USDA to Help Kids eat Healthier at School

[random3434]

I don't care if you all call it a 'Nanny State' law, I think it's a great idea. More people need to eat healthier, kids AND adults.

Reasons behind introducing new rules

The US Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, said, “For the first time in a generation we are proposing significant improvements to the nutritional quality of the meals served to the children across America.”

“It is first time in 15 years that changes have been proposed regarding the nutritional quality of food served at schools.
”The Agriculture Secretary said that children get nearly half the calories at school and any improvement in the meals at school is bound to have a positive impact.

The Centre for Disease Control and prevention estimates that about 17 percent children in the country are obese. Overweight children are more prone to problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

USDA proposes new rules for serving healthy meals at schools | The Money Times

 

[uscitizen]

And who said Ketchup is a vegetable in relation to school lunches?

 

[Oddball]

Like the schools are going to be any better at that than they are at teaching readin', writin' and 'rithmatic?

I don't thin so, Lucy.

 

[Sherry]

Schools should model such things as good eating habits. It only took one time to have my first graders do food journals, and then I decided not to do that anymore. For those who were honest about the crap they were fed at home, I just had no desire to scold the parents via their children for such choices.

 

[uscitizen]

Were it not for schools many children would not even get any breakfast.

 

[Trajan]

schools buy food from the lowest bid supplier. At least they do here, thats what I have been told by my wifes best friend who is an administrator at a local school district. She says the quality is not up to snuff, and that the real issue is the menu, they tried salad bars, nope, kids won’t eat it, they just went down the block after school to the local fast food joints. Those of course that poor will eat what they like only, that is the grill cheese and pizza not the salad bar.

 

[uscitizen]

The main problem is piss poor parents.

 

[Trajan]

Were it not for schools many children would not even get any breakfast.

to an extent I agree, however, we now will be now be serving dinner in some school districts. At the end of the day when you remove or allay responsibility, you get less of it too.

why buy a mattress, or proper bedding? the schools can load the gym with bunk beds and the kids can just stay at school and not bother going home...

We can have , (since there are what, I saw 25% of families don't register their kids in Schip) doctors come in to the schools for exams after hours......humm, an abortion clinic, yea a high school infirmary that performs on site abortions......does that hold merit?

see where i am going here?

Schools have had control over caloric intake for 40 years in the meals they serve, back then obesity was approx. 5-7%, now we spend 12 billion a year and its 17-20%......

 

[random3434]

The main problem is piss poor parents.

That goes without saying. I had a student who couldn't wait to get home from school everyday so she could drink her orange fago and eat her doritos. It's all she talked about every single day.


And Trajen, don't you think the kids are more fat today because back in the 'olden days' they didn't have video games, computers, et al...kids played outside then, rode their bikes, explored the woods, went on hikes, yada yada...............


Technology is what has helped fatten up our youth also.

 

[uscitizen]

Parents seem to think getting their kids a nintendo or cell phone is more important than good nutrition or a good education.

 

[boedicca]

Considering the correlation of the rise of childhood obesity with more meals being provided by the school system, this new program is the equivalent of pouring gasoline on a fire.

In reality, Big Food Lobbyists will get more crap food pumped through the government funded school distribution system.

 

[uscitizen]

Umm I think the issue is teaching better eating habits and providing healthier food at school.

 

[Paulie]

In a perfect world this is a great idea, but the problem is that it perpetuates bad parenting. Why do your job as a parent when the school system is doing it for you?

The conundrum is, how do we get parents back on track?

The answer to that is I don't fucking have any idea.

 

[Ozmar]

Like the schools are going to be any better at that than they are at teaching readin', writin' and 'rithmatic?

I don't thin so, Lucy.

Of course, because reading and arithmetic are so similar to food.

 

[random3434]

Like the schools are going to be any better at that than they are at teaching readin', writin' and 'rithmatic?

I don't thin so, Lucy.

Of course, because reading and arithmetic are so similar to food.

Maybe they can eat their math books, I heard it tastes like Pi

 

[uscitizen]

Like the schools are going to be any better at that than they are at teaching readin', writin' and 'rithmatic?

I don't thin so, Lucy.

Of course, because reading and arithmetic are so similar to food.

Maybe they can eat their math books, I heard it tastes like Pi

Rectangular Pi.

 

[Ozmar]

Maybe they can drink square root beer?
Yes, that was the best I could come up with on short notice.

 

[uscitizen]

Unless I am mistaken Pi is useless when dealing with rectangles?

 

[Zoom-boing]

The Appleton School District in Wisconsin changed their menus. It started with the Appleton Central Alternative Charter High School’s Nutrition and Wellness Program. While tackling obesity is certainly important, other benefits from better food/nutrition include better focus, attention, less irritability, less anger leading to improvements both physical and mental health. Here's a link to the program (started in 1997) and the results. Garbage in = garbage out; quality in = quality out.

http://www.michaelfieldsaginst.org/work/urbanag/case_study.pdf

 

[Ozmar]

Maybe some of our politicians should change their diets.