Monthly Archives: August 2012

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-08-11/school-lunch-standards/56946390/1

For those with little ones headed back to school you’ve probably gone through the drill; shopping for clothes, notebooks, and one last stop for a stock-up at the grocery store for lunch supplies. That is of course if your kids are among the ones who pack a lunch. The rest are headed back to what Adam Sandler called “lunch lady land” which is of course the school cafeteria. Until recently the food ranged between sub-par fast food and the kind of spooned-on fare that would make prison servers on “Lock Up” cringe.  Now, like a chef trying to stuff a lobster into the boiling water, schools are trying to beat back the obesity epidemic by adding in nutrition to the student diets.

According to recent article in USA Today schools in places like Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina are adding menu items with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I’m not really taking a stand here except to say, “GREAT!” And now, to ask, will the kids eat it and what will you do at home to keep things moving?

In the last 10 years the childhood obesity rate has gotten higher than the kids at the skate park and something has to be done about it. If our kids are only eating lunch and maybe a snack at school, then they are getting overweight on our watch. So what do we do at home and away to give them a fighting chance in life at being someone’s type and not some doctor’s Type 2?

–          Sandwiches should have high-fiber bread. Want a secret? It doesn’t have to be “dark brown”, the kids always catch on to that. There are high fiber wheat breads you just have to read the labels.

–          Fruits and vegetables at every meal. Pre-slice and peel them when possible, except apples and bananas which will turn that color that makes kids throw them out without a second thought. And fruit “snacks” are not fruit they are Gummi bears.  If your boss wanted to pay you with 10% real money that wouldn’t fly now would it. Feed the kids 10% real fruit won’t cut it.

–          Drinks are calories too. We forget that we are what we “drink” too, especially our kids who are suck loads of sugar through those juice pouch straws. Sodas, juices, energy drinks, and more are packing on the pounds to our kids giving them more to carry than just a heavy math book.

Oh, and when it comes to eating snacks at home I hear that nonsense about having healthy “options” available but let’s be honest. If there’s an apple on the counter next to an open carton of Chips Ahoy that apple will be lost at sea.  So dump the healthy options and stock the house with delicious and attractive snacks only and they’ll eat them.  Next time that little swarm of chicken-nugget-eating locusts descends on your house you’ll be ready.

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