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

kathryn

kathryn

Cathlete
Last night, there was a Biggest Loser special edition, where the two BL trainers went to a couple of high schools to work with kids.

I only saw bits and pieces of it, but I did catch Bob visiting the school cafeteria. What they serve kids is appalling! The 'vegetable' of the day was tater tots! No greens visible anywhere (or maybe I missed that?) And it was heavy on processed carbs (piles of doughnuts, bagels, and pastries, and candy for sale right at the lunch counter!). The cafeteria workers were talking about some health initiative that they were starting to follow (not very much,, it seems) which lead them to use turkey pepperoni and whole grain crusts for the pizza. They kept defending their offerings by saying that they had to offer things that kids would buy.

Bob said there was nothing there that he would eat...and I agree!

Discuss....
 
i was just getting ready to mention this too. i could not believe what they offer for kids. no wonder their is such an epidemic with. that show really hit home to me. their attempt (feeble at best) was to serve some salad and sandwiches over in the corner, while showcasing the crap. i dont understand how they get away with that. did you hear the female trainer, can't remember her name, telling the kids in the beginning that for the first time in history, the kids today have a shorter life-expectancy than their parents....i hope the parents were listening cuz i think these habits start at home....like taking your kids to starbucks for a sugar loaded frappucino??? since when did an 8 year old need caffeine and so much sugar??? it is such a problem, and you have to wonder what the solution is... who is going to listen...the information is out there for people, but they just don't seem to take it to heart...
 
I had it on while I was baking a cake last night (ducking in shame!)! It was really sad that they were hard pressed to find redeeming factors in the cafeteria. NO wonder there's an issue with obesity in teens. I didn't catch the whole statement, but I recall someone in the cafeteria (a worker or manager) saying "well, we are here to make money, you know!"
 
unfortunately, it seems that everything today is about making money regardless of the affects it is having on society...that is funny that you were baking a cake....don't worry, we wont tell bob about it. i allow myself a few small cookies at night as a treat too.

it is sad to hear these teens talking about being made fun of because they are fat, and how it affects their young lives....the education on eating right and being healthy has to start at home, but must be reenforced at school...
 
This is exactly the reason why my kids get their lunches packed.

ETA that last year during ISTEP testing they did offer the kids "healthy brain food" for their testing: pop tarts, nutter butters and Little Debbie snacks. x(

Missy
 
I saw it and was disgusted also. Tator Tots as a vegetable? WTH? Then someone said they had salad and sandwich "offerings", but the kids never bought those. Where were they? I didn't see any salads or sandwiches. No wonder no one bought them, they couldn't find them. And if they did finally find them, they were probably all wilted and gross from hiding so long in the corner. I know lots of kids that would pick a salad or sandwich if they were decent and FRESH.
 
I don't have children and I don't watch The Biggest Loser, but here's my .02.

From my vast observations (all of my friends and neighbors have school aged children), I believe eating habits at school mirror what children eat at home. It's really appalling to me how few parents cook a meal at home, or if they do cook, they rely on prepackaged and highly processed foods.

This is evidenced in the grocery store as well. Let's start with the high school kids that work in the grocery store. They cannot identify common vegetables. I can't tell you how many times the checkout person (all check out persons, kids as well as adults) need to ask me what an item is, like parsnips or brussel sprouts.

When I see parents shopping and they've got a kid or 2 in tow, I rarely see an assortment of healthy fare in their cart. They are loaded with squishy white bread, frozen pizza, boxes of mac & cheese, sugar laden cereals, chips, pop, etc.

Yes, it's terrible to see what's on the menu in our schools, but I don't think they can afford to provide a lot of foods that kids won't buy. It's a huge problem but I think it's up to the parents to provide a healthy, well balanced diet to their children. If they were in the habit of eating healthy food at home, they'd be more likely to make wise choices at school.
 
>When I see parents shopping and they've got a kid or 2 in tow,
>I rarely see an assortment of healthy fare in their cart. They
>are loaded with squishy white bread, frozen pizza, boxes of
>mac & cheese, sugar laden cereals, chips, pop, etc.

