow. Soda removed and replaced with fruit juice and lowfat milk. That's kind of the problem in a nutshell, isn't it?

The well-meaning people are under the illusion that the less fake sugary foods are more healthful than the completely fake sugary foods. Whereas in reality, they're simply a little less harmful.

They're still sugar!

Thought you'd be interested in this short omega-3 ...

2008-04-20T09:12:00.000-04:00

Thought you'd be interested in this short omega-3 video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIgNpsbvcVM

Gack - 93g CHO?I really, really hope that the tide...

2008-04-19T15:01:00.000-04:00

Gack - 93g CHO?

I really, really hope that the tide starts to turn, and soon. Why it isn't blindingly obvious to Those In Charge that our current nutritional guidelines aren't helping (and in fact have made things worse) is astounding to me.

Yep, I can see your eyes rolling!

Good for you though that you're doing what you can now, and also realizing that your little guy isn't going to be perfect (as far as his diet is concerned - I'm sure he's perfect in every other way possible ;))

Ah, geeze, that's the post I wanted to write! Ser...

2008-04-19T13:59:00.000-04:00

Ah, geeze, that's the post I wanted to write! Seriously, jealousy of how well you wrote it aside, your post sums up everything I think and know about feeding school age kids.

Dealing with glucose regulation problems myself (well controlled with LC diet and no meds) and having a 9 yo son who is probably genetically and epigenetically at risk of the same problems later in life, this subject is near and dear to my heart. When I talk to fellow parents in my local community about our lousy school lunch offerings and feeding kids more fat, less sugar and starch, etc., instead of following the "pyramid", they look at me like I have two heads. A nutrition professional designed our school lunch program; of course it's nutritious and healthy for our kids. Kids need all that carbohydrate energy, right? Kids need those "whole grain" breads and tortillas for all the essential nutrients they provide. Can you see my eyes rolling?

I have our school's current menu in front of me: the weekly nutrient analysis (average per meal, I guess) says 661 calories, total fat 19.33 grams, saturated fat 6.95 grams, and carbohydrates 92.56 grams! My calculations come out to 25% total fat, 9.5% saturated fat, and 56% carbohydrate as a percentage of calories!

The menu is full of "nutritionally correct" terms like whole wheat, graham, fresh, low fat, etc. But with typical offerings like chicken nuggets (every day!), cheesy taco flavored pockets*, cheese* & pepperoni pizza (every day!), whole wheat bean & cheese burrito with graham cracker*, rotini & marinara sauce*, mac & cheese*, turkey hot dog, etc., it is plain to see that this is dining at a really low level. (*vegetarian options - complete with lots of starch and I'll bet deficient in protein, especially on a daily basis)

Sure, kids can also choose a side of baby carrots, corn, peas, green beans, & let's not forget the whole wheat dinner rolls (but my son says they rarely choose the veggies), fresh fruit is offered every day (usually those beautiful but horrible Red Delicious apples that sit there day after day, uneaten, changing from sweet styrofoam to plain styrofoam), but the sides chosen most often are prepacked cups of applesauce and other processed fruits. Most of the kids who choose milk, choose chocolate milk.

It's a rare day that my third grader son buys a school lunch. When he does, I'm sure he gets the pepperoni pizza nearly every time. I also have no illusions that he doesn't eat some of his friends' snacky lunch foods some days . But this year in particular, he seems to be "getting" the differences between real food and manufactured food products, why our bodies need the real stuff for good health and proper growth, and why factory food isn't so good for us in the long term. I won't be his "personal chef" his entire life, so I hope the seeds I am sowing now grow really strong roots. He's going to need them when he's on his own.