No more junk food in schools

ClumsyArtist

I just came across this interesting news. I think it's great! What are your thoughts?

The Obama administration is making more moves to prevent childhood obesity—a complete overhaul of the munchies and beverages sold outside of school cafeterias. The administration just released a new set of nutrition standards, which means no more cheese curls or sugar water. You can have fruit. A petite granola bar. Light popcorn. Water. Maybe some low fat tortilla chips, but watch that portion size because everything, according to the new standards, must be under 200 calories.
Changes will go into effect starting in the 2014-2015 school year. This is all part of the Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, signed by Obama and endorsed by the First Lady. The administration has already required that all federally-subsidized school food be healthier.

The Centers for Disease Control reported that 18 percent of children ages 6 to 11 were obese in 2010—a seven percent increase from thirty years earlier. As of 2010's number, over a third of all adolescents are overweight/obese.

http://gawker.com/hey-kids-obama-is-removing-all-the-fun-junk-food-in-20-610367477

Mr_Bad_Example

lilcassers

thank goodness!!!!!!!!! although my child will be sent with a school lunch. never will i allow them to purchase. But I understand the families that cannot afford it.

AJ_G

So stupid...

Pearsquared

I think only my gym classes prevent me from growing into a 5'1'' balloon with the way I ate at school. Chicken poppers, bosco sticks, giant bagels with lots of cream cheese. Om nom nom nom nom.

rml_16

In high school, I ate Little Debbie snacks and ice cream for munch, then fast food or pizza after school. I was 110 pounds and size 3.

You know what was different then? Gym class and not spending all day in front of video games and computers.

Get rid of all the junk, but as long as they keep getting rid of recess and PE, kids will be overweight. They aren't addressing the real issue.

explosivedonut

Not too long ago, I probably would be upset. Blah blah blah, freedom of choice, blah blah. But now, I think it's a good idea. These aren't adults making poor choices about their health, these are children. People who can't understand what short term choices mean for their longevity. I seriously think this is a step in the right direction. We need to be healthier in this country. If we are healthier we are more productive, richer (less medical bills), and are able to do more. If parents won't teach healthy eating habits, then we should remove the temptation as much as possible.

RobynLB83

I think the CA standards have been stricter than this for a long time now. You can't even send junk from home at a lot of schools. I tried to give my step-son a cookie for his snack, and he said they aren't allowed.

ClumsyArtist

I think the CA standards have been stricter than this for a long time now. You can't even send junk from home at a lot of schools. I tried to give my step-son a cookie for his snack, and he said they aren't allowed.

Wow! Now that's going a bit too far..

SillaWinchester

I love the idea! I just graduated a year ago and I wish my school would of been a bit more strict with the snack machines.. However, they weren't as bad as some. We got baked chips, granola bars, water, and low cal fruit snacks. On the other hand, we had sugary drinks, candy bars and regular chips. It depended on the individual's choice.

Having fruit in the machines doesn't sound too sanitary though haha.

maisid

I think it is a great idea, I went to danish schools as a kid and in those schools it is not allowed to give the kid unhealthy food with them.
Only fruits, veggies, water or milk, whole wheat bread should be in their lunch box. Kids are not allowed to bring candy, soda, ice tea, toast / sandwich bread, nutella, chips etc. with them to school.

Until a few years ago I worked as a teacher and I had a new kid in my first grade class. Her parents had told me in the beginning of the school year that their daughter was very hyper and they tried to control her, but had a hard time doing so. After seeing her lunch for a week I knew what was wrong with her, she only drank coke and ate candy!!! I actually made her drink water, she sure wasn't to happy about it.. LOL

I_Will_End_You

I think it's great! Some kids don't get nutritious food at home, and have parents that don't teach them how to eat right. It's awesome that they're doing this in schools.

Besides... why would kids need to eat Snickers bars at school anyway?

RobynLB83

I think the CA standards have been stricter than this for a long time now. You can't even send junk from home at a lot of schools. I tried to give my step-son a cookie for his snack, and he said they aren't allowed.

Wow! Now that's going a bit too far..

I thought so too. I was like... really? But this is a muscle cookie, and here this 7 year old is persisting, "No! No cookies!" Lol. I thought it was pretty funny. His teacher takes them to get slurpees once a week, so I guess they are teaching some sort of reasonable attitude about moderation. Works for me.

zyxst

Another reason I'm glad I moved to Canada. I'm also glad my daughter isn't in high school anymore.

haroon_awan

Most kids in in school eat food that tastes good. If schools hired cooks and invested in meals that were tasty and relatively healthy then it would be more effective than just removing junk food altogether. Raising awareness that an unhealthy school meal does not cause children to be overweight is also important. A diet that consists of poor food choices throughout the day and a lack of activity causes children to be overweight, not whether they had chose between a coke or a bottle of water at school.

Turning around and saying "ban junk food in school" will achieve nothing if everything else is out of place. We are all on this forum because, at one time or another, we were/are overweight, and throughout school our parents or teachers weren't helping us to learn about training or eating for fat loss. It was just a case of "we need to teach xyz according to the state law".

ClumsyArtist

I think the CA standards have been stricter than this for a long time now. You can't even send junk from home at a lot of schools. I tried to give my step-son a cookie for his snack, and he said they aren't allowed.

