No good deed goes unpunished

Posted on September 26, 2012 by admin

In the first couple of weeks of the new school year, I, along with some other parent volunteers, stood in the lunch lines and helped the kids make “healthy choices”. I aptly named myself the “Fruit & Veggie Pusher” because, we all know the healthy choices were just getting more (or any for that matter) fruits and vegetables on those kids’ plates. The school lunch provider (corporate lame processed food broker) now give the kids the choice to take “as many” vegetables or fruits as they’d like (while they’re in line, but can’t go back for more) and usually doesn’t actually serve them to the kids. The children can pick out individual containers (or none at all) of the “healthy choice” stuff. Now, at the end of each line is a prominently displayed case of snack foods. I think it’s ridiculous that they have snacks at lunch.

Do you know how many kids I saw not eat their healthier foods and go get 2-4 bags of chips every day? Too many! These are empty calories that will just make most people fat. They provide no nutritional value, but there they are… at $1 a pop for the kids to buy (if their parents haven’t put restrictions on their accounts). these kids eaten enough food to go on for the rest of the day? Well, not if they’re not taking the fruits and vegetables. And then there are those kids who are already too big and they certainly don’t need any more calories, empty or not. I know that a lot of parents think that give the kids the choice and they’ll learn to make the right decisions. Well, not always.

Studies show that even adults make poor eating decisions and will overeat more often than not, and will take junk even when they’re not hungry. (Read Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink) Anyway, my kids aren’t allowed to buy the snack foods at school. I just wish it wasn’t allowed in schools in the first place. Because I feel that other parents, if aware of their children’s real eating habits and what the snack foods will do in the long run, they wouldn’t want their kids eating them as well. They care about their kids, they want them to be happy and grow up healthy. And, I’m not saying I don’t buy these snack foods occasionally, but I certainly don’t want my kids eating them daily, and especially in place of real food. So, I just seem I’m just on a rant at times… until I found out what a real rant is one day.

On Fridays the kids get ice cream. Many look forward all week to that treat. My kids are actually allowed to buy one; it’s only once a week. Anyway in our first week one parent volunteer asked me about the frozen desserts that were displayed (they weren’t ice creams). They were artificially colored, flavored stuff and sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The mom thought that the food service provider had stopped using HFCS. So, when the Food Service Director (FSD) came in, I asked him about them along with numerous other things. It was one of the only things he acted on. He got rid of them, in between service. If it had been me, I would’ve sold them and then not bought anymore, but I’m not in charge.

Anyway, the following week when there was no ice cream or any other frozen treats I asked the woman in charge of the kitchen why not. She said because of the HFCS stuff taken away last week that they can’t buy them. I reminded her (since I was there during it all) that they could buy stuff that wasn’t sweetened with HFCS (I can’t get the artificial colors banned yet). “Well, I just got a list today” was her response. Well, no biggie, I thought. Ha-ha! Until the gym teacher came in. She was screaming at me, “why isn’t there any ice cream?!!” I told her that when the FSD came in last week that he got rid of them because of the HFCS. Then I told her to ask the women that worked there about it because she kept on about it. A few minutes later she came back out and got right in my face yelling, “Who says they can’t have high fructose corn syrup?! Is this a government ban?! Is it the FDA?! As a parent I want to know!!” For goodness sakes, she’s one of the ones teaching our kids’ health and nutrition. I tried to calmly tell her that it was most likely the Food Service Provider’s decision, but it may be because of the USDA’s health guidelines. I tried to tell her that they can buy real ice cream and that there is all natural pudding there. Oy. I’ve always liked this woman, and I was quite shocked at how she treated me. I wasn’t there to get rid of the ice cream. I was trying to get the kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. I would like the snack foods out, but I haven’t pushed on that yet. I really want to do good for the children. One girl’s lunch with mostly healthy choices (she ate the scrambled egg first).

