Protect Our Kids-A Plea for Healthy School Lunches

Since Dan has posted the last three or four posts, I decided it was my turn.

Last Sunday when I went into Nursery, I noticed that they were giving Fruit Snacks to the kids. This really irritates me-and I don't even have a kid in Nursery. Not only are Fruit Snacks, and any gummy candy for that matter, horrible for your teeth (especially toddlers teeth,) but most gummy candy contains gelatin.
What is gelatin? Why is it (in my opinion) disgusting? Well gelatin is derived from collagen that is extracted from the skin, bones, connective tissues, organs and intestines of many animals, mainly cattle and horses. That is something that I don't want my kids to eat! (To find gelatin free candy click here.)

I guess as a parent (and I can say that now!) you expect that teachers, at church or at school, would want the best for your child. Giving any child candy for a snack just teaches our children bad dietary habits. Unfortunately, schools are some of the worse places to teach our children healthy habits. This is NOT a vegetarian vs. omnivore dilemma. This is a healthy nation issue. Unhealthy eating at school is contributing to the surge in obesity rates among U.S. children. Obesity rates have more than doubled among infants and toddlers aged 2 to 5, quadrupled in children aged 6 to 11 and more than tripled among adolescents aged 12 to 19 (Health day 03/04/2009). The rising rates have health experts concerned about an epidemic of obesity-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, in young people.

"USDA guidelines allow schools to serve high-fat, high-cholesterol foods regularly and do not require school districts to offer any plant-based meals. These nutrition requirements continue to lag behind the federal government’s current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Congress mandated that the USDA update meal planning guidelines; however, no improvements have yet been made." (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, School Lunch Report Card 2008)

In 2004-2005 there was a School Nutrition Dietary Assessment which included information from 398 public schools in 130 districts across the United States, including 2,314 students in first through 12th grade. In this study:

• 6 to 7 percent of subsidized meals met all nutritional standards, the study found. Most had too much saturated fat or fat overall, and not enough calories.
• About 42 percent of the schools surveyed offered no fresh fruits or raw vegetables in their lunch programs.
  
• Foods in vending machines, á la carte and in snack bars were most often high in calories and low in nutrients: candy, french fries, donuts, sweetened drinks and salty snacks.

Of course as a Vegetarian it does worry me about sending my children to public schools, which most likely will not offer healthy options. Regardless if you're a vegetarian or not, as a parent you should be outraged at the options our children are getting a school! I don't think that there should be a choice. There should only be healthy foods offered. Unfortunately because most meals are subsidized by the government, the cheapest food and meat are given to our children. For a great podcast about the high price of cheap food follow this link: here. We pay for cheap meat and food by sacrificing our health, and the health of our children. And I don't want to sacrifice this little guy's health.


In closing please watch this video, called Protect Our Kids, produced by The Cancer Project. I think it completes my thoughts on this subject. If you want to do something to promote healthy eating in your school please check this out: THE CANCER PROJECT: Protect Our Kids.