Wow! Now that's going a bit too far..

I thought so too. I was like... really? But this is a muscle cookie, and here this 7 year old is persisting, "No! No cookies!" Lol. I thought it was pretty funny. His teacher takes them to get slurpees once a week, so I guess they are teaching some sort of reasonable attitude about moderation. Works for me.

Oh ok yeah that makes sense. I wish at 7 years old I would have said no cookies! lol

bcattoes

I was wondering when someone would post about this. Since it allows diet drinks I expected the "artificial sweeteners are evil" crowd to be all over it.

I think it's a sadly good step. I grew up in the 60'and 70's. We had soda and chips and candy machines in every school. And school lunches were fatty cheap foods. Very, very few of us were fat. Schools didn't cause this problem, but maybe they can help solve it.

chandanista

I don't know. When I went to school, the kids who had money just ran to the store across the street before school because they could get all their snacks for cheaper than the vending machine. I think the Whatchamacallits were all dusty by the end of a school year, because no one used the snack machines.

Those of us who didn't have money, of course ate whatever our parents had paid for in the school cafeteria. Or brought a home lunch which was probably full of Wonderbread and snack packs.

Teach the kids moderation in all things, and or they'll just eat junk elsewhere.


(Funniest family argument I ever heard was when a bunch of us were standing at the bus stop, and the family in the house by the bus stop were all arguing over the last Twinkie. I think the dad won. Looking back now, it's actually kind of sad.)

mustgetmuscles1

gatorginger

I think it's probably best thing for them to do but now it's up to the parents to not buy it at the store and send it with them to school. Some parents will give in to whatever their kids want

rml_16

I think it's great! Some kids don't get nutritious food at home, and have parents that don't teach them how to eat right. It's awesome that they're doing this in schools.

Besides... why would kids need to eat Snickers bars at school anyway?

Why do they need to eat a Snickers bar anywhere? Why do you need to eat one at home or at work or anywhere else?

cmcollins001

kfuog

I'm really for the schools supplying healthy food choices. However, there are going to be problems with implementation and there is the problem that some kids will just reject the healthy stuff. The new regulations limit how many carbohydrates kids are supposed to have over the course of a week. I heard that one school protested they would have to remove sandwiches from the menu because if a kid had a sandwich every day of the week, with two slices of whole grain bread each day, the kid is over the carb limit. I have not read the regulations, so I don't know if the school is being ridiculous or the regs are too strict. Also it is much more difficult as an institution to cook with fresh veggies and fruit instead of everything canned, so that's a problem. And it's more expensive and the school districts are voicing fears that they won't be able to feed as many kids.

I think only healthy food should be supplied by the school, but that might mean we (the taxpayers) need to pony up more money to cover the added cost.

cmcollins001

I think it's great! Some kids don't get nutritious food at home, and have parents that don't teach them how to eat right. It's awesome that they're doing this in schools.

Besides... why would kids need to eat Snickers bars at school anyway?

Why do they need to eat a Snickers bar anywhere? Why do you need to eat one at home or at work or anywhere else?

Because they are yummy.

BrunetteRunner87

I ate all kinds of crap in school - and before and after school at the nearby Convenient store. Cookies and chips with every lunch, tacos, pizza, hot dogs, "chicken" patties, pop, crappy juices, etc. I was the same weight I am now though because I was super active in all of the after school activities they are cutting at a lot of schools (marching band, cross country, other girls' sports).

farway

In the UK we had similar a few years back, Jamie Oliver campaign, which eventually forced the government to ban junk food, like chicken nuggets, and cola, sweet machines for schools

however some parents just did not comprehend and took fish & chips /burgers to schools and passed them over the fence, you can lead a horse to water etc

I also remember the uphill struggle Jamie had when trying the same in US, I think he failed to convince the schools then, nice if it has finally got home

ClumsyArtist

Schools didn't cause this problem, but maybe they can help solve it.

Very, very well said! I agree it's not the schools fault and that the parents need to be held accountable as well. But we're not going to change every parent's mind or eating/grocery shopping habits overnight so this could be a great first step in exposing children to healthy alternatives.

Marla64

^^ This.

bgelliott

So ridiculous! The government needs to stay out of it.

JustLindaLou

The school my kindergartner will be attending this year serves free breakfast and lunch for all students. I have looked at the menus, and I am not overly impressed. However, I also know she gets lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains at home, and since she is a very early riser she will have something to eat before she goes to school, and will always have snack and lunch things packed to bring too. She only likes to drink water, maybe at a party she will drink 1 Capri-Sun. So I figure if she wants to try the breakfast or lunch they are serving that day, fine. She recently announced thatr chicken nuggets are "gross" and she does not want to eat them any more, so I am pretty confident she will make better choices than I would have in her shoes!

However, for the kids who come from families that either are unaware or just don't care about nutrition, and I know a lot of them, I think it is a good step to helping them have better choices for at least a few hours a day.... But yeah, I was one of those kids that stopped at the convenience store for Suzy Q's and Ding Dongs... and if I didn't stop on the way home, Mom sent me back out for them when I got home LOL!!!

branson101

at my son's school they will either bring whatever they want from home or give the seniors money to go get them McDonald's or some other fast food. I do wonder if this means that they will have to close their Coffee bar? I'd like that. The boy just won't stay away from it.