Every time Michelle Obama opens her mouth to suggest that, y'know, maybe feeding kids junk food every day isn't good for them, the Right immediately screams out that she's some sort of Nutrition Nazi, out to rob kids of their God-endowed Freedom Fries.
And in keeping with that tradition — and Ronald Reagan's famous classification of ketchup as a serving of "vegetables" — we have this: Congress (led by the GOP, but acquiesced to by the Dems) "unraveling" Dept of Agriculture's proposed higher nutritional standards for school lunches paid for by federal grants:
"Food companies that produce frozen pizzas for schools, the salt industry and potato growers requested the changes, and some conservatives in Congress say the federal government shouldn't be telling children what to eat."
Except, of course, that the federal government is paying for it.
Listening to the food industry flacks defending the nutritional value of daily french fries and tomato paste would be hysterically funny, if it weren't kids ending up as the target of it. #ddtb
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Pizza is a vegetable? Congress says yes
Congress wants to keep pizza and french fries on school lunch lines, fighting back against an Obama administration proposal to make school lunches healthier.
For the record, I do think that they are going a little overboard with "healthy" at school…only because my oldest is in 1st grade and they are a little weird Nazi about it (are only supposed to send fruit of veggies for snacks but they can have cheese sticks for lunch??) But seriously…Pizza a veggie?
I don't think schools should be more strict on what they allow to be brought in than what they serve themselves, I agree.
There are some schools I have read about that won't even allow parents to pack a lunch unless they have a food allergy. The kids have no choice but to buy lunch. This is a problem because if you look at some of the schools and their lunch initiatives, they are cutting way too much fat and calories out of lunch. You need a certain amount of fat and calories in your diet, kids more so, and they are cutting all this out as if they were adults. They really have no clue about children's nutrition.
I haven't run into that sort of situation in my daughter's schools, but, honestly, it doesn't seem to me that insufficient fat and calories is the biggest problem facing most kids these days.
The issue is that some schools are taking it to a diet mentality, almost anorexic. I forget where I read the article, it has been a while, but the lunches seemed based off of a diet mentality instead of a healthy one. There is a HUGE difference.
And now, the biggest issue isn't the food anyway. When they talk about eliminating PE for budget cuts or give out so much homework that kids have no time to do anything active to begin with, that is a problem.
I am all for eating healthy at school and offering healthy options, but seriously, one meal a day isn't going to change anything if their parents like to eat McD's every night or Tasty Cakes. Yes, there is someone in DH's family who fed their kids either fast food or junk for dinner. She would go to 7-11 and get donuts or Tasty Cakes for dinner. She never cooked (still doesn't) and her sons are adults and dangerously obese. That had nothing to do with the schools lunch and everything to do with their mother.
Point is…ppl need to stop stressing over school lunches and simply makes nutritious food more affordable than junk and processed food – THAT might actually help some of these kids…not keeping out cupcakes or labeling Pizza as a vegetable.
I don't think that's an either-or choice. It may well be that lunch is the only relatively healthy meal kids are getting (for a variety of reasons), which is all the more reason to push for healthier school food. It's not a panacea, but that doesn't mean it's not worth doing.
I agree the emphasis should be on healthy vs diet — but keeping an eye on caloric content isn't a bad idea, either, within reason.
I fully agree that trying to ensure that healthy, nutritious food is available and affordable, vs high-salt/fat/sugar processed foods, and encouraging folks in that direction, is a good idea.
You have to understand though, that if it is reasonably healthy…the rest
will fall into place. A healthy meal in the right portions will be the
right amount of calories, fat, carbs, etc without having to obsess over it.
I know…I had gestational diabetes with my daughter and had to be
extremely careful what I ate and how much. They monitored me twice a week
and if my sugar was just a little bit off I was scolded! LOL I learned
that "healthy" doesn't mean low calorie/fat/carbs. Really, if you follow
nutritional guidelines you will get the right amount of all of it in a meal.
I agree with not frying things and loading things with sugar…but like I
said, some places are taking it WAY to far.