Biggest Loser Special on HIgh Schools ...anyone see it?

[sarab]

RE: Biggest Loser Special on HIgh Schools ...anyone see...

Well, I have some very picky eaters and one of their favorite meals (all 3 will eat it) is Hamburger Helper. Instead of not feeding this to them, I add healthy side dishes like carrot sticks. My 2 year old loves mac and cheese (from the box, I made homemade once and not one child would touch it!). So, in her mac and cheese, I cook and mash carrots and mix it in her food. It makes me feel better about serving HH and box foods to them.

I am not going to not allow my kids to eat foods like pizza, burgers, cookies, etc. My mother did not allow me to eat "junk" food and I became a junk food junkie by the time I was 6. (My dad would buy me candy and we would hide it from my mom.) I don't want them to become junk food addicts like I did. Rather than keep them from these foods, I serve them healthy snacks and veggies with every meal. I guess I am compensating for the junk they do eat. Now, I refuse to buy soda...but we will all (well, except my youngest...she does not get much sugary type stuff yet)drink one once in awhile. I always encourage healthy foods, but I let them have some junk also.

It is funny because the other day my son (in kindergarten) asked me why all the other kids bring brownies for snacks and he doesn't. Without even thinking I told him because brownies are dessert and all the other kids are going to be fat with rotten teeth. I just hope he does not repeat what I said!!

Anyway, kids are going to eat junk food. I think as long as they eat it in moderation along with healthy foods and daily exercise,they will be okay....

Sara

 

[cjbate]

If anyone rents the DVD "Supersize Me" there is a segment on school lunches. They also profile 2 schools that use alternative-to-the-norm companies that provide delicious looking, healthy, veggie-centric school lunches.

edited to say....the following paragraph refers to a different school than the above...

There is a whole sub segment on adolescent females eating candy bars and soda for lunch every day. Immediately preceeded by the administration insisting their kids made healthy choices even though there were candy bars and sodas available, if I remember correctly.

If you offered my kids (8, 5 and 3) a healthy choice of a nice green salad and say, roasted turkey strips.... or "mac n cheese and tator tots" I know what they'd choose...not the salad! Even though we eat healthy at home! So...I make them their lunch: turkey or peanut butter sandwich, fruit, sometimes carrots and ranch dressing, a small cookie, with water to drink. Water.

Occasionally the 8 year old complains he doesn't get Luncheables like "everyone else". Yuck...have you seen the nutrition stats on those?

I went on a field trip with a first grade class, everyone was required to bring their lunch that day because of logistics...I was appalled at at the high sugar. The cans of juice (as much sugar as a soda), fruit snacks, bars of every flavor, fruit roll ups, cookies, luncheables, Go-gurts. No wonder the diabetes stats are rocking our world.

Jen

 

[sarab]

Jen,

My kids love pizza lunchables and go-gurts!!! But, I agree on the sodas, sugary juices, cookies, etc.

My son won't eat turkey sandwiches and he doesn't care much for the school lunches (unless they are having pizza). I pack him pretty much the same as you, but I like to break up the peanut butter (which isn't very healthy either) with a pizza lunchable. Since he is eating the PB or a lunchable, I compensate: REAL blueberry jelly with REAL bluberries, carrots and ranch, fruit, etc. I guess my philosophy is "As long as my kids eat carrots, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, then I am happy!

As for the go-gurts, I know they are sugary, but it is yogurt. (Another one of my compensations!)I also let my kids eat pudding cups for a snack (along with a nutrigrain bar or fruit). I don't feel bad about the pudding since it has real milk.


Sara

 

[kathryn]

>Occasionally the 8 year old complains he doesn't get
>Luncheables like "everyone else". Yuck...have you seen the
>nutrition stats on those?
I haven't specifically looked at their nutrion label, but just looking at them, I can imagine they are high in salt, fat and processed foods. Sad to think that people think of these as "lunch!"

It was probably good for me, in this instance, that my family didn't have the money for 'extras,' and that I took my lunch almost every day. A couple of days I didn't, I recall having ho-hos or ding dongs available (aren't they about the same thing?) and buying a taco from the vending machine and it had a chunck of something in like gristle).

What school lunches need is a bit more imagination, and training in making healthy and tasty meals. They could certainly make healthier versions of things kids would eat, like chili, and sandwiches and such.

 

[cjbate]

Yeah, you could probably do worse than a go gurt but I still was amazed at the sugar content for such a tiny package!(Sugar makes me break out so I am always peering at labels). Plus I have a kid very sensitive to milk and the artificial colors, both affect his learning and behavior. So I can't buy them anyway. I agree Sara, everything in moderation! It sounds like you have a healthy outlook to me!

We always brought our lunch too, when I was a kid, it was a money thing, and $ is one of the reasons I don't have my kids buy lunch....$3 per day would be $9 for our 3 kids, and this would be $45 a week, x 4 weeks in a month...hey I should be able to buy more workout DVDs ;-P

Jen