WHAT ARE SCHOOLS DOING TO OUR KIDS????

I live in the Bay Area and we are considered one of the healthier places to live. Yeah, right. The kids go off campus to Chili's and McDonald's every day. My 16 year old, fortunately, comes home to a sandwich and some veggies which I always have in the house, and my 12 year old prefers me to pack because SHE says the lunches at school are so bad for you. When a 12 year old says that, you know something is wrong. I'm not a stickled for health food, but I do try to keep them eating basically right. I think schools need to keep kids on campus, cut the junk food and soda vending machines and set an example for the rest of society. The fact is that mom's these days are too lazy to pack lunches so if the schools did a better job, our kids would eat well at least once a day.
 
That is awful! You have every right to be upset.

I would try talking to your school district's Food Service Director and see where that gets you. I work for a school district and we just hired a new food service director and she is awesome. All soda machines have been removed from the schools, no more ice-cream, no more fries or pizza. The only pizza they serve is homemade with low-fat cheese. Fresh fruits and fresh veggies are included with every meal. They've done away with white bread and substitued wheat, only have low-fat milk.

I'm telling you this b/c if it can be done at our school, I'm sure it can be done elsewhere too. And can you believe that we've had parents complaining about this????? I think that if you can get a petition going you'll have a better chance of getting the ball moving.

Good luck!
 
And can you believe that
>we've had parents complaining about this?????

Sad to say, yes I can believe it.
Thank you for the advice! I will get started on it. Should I start by going door to door? Actually that is a stupid question. Of course I should!
 
Missy,

I can totally relate to your feelings. My 15 months old DS is in an expensive daycare ($1400 per month for 5 full day care with no more than 10 hrs each day). I thought they would pay more attention to the food they provided to kids. When I first checked the activity board, the snack is not perfect (it has juice & ice cream sometimes), but at least not that bad compared to the lunch menu I saw. Sloppy Joe?!! I can't believe it. And the school has very strict rule that we can not bring food or snack to school since they are afraid of other kids allergy.

In this battle, I felt so lonely and helpless. Most of my daughter's friends can buy things from vendor machine. Those food are full load of junk. It's very tough to teach her that it is not her mom bad to her without giving her money (she is 7 yr old). I wanted her to live healthy not spend the rest of her life in the sick bed...


WantFit

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http://wantfit.blogspot.com/
 
That's terrible...we have the same problem here & they are trying to work on it but it's hard when Pepsi and Coke pay the schools to have their soda machines & other vendors do the same. I'm not knocking P or C specifically since they aren't the only ones, but it's sad when schools need the money so much they feel they have to take it from the business community who profit from it.

It's also tough when the kids get fed the junk at home & don't want to eat other things at school since "healthy" food is different to them.

At least you are concerned about it--I would freak too if I heard their idea of "proper nourishment" is a POP TART!! Whoever suggested the idea contacting the school board is a good one--except if they work for one of the food vendors!!

Leslie
 
I think it's funny, actually...Chelsea (my DD-4th grade) won't eat school lunches to save her life...She's "spoiled" she tells me...She was SO excited to find a friend this year that likes spinich, too!!

I know that I had a teacher call last year asking why I put a spinich/tomato salad in her lunch...Now, she ate it, so what did the teacher think? I was beating her to make her eat healthy?? Unreal...Of course, this was the same teacher that had an issue with me not giving her milk money and sending carob soymilk in her lunch...

MJ in MN
 
Oh my goodness - I can't believe that a teacher would call you questioning why you sent in your child a healthy lunch. Unbelievable . . .
 
Hi Missy,
I live in Ma near the Cape.Talking to the food director would be a good start. Or even the manager of the school cafe.
PTA meetings might be of some help.

Maureen
 
I was pretty ticked, too...It was really thinking she thought I FORCE her or something...I think we need more parents like us to get some of the systems changed...

My daughter's in the after school day care program a couple days a week (fall and spring only), and they are served PopTarts (as many other schools are) for afternoon snack...There are 3 groups of parents (myself and DH included) that have taken to sending our own snacks for the kids...It's amazing how many kids DO eat the healthier items once they see the other kids enjoying it...People taste buds are trained when their young...My daughter was never raised on junk...She doesn't like junk...I just wish more parents were like us!

MJ in MN
 
I work at a pre-school and parents donate the snacks and juice. Juice is supposed to be 100% juice, but we occasionally still get
Hi-C! I usually put that out on the celebration days only, like Thanksgiving. The snacks are what tick me off. They send crap! Once in awhile we get a parent that sends fresh fruit and we are always very grateful and always let them know! I am not sure if many parents know what a healthy snack is. We do put it in the newsletter every month but we still get crap! What to do?
Colleen
 
I would be PO'ed too! I don't have any kids but I have seen some of this through my niece and nephew. When my nephew was in preschool the teachers asked the parents to provide healthy snacks. Sounds good until I tell you what was considered healthy! Goldfish crackers, granola bars and baked chips! (My niece's teacher told my sis that she was the "only" parent who packed a veggie in her kids' lunches every day.)