Michele, you forgot about Doritos, Hamburger Helper, about a dozen varieties of cookies and cereal bars. ;)

In all seriousness, it makes me completely sick to see mothers with their cars full of this junk with their kids in tow - some of which are overweight or have caps on their teeth from eating/drinking too much sugar. Depending on what time I go, I get a lot of stares when I shop because all I have in my cart are fresh veggies, fruits, whole wheat breads and pastas, whole wheat flour and other baking needs and seasonings (something other than salt). I actually get people asking me why I would want to eat that when I am already so thin... x(

>Yes, it's terrible to see what's on the menu in our schools,
>but I don't think they can afford to provide a lot of foods
>that kids won't buy. It's a huge problem but I think it's up
>to the parents to provide a healthy, well balanced diet to
>their children. If they were in the habit of eating healthy
>food at home, they'd be more likely to make wise choices at
>school.

I agree with you here!!! Most parents that I have talked to really don't care about the school lunch because it IS so much like what they offer their kids at home. :( I do have to admit, though, that my kids, even though they eat great at home, will still always choose the crap at school because of all the added sugar and salt. It just tastes better.

Missy
 
I saw it too and it was just disgusting. Part of the problem though, aside from the starting at home thing (which is absolutely true!)is our government. School funding has been cut so dramatically that the schools have to resort to other options to raise funds. So they open their cafeterias to corporate sponsorship. In one scene they were fuzzing the logos out, but you could see the pizza was from Dominos and the soda from Coca-Cola. Those companies pay to have their products in the schools and the schools need the money to operate, so....... It's a vicious cycle. Until our government takes schools, education and health seriously, the trickle-down will never happen. It's very sad. I'm glad I don't have kids in the system right now, because I would be forced to march in and demand changes. Unfortunately, I don't think enough parents say anything about this, either. No one complains so they won't change anything soon.
 
I agree that most of what is sold in a school cafeteria (not just the two they showed, but pretty much all cafeterias) is totally devoid of any substance and nutritional value. However, because cafeterias have to earn money in order for them to stay open (there is little, if any, funding, that comes from the district budget to operate the cafeteria), the people who run them are between a rock and a hard place. Even a child who has great role modeling at home on nutrition are far more likely to buy a piece of pizza and a soda vs. a turkey sandwich and a lowfat milk. Eating healthy has to be a conscious choice that is made despite the availability of temptations. How many teens do you honestly know who day in and day out would always choose the healthy options? So cafeterias supply what sells.

The district I work for is implementing a fairly aggressive policy on nutrition this year. Part of this policy was to remove soda from all schools, eliminate outside vendors from selling on school campus', and to have at least 50% of all offerings meet nutrition standards set forth by the USDA and our local Department of Public Health. This started in the fall and just last month the cafeteria workers came to the district in a panic because their earnings had dropped by over 50% and they were in danger of having to close cafeterias because of loss of revenue. So they are asking for funds to supplement them, a very hard task indeed with so many districts, including the one I work for, having financial difficulties. So solving the problems of nutrition, economics, and freedom of choice (i.e. having selections to choose from) is very difficult.

I guess this a very long winded way of saying that what's going on in our schools with regards to nutrition is a travesty. And there's also not an easy answer. It will take the whole community coming together to make it happen. Until this takes place, I think the chances for success are slim at best.
 
I saw it last night. It was discusting. How can that be? Our poor children will not live as long as their parents. That is totaly wrong. Something just has to be done about that.

What is it we can do? I need to know, because I'd like to change it if at all possible. It's a big problem and needs to be resolved. Any ideas out there? Jeesh!

I guess my first start is educating the children. children need to learn about nutrition. They are in a school to learn. Perhaps some classes on nutrituion will help.

Janie

The idea is to die young as late as possible.

www.picturetrail.com/janiejoey
 
Alright, this thought just occured to me. I would like to know what you guys think about this:

what if we just got rid of school lunches altogether and parents provided their kid's lunches?

I know that I don't have a problem with that (I am doing it already!) but I would love to hear any thoughts that you guys have on it. It would solve the problem of not having enough funding for lunches and parents will be taking control of their own children's diets (I personally feel like the government shouldn't be deciding what our kids eat, anyways).

Missy
 
I think the parents whose children qualify for free or reduced lunch would seriously object to this. Since public schools get funding to provide services for low income families (lunch is just one of the many services) schools would again be financially impacted. Also these students would then run the risk of not receiving any food during the day. Many low income families rely on these programs to subsidize their child's nutrition. It would bring up some real dilemnas between the 'haves' and 'have nots'.
 
I hadn't thought of that angle...

it completely blows that the program that they rely on to help them is only hurting their kids. :( that is seriously screwed up.

Missy
 
>From my vast observations (all of my friends and neighbors
>have school aged children), I believe eating habits at school
>mirror what children eat at home. It's really appalling to me
>how few parents cook a meal at home, or if they do cook, they
>rely on prepackaged and highly processed foods.

