A recent article, Hummus in the School Cafeteria, discusses the issues faced with why children don’t eat the healthier foods even if they are offered to them and how school lunch vendors are working to change all of that.
You know… I can honestly tell you that I appreciate the effort that is being made. But I don’t think it should be just within the schools and unfortunately I don’t have much faith in the success of this movement (Which by the way have I mentioned is long overdue?)
So much influence comes from home and that is exactly what one expert stated. The change really needs to come from everyone. It doesn’t do much good to offer healthier foods (and I don’t care what anyone says, school chicken nuggets and pizza are not the healthiest of options), when the children can still choose a different lunch option that isn’t as healthy. The chef salad that is offered won’t do a bit of good as a lunch choice when the 2nd option is a beef burrito.
Besides that, even if the schools and government do succeed with this, then you still have the children who pack lunches or turn to packing lunches in order to get out of hummus and whole wheat breaded chicken nuggets. You’re a parent… you know the whining game… “Buuutt Mooommm I hate the cheese at school. It tastes funny.”
Sound familiar?
That’s when parents will start giving in and packing the lunches. There are many parents out there who won’t even blink to fill the lunch box with chips and pudding cups because it is what the kids want.
But let’s pretend for a moment that the movement to make school lunches healthier is a success. What about the kid who gets a school lunch, takes 2 bites or none at all and then comes home to raid the fridge and cupboards? With a ready made smorgasbord of snacks (fruit snacks are not a fruit), what good did that healthy school lunch do? Nothing.
In light of all that, how plausible do you think it is going to be to get everyone on board? Eating healthier is more expensive (even the schools say so) and buying for a family of four or more is no cheaper.
So what options are the schools and government left with? Should they completely remove all unhealthy options, forcing kids to eat healthy? Should there be incentives for kids and families who rid the junk from their cupboards? How would you propose they change the school lunch program?
Jamie Oliver (well known chef) got schools to provide healthy options & to be honest the kids weren’t impressed, they either didn’t eat the food at all or they just switched to packed lunches from home. While I’m sure some kids will have discovered new meals that they would not have tried otherwise the majority just filled their hunger with the stock at the shop on their way to & from school.
You cannot make food taste good when it is kept warm in a bains marie.
Good job & “food for thought”. I really think that the American families (majority of) are messed up when it comes to a ‘healthy diet/lifestyle’! I’m one to call the kettle black at my younger years of motherhood to provide & allow ‘the babysitter’ to prepare what ever the children wanted..over, and over, and over & over again. Hence outcome, picky eaters! Now, go back a little farther…I never allowed or condoned ‘pop, or kool-aide’ as a liquid refreshment to my children under the age of 12 nor was chocolate candy given (except for Halloween)by me..can’t say what others did behind my back. There was chocolate cake on occasion – not a routine. Now fast forward to future…I’m 50 yrs old, overweight & have ‘mild heart disease(whatever) & I can see where “I” feel children should be eating differently. It is expensive to eat healthy!! Even for 2. Our government controls that just like the gas prices & health care. So …now they want healthy ‘school lunches’ even if parents have to provide in packed ones..but the cost of our health care will continue to rise along with prescription drugs that are maintance (children with ashtma or juv. diab.). They all want…but where are they truly helping. Not all parents live in the country to have the gardens, livestock to prepare & make their own. Lifestyles..working mothers, back to college, kids activities…do you have time to make the ‘healthy nuturious meal’ 7 days a week? Most working families don’t. It’s a good question…what or how can the society do to improve our children health & their futures – within todays budgets….
I have one picky eater… but he would rather have the chic. nuggets that I make than those from McD’s,(Thank Goodness) and both my kids like/love vegatables. I make my fruits and veggies stretch (I freeze half of what I get from Costco for smoothies) and the kids pick veggies in season from the farmers market once a week for us to try. They have found a love for squash and fritatas and anything on a stick (fruit cabobs, cheese and cherry tomoato cabobs etc). I think that making smart choices at home help kids make smart choices at school. I would hope that if you have healthy snacks at home that what they ate at school would be their choice and hopefully they would choose something sorta healthy and if not at home there will be cut up apples, cheese, salami or cut up chicken breast waiting in the fridge for a snack. No plate of cookies with milk at our house (at least rarely when the kids are awake, maybe more after they are asleep. LOL).