If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Myths about food are brought to us not only by those companies with a vested interest in promoting pesticides and biotechnology, but also by a host of less obvious sources.
Giving children equitable access to good food and the tools to lead healthy lives isn't a threat to their freedom. But condemning them to obesity and disease at an early age truly is.
The reality is that if we want kids to be excited to find something healthier than fast food in their school cafeteria, we have to do more than change what's on the lunch tray.
The subject of obesity shouldn't be taboo. We need to talk about its causes and what we can do as a society to address it because it is killing us.
Recently, we parents have been informed that our kids have done nothing but struggle every day of the new school year. Surprisingly, the struggle is occurring outside the classroom: It's taking place in the cafeteria, over the revamped, healthier school lunch.
Change is hard, but if all of us who care about student nutrition in school work together, we'll get there.
We want our kids to eat well because we want them to be healthy, and we want them to be healthy because we love them. They need to know that -- and that job resides with families, not government. They need to know that they can wind up loving foods that love them back.
Millions of American children live in food insecure homes. School meals are often their only dependable source of food, yet for a variety of reasons they may not be getting all the food that's being made available to them. It's a tragic situation.
Here are 3 simple steps to creating a healthy lunch box for your kids.
The school lunch calorie issue is getting particular traction in right-wing media outlets and I've already told you about Republican congressmen seeking to repeal the calorie caps, calling the new regulations "the nanny state personified."
Providing nutrition education and an understanding about proper nutrition is the only way to change what is becoming a self-inflicted and historic crisis for Americans.
Back to school can be a time of adjustment. Just as students might need time to adjust to new teachers and subjects, the school lunch program might need time before it is fully accepted by students or financially successful.
In 2024, the sight of fruits and vegetables on lunch trays will simply be a given. Kids will not expect daily desserts, a crutch often used by districts in the past to meet the old regulations' calorie minimums. They will have no memory of the "good old days."
These and other changes are part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. I applaud the federal government for taking this important step that allows schools to create and reinforce healthy eating habits.
Having access to ample nutritious food is critical to a child's healthy development -- especially as it relates to their physical health, cognition, academic performance, and emotional and social well-being.
It's not only what is inside the sack lunch that counts, but also how it is put together. In the end, school lunches that are healthy, fresh and fun are the keys to a satisfying lunchtime experience.
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