This isn't true for all. I have home-cooked meals every night for my two teen-aged boys. We have the basic meat-starch-vegetable kind of meals. I know they eat junk at school. I make sure they eat well at home to combat it. It would irk me more to pack a lunch and have them throw portions of it away. I used to do lunch duty at the middle school and there were countless apples, oranges, and milk cartons (unopened) in the trash everyday. I don't think kids buy the apples and oranges, only to toss them - they are coming from home.

I wish the schools had the funds to have a nice salad bar that the kids could build their own salads. Then they could charge by the ounce like many cafeterias do. At least the choice would be there and be appealing. But it will never happen. Too much prep time, too little money, too much time associated with weighing and pricing the salad.

I saw The Biggest Loser last night. That food just looked gross to me.

Diane
 
Sadly, the school in the show was in my city. I missed it, but now I wish I hadn't!

I don't remember school lunch being yummy OR nutritious back in the day - in high school, I remember eating a Hostess Cherry Pie and a lemonade for lunch. It took me years to learn how to eat well. Obviously, my parents didn't do a great job in that area! My kids definitely are learning about balance.

I pack lunch for my DD 4 days a week, and she buys lunch on 1. On that day, she gets a pizza combo - yes, from Domino's. Luckily, they have a morning snack at recess and she's good about eating her apple, Triscuits, yoghurt, etc.

I ate the Thanksgiving "feast" in the cafeteria this year with the kids - pretty nasty, and I'm still trying to figure out why the stuffing was bright green!
 
My daughter's school doesn't have a cafeteria. All the kids bring their lunch or go home for lunch. They used to have a pop machine, but the parents petitioned to have it removed. Now we have a milk machine, and one that sells bottled water. Once a week, the middle school kids sell frozen yogurt as a fundraiser, and once every two weeks, they have a pizza day, which is organized by the teachers. The kids can buy a slice of pizza for $1.25. No pop or chips or add-ons are offered.
 
RE: Biggest Loser Special on HIgh Schools ...anyone see...

I also agree that nutrition and fitness education need to be put at the forefront in our schools. The local school system just sent us a form asking us what they think our kids are lacking educationally speaking. My vote is fitness/nutrition and finance. Both of these topics are rarely taught and both are a big fact of life...lessons that could be used every single day!

If we all really want to make a difference, maybe we should contact our schools and volunteer to teach a session on healthy nutrition and fitness. Education is the key and if parents aren't educated, then neither will their kids be - unless someone breaks the cycle. IMO, you don't have to be a certified expert to give great advice on making healthy changes. I just like to tell kids you don't have to be perfect, just strive to do better than you are right now and keep striving to do better and better.

I am by no means a perfect (or even close to perfect) eater. I do however, cook meals every night and exercise with Cathe at least 5 days a week. I also make sure I always offer fruits and veges at meals and have them available in the frig.

I for one, am currently working on a curriculum for a finance class which is almost finished. After I present this to the school principal, I will start working on a fitness curriculum as well, which I have already started gathering materials for. I can't wait to hopefully present this material to our local school soon. Another thing we could all do to try and solve this problem is to contact our legislators and let them know how we feel about this. Also, it may be worth a shot to apply for school grants to help fund more heathly eating choices. If we truly want this to change, we have to DO something about it. Just my thoughts......

Angie
 
What a sad statement for our country! I liked it when Kim Lyons told the auditorium of kids that for the first time in history, the parents had a longer life expectancy than the kids! What an eye-opener!
It made me think back to my cafeteria. My senior year, I went to the lunch ladies (super, super, super small school....17 in my graduating class) and asked to keep a HUGE chef salad sans cheese in the fridge for me and if I could store my salad dressing there. Everyday was a salad and maybe something else, it all depended on what they served, and skim milk. There was a soda machine, but it was locked except during lunch and after school. What a difference!

I had to admit to myself that several years ago, I would have been right there with that little girl and her cheesy potato rounds with ranch dressing....now, Not on your life!
 
RE: Biggest Loser Special on HIgh Schools ...anyone see...

In Great Britain they've been trying to revamp the food in school cafeterias. They've cleaned up the menus and have also gone as far as not allowing the children to leave the school grounds at lunch (so they won't hit the fast food joints down the street). Now get this --some of the parents have been so upset about the schools ban on selling junk food they started buying junk food lunches and shoving it thru the school fence to the children. Very, very sad!
 
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