The Fruit & Vegetable Pusher

Posted on September 5, 2012 by admin

Our kids’ school year just began the other day and I have decided to try something different to help our elementary school students eat more fruits and vegetables. At the last school year’s PTA meeting I had been given the idea to get some parent volunteers to come in to help the first graders get through the lunch lines on those first few days of school. Although they’d had a run-though of what to do/expect at the end of their Kindergarten year, it could be overwhelming for the wee ones when returning after their long summer break. I decided to use the opportunity to do a little coaxing when it came to the fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately our school lunch provider doesn’t automatically give the kids those, they usually just offer them. And not only are they just offered, they are in small plastic containers (except a couple of whole apples, oranges or bananas) that are set in a bin the kids have to reach to get (which can be tough for the smaller ones).

So, I organized my volunteers to gently persuade all the kids (grades1 through 4) to take as many of the small containers as they’d like by telling them what’s in them and to say, “which one would you like sweet red peppers or coleslaw… or both?” instead of just saying “would you like some vegetables?” And if they refused try to convince them they needed their vegetables and fruits for a well-rounded meal, to be strong, to be smart, to be healthy. Whatever they could think of that would work.

Interestingly I found that the lunch ladies hadn’t planned on the kids taking so many of these containers of vegetables and fruits as we’d run out during service for each grade every time in the first week (they were prepared but in the walk-in inside the kitchen — where I wasn’t allowed to go). Continue reading →

It’s hard to get down from here.

Posted on September 25, 2010 by admin

I got into an almost heated debate with another mom about school lunches. My good friend told me to get off my soapbox. It’s hard. I am very passionate about good, healthy food. I believe it is so possible to provide healthful lunches that kids will eat. Even if it means feeding 500 plus kids. Restaurants do it all the time; hotels too. We didn’t even have some of this junk masquerading as food half a century ago, and they managed to serve kids food— that they’d eat. I brought up an analogy that I’ve been using lately, that parents (or adults in general) wouldn’t consider giving their kid a cigarette, but they’d allow them to eat food-stuff that is just as poisonous. That’s what got the other mom incensed. I’m not saying that they’re bad parents, I’m saying the food companies that put the sh*t in the foods are the bad guys. People don’t believe that there are additives in some foods that are just as toxic as cigarettes and get angry at me when I try to compare them. On the whole people just not been educated about it — because these “food” companies are marketing their foods as healthy. And just like the cigarette companies did years ago, they hide or change the research to suit their ends.

They also take healthful foods and turn them into junk. I remember the fruit rollups we used to get in the deli as a kid. Big sheets of apricot, grape or cherry rolled up that were sticky and fairly difficult to unravel or take off the cellophane. Now we have too many different “fruit” snacks and roll-ups that are in all kinds of shapes and colors with cartoon characters touting the goodness of the garbage inside the box. Yogurt now comes in neon colors with cookie toppings. Oils are chemically changed to last forever so the foods they’re in stay “fresh” on the shelves longer. Other countries have banned certain colors, more have warning labels on foods, and many consumer groups have recommended banning the use here— or at least warning labels.

Look at my post about homemade chicken nuggets. I inspired a friend with two extremely picky eaters to make them. Her kids love them now. And when I say picky, I mean really, really picky. It is possible. But it isn’t always easy and we need the parents on board.

But I guess I’m just some unrealistic idealist who thinks kids’ futures— physical and mental health and overall wellbeing, depend upon getting fed healthy foods. Actually I’m here to help— whether it’s to educate, inspire or just give some pretty good recipes. Not judge. And hey, since I was going out, my kids had pizza tonight. I’m not perfect, I may not have the most practical view but I do care. I want my kids, and yours, to grow up healthy and remain that way.

I’ll step off the soapbox now and head to bed.

My Kids Really Eat This

getting kids to eat well in the real world

Tag Archives: school lunches

No good deed goes unpunished

The Fruit & Vegetable Pusher

It’s hard to get down from here.