Revolutionizing School Lunch
As you wander into the average U.S cafeteria, you find yourself faced with industrial sized deep fryers, containers upon containers of frozen and oily foods, sparse in fresh fruits and vegetables. It is unsettling to think that this is the type of foods school-aged children are being exposed to on a daily basis.
To overcome health related problems in the future generation, it is necessary to start teaching kids at any age what it means to eat healthy. Fresh, colorful fruits and veggies, whole grains, and low-fat, calcium rich dairy products are foods that kids should be excited to eat.
The growing interest in school nutrition has made its way to Washington, D.C. There has been new legislature put into affect which sets restrictions on the amount of calories and fat allowed in the foods provided at each school and encourages correct portion sizes. This rule is one of many in Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, which focuses on exercise and better nutrition to reduce the number of obese children in our country. Another factor in the process of revolutionizing school lunches is making fruits and vegetables available to kids every day of the week, as well as offering only low fat dairy products. Through all of these simple changes, the children of our future will lead longer and healthier lives.
Aside from the kids and the schools, parents need to be a part of the revolution. What do you feed your kids for lunch? Think colors, whole grains, vitamins and more. Keep your kids active. Encourage them to participate in sports and play outside during recess. If you want even more guidance on raising a healthier child, check out my Healthy Kids, Happy Moms™ Program designed to give children the tools to grow up living a healthy lifestyle!
Your turn to take action: What step will you take today to ensure a more nutritious future for your child?
Thanks for the article. It’s so important to teach nutrition to our children.
You’re welcome Rebecca. Thank you for reading and for your comment. Nutrition education should start when children are young, so they can make healthy choices for themselves as they get older and out into the world. Knowledge is power!
School lunches are often pretty awful, though many are trying to encourage better eating habits in our kids. The single biggest thing that schools and parents can do is encourage children to get their sugar fix with fiber. IE eat fruit, not juice – and of course remember soda is the same as drinking a slowish acting poison because that is exactly what your body thinks it is. We wouldn’t give a kid a can of beer, not too mention a “super sized” can, so why do we see kids drinking “big gulps”? The soda is actually worse than the beer, arguably.
Yes, Jill, how is it that soda has become the norm for so many kids? Take a look at the parents of those kids who walk around with the “big gulps”. Likely, those parents are too. Education is key…it starts with the parents. I hope I can do my part to make a change for our youth. Thanks for your comment.
You know I think it is crazy when people say that their kids love a certain tv show at 1 years old or they only will eat chicken mcnuggets. My kids didn’t know about junk food or tv shows until they were much older. The problem is really the adults not the kids. Now when they are teens they should have been taught why you you had them eat healthy all these years.
I use foods for healing.. For instance I eat cherries when I have swelling in my body.
I am looking forward to more of what you have to say. Nice job.
Debbie, I agree with you! It’s important to teach the parents and encourage them to model healthy habits for the little ones. But that is often quite a challenge if they themselves were not taught nutrition as a child. So incorporating nutrition at home, in school as a family affair is key! We need to get nutrition education into the preschool and elementary school classes as well. Thanks for your comment! I look forward to further connecting.
Loved your article! Food is fuel for our bodies, and many people forget this important fact. It isn’t about filling the gut! What I find challenging is staying creative with eating fresh whole foods that we can all enjoy as a family!
You’re right Jeneen. Many people do forget that food is fuel, and they either overeat without giving thought to what their bodies really need, or they cut back in an effort to lose weight, which never works. Getting the kids involved in the kitchen and experimenting with whole foods and cooking from scratch is a great way to get the family involved in cooking healthy and having an interest in nutrition from an early age.