I truly believe if you start them on the right path food wise they will mostly stay on it and come back to it when they stray. My sister's kids can't stand white bread. Also, when I had them for a few days recently, all they kept mentioning was how everyone but them gets to have Lunchables, Lunchables are healthy etc. So finally I let them each pick one out - not thinking for a second they would actually eat them. I was right. They each took a couple of bites and then asked for some of the leftover roast chicken I was eating. They hated the Lunchables. That stuff looks and tastes like PLASTIC!

Sparrow

___________________
www.scifichics.com
 
My DD's school doesn't have a cafeteria, so everyone brings their lunch or goes home. After complaints from many parents, the pop machine was removed last year and replaced with a milk machine and a machine that dispenses pure fruit juices and water. She's in a before and after school program at the school and they serve a snack in the morning and afternoon. It's fresh fruit and whole grain crackers and cheeses and multi-grain bagels. I consider myself lucky in that regard.
 
I have this same issue with my childrens school. And get this they have an organic garden but, they don't even use the vegetables in the hot lunch program. They still use the cheap junk they get for free from the usda. Ugh! And why does the USDA give out peanut butter with sugar and hydrogenated oil? Aren't they supposed to be teaching people about good eating habits?
Heather
 
>That's terrible...we have the same problem here & they are
>trying to work on it but it's hard when Pepsi and Coke pay the
>schools to have their soda machines & other vendors do the
>same.

At our university, we used to have a McDonalds, complete with the big yellow "M" on several signs around the university that listed academic buildings!

There are Pepsi machines in every building, as well as candy/chips machines. Last year, they put a Pepsi machine in the hallway across from my office (most of them are in the stair wells. I wrote a letter of protest, saying that school building are for academics, not for sellling junk food, and got most of my department colleagues to sign it. Three weeks later, they moved the machine (outside! under an overhang....got to keep those profits coming!)
 
I am sure my opinion will be unpopular but I read the subject line and I thought perhaps kids were being tortured or something.

I have to say while I think school lunches could improve, I don't think an occasional nutty bar or soda is going to hurt anyone. Everyone, including children, need to have a healthy appreciation and respect for food choices.

When I was little, I had several friends who were restricted from drinking soda (only juice was allowed) and weren't allowed any "junk food". Well let me tell you, they overindulged anytime they were away from home and ate or drank three times as much as anyone else who was not restricted.

If you teach your chidren about healthy eating and allow them to occasionally have treats without freaking out over it, they ultimately will make the right choices. Too many times children grow up with their parent's food obsessions.
 
I agree about not passing on food obsessions to our children by being overly restrictive, but the type and frequency of treats should be at the family's discretion, not the school's. I does not sound to me like any of these mom's concerned with the health of their children is being overly restrictive.

I home school, so I don't have to worry about what a school feeds my kids without my consent, but just the thought of my choices for my kids being undermined by others is infuriating.

Good luck to all of you in your efforts for healthier food choices in the public schools and keep feeding your kids those good foods--if they can develop a taste for them when they are young that's a good thing. We can always enjoy junk food and treats, but learning to like healthy food takes more effort--the earlier you start those good habits the better. JMHO

Maggie:)
 
I appreciate your willingess to speak up even though everyone's comments are different. I do agree with you, we need balance and moderation in everything that we do wether it be excercising, eating, work vs. play.... I little bit of this and that is NOT bad. That is why I don't deprive my kids of cookies or ice cream and the other things that makes childhood fun. My complaint is that the school is handing out sugar-coated pastries filled with fruity flavored sugary gel as a well balanced breakfast and Nutty Bars as a healthy snack in between tests. What is that teaching our kids? That suagr is indeed an important food group and main course? There was/is no healthy alternative. The lunches are comprised of soft pretzels, corndogs and nachos and the fruit choices are between canned corn syrupy fruit or juice with natural flavors. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect something healthier than that to be offered as 1/3 of their meals through the week, what kind of foundation is that? What are thier cells being built on? I don't care if they give them a cookie each day, just give them real food and vegetables along with it and give them healthy alternatives, not just what is on the menu or processed pb&j.

Missy
 
Missy-

AMEN!! I totally agree...My daughter CHOOSES to eat like me...Now when I'm not home, I know her and DH have "quality" time watching American Chopper and having an Oreo or two in front of the TV (she still CHOOSES to dip hers in soy milk!)...

I still can't believe these are the same school districts that will try to correct bad eating habits with health class...By that time, the damage is done!!!

MJ in MN
 
Hey, that was me growing up! My parents tried to restrict junk food in the house - we would have cake very rarely, and NEVER soda pop, candy, etc. I ended up sneaking junk at my grandmother's house - she kept a candy dish and I would empty it. I would also sneak chocolate chips meant for baking, then I would go to the store and buy replacement bags. I ended up with an eating disorder, and to this day have a hard time restricting myself to reasonable portions of any junk food. The idea of eating one cookie and stopping is something I have not been able to grasp, although I KNOW I could if I really wanted to.

I ended up with a weight problem (now under control - exercise helps), and so did my sister (not under control). I kept junk in the house when my kids were growing up so they would not end up like me - the result of that tactic, one has a severe weight problem and one does not.
Just Do It! :)
 
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