School menu ridiculousness
Replies
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Im surprised there are still school that allow Peanut Butter. Not that i am defending the menu- i think its disgusting but to me is seems to be geared towards things that children would like to eat so that the children will comply and wont cause problems at meal time0
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Schools have to feed a lot of children for pennies because they get no budget. It's more economical to bring in prepared foods and heat them than to buy everything fresh and pay the cooks more for all the extra time they need to make it.
I brought my own lunch to school every day because the cafeteria food was TERRIBLE. If nothing else, save your kid's tastebuds and send a sandwich.
Add to it that this is Texas, where the education spending is near the bottom in the nation.
http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/02/texas-now-49th-in-spending-on-public-schools.html/
If you have the means, then send your kid with food. I would also register a complaint about the quality of food or try to get the school budget increased.0 -
So far, the best 'healthy' food that I see is plenty of exercise, so it matters less what you eat.
I've seen NOTHING to show that a healthy individual eating processed foods is unhealthy.
As far as the choices go; could it also be that this is based on what the majority of kids expect?0 -
My parents NEVER kept soda in our home when we were growing up. When we ate meals at home our choices were milk (we always had to have a glass with dinner); juice, or water. Juice has a lot of sugar too, but at least there was more nutritional value in it than soda.
When we went out to dinner or to the movies we were allowed to have whatever we wanted. But we didn't do those things very often so it was a special treat.
I never felt like I was missing out, and even though I my friends tease me a little bit now when I've never had things like cotton candy or pixie sticks, I look back on some of the healthy dishes my parents fed my sister and I growing up and even crave them now as an adult.
Don't let other people make you feel like you're doing your child a disservice by feeding her healthy things and trying to limit the sugar and the crummy processed foods. You sound like a great mommy and you shouldn't feel guilty because you want what's best for your little one
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I think that suggesting that food is "junk" is the ridiculous part.0
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When I was in school, my mom couldn't afford to pack a lunch for me and I am a vegetarian so eating was close to impossible. There are days i would go hungry and others when I would eat 3-4 slices of pizza just because I could actually eat something for a change.0
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I'm at war with my husband over feeding our little girl. I don't want her to be so sheltered from "junk food" that she binges on it in secret or when she's away from us when she gets older, but I don't see how it's necessary. He, his mother and his brother constantly try to feed her sweets and desserts and potato chips. It makes me incredibly upset when I see him giving her drinks of soda. She's ONE for goodness sakes...let her teeth grow IN before you start trying to rot them out!
I'm with you. Um, it's one thing to let a 5 year old have little snacks here and there. It's effing bonkers to give a baby soda. Are they nuts? Like seriously, that goes beyond the argument of whether to let a kid have junk food -- that's just plain crazy.0 -
Meh. Active kids can eat loads of crap is be perfectly healthy. My mom fed me healthy food growing up, and I ended up chubby but always hungry with an eating disorder by 12 and a pattern of disordered eating that persisted into adulthood. My nieces and nephews grew up on McDonalds and pizza but they have six packs, do P90X for funsies, and set the a breakneck pace if we run together.0
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It's no wonder we're raising generations of obese children, considering what they're getting in public school.
Yes, it's the school's fault. :huh:
Never mind that the parents don't teach kids healthy choices, healthy eating habits, or how to listen to their body's natural hunger & full cues. Never mind that the parents allow their kids to sit and play xbox for 5 hours a day... Nope... we are all obese because we eat one crappy meal per day.
For some children school's provide 2 meals a day. And for those living below the poverty level, sending homemade lunches when the school will provide them for free is just not a luxury they can afford.
I don't know if the OP's school is public or private, but when tax dollars are spent on public school lunches we ought to at least be outraged when it's spent on junk food lacking in nutrtition.0 -
I'm at war with my husband over feeding our little girl. I don't want her to be so sheltered from "junk food" that she binges on it in secret or when she's away from us when she gets older
Let her have the school food for a couple days a week and you send her with lunch on the other days. Make her go play outside instead of tv/video games 24-7. Problem solved!
My son and I go over the lunch menu at the begining of every month. He picks an item each week that he wants and I make him lunch the rest of the time. My son is known for picking carrots over cookies, he doesn't like chocolate and loves most healthy dishes I cook. It's all about balance.0 -
I could post a good one about break room vending machine ridiculousness. Could a brotha get some peanuts or something, I mean come on, 20 different candy bars?0
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Oh wow, and I thought my daycare was bad. I have to regularly alter my daughter's menu and send substitutes for things like corndogs and pizza sticks...and poptarts and frenchfries. I'm sorry but my about-to-be 2 year old does not need to be eating this stuff...
I was hoping it would get better when she entered state-run school but I'm thinking that I'll be packing her lunch for the rest of her 16 years of school. It really is sad that those kids who do not have parents who either have as much time as we do or who care as much as we do (because some parents do care just as much but just don't have time) cannot get a healthy meal no matter what...nothing on that list besides the side of veggies and fruit seemed actually healthy. yikes!
Meh....
My boys love French Fries.......they also love fruits and veggies.
I'd rather they learn some moderation now, than shelter them.0 -
I have two teenage boys, and as un-cool as it is, they both carry their lunch. One is a sandwich ho, the other carries sushi every single day. Both take a bottle of water. When they were young, we did bento lunches (way before it was popular) and taking their lunch now is a choice. I want them to choose to make healthy food choices and to know that there are always options. They do a fairly good job.0
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I am guessing you never saw the program with Jaimie Oliver going into kids schools. That is typically what the FDA recommends feeding our children because big brother is overseeing the whole program.
Our government wouldnt eat it, so they feed it to our youth!0 -
Oh wow, and I thought my daycare was bad. I have to regularly alter my daughter's menu and send substitutes for things like corndogs and pizza sticks...and poptarts and frenchfries. I'm sorry but my about-to-be 2 year old does not need to be eating this stuff...
I was hoping it would get better when she entered state-run school but I'm thinking that I'll be packing her lunch for the rest of her 16 years of school. It really is sad that those kids who do not have parents who either have as much time as we do or who care as much as we do (because some parents do care just as much but just don't have time) cannot get a healthy meal no matter what...nothing on that list besides the side of veggies and fruit seemed actually healthy. yikes!
Meh....
My boys love French Fries.......they also love fruits and veggies.
I'd rather they learn some moderation now, than shelter them.
You and I seem to be agreeing a lot lately.....0 -
I think that suggesting that food is "junk" is the ridiculous part.
How so? Pizza and pop tarts and stuffed cheesy bread and fish sticks? What would you consider junk?0 -
I live in West Virginia, where we have a pretty high poverty level. Over half the children in our school system receive their school meals for free or at a reduced price because of their family's income. For a lot of them, their school breakfast (if they get there early enough) and lunch might be the only meals they get that day. You can bet they're going to try to get as many calories in them as possible.0
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Our kids never liked school lunches. I have always packed their meals from K till 12. When I was in a rush and hadn't gone food shopping I would give the kids money for lunch and they would groan and complain about it. I thought it couldn't be all that bad as they're saying.. Then I volunteered as lunch mom and saw the garbage they try to pawn off as food. It's disgusting!! It doesn't even smell appetizing let alone look good. Makes you wonder why parents would allow their children to eat that stuff in the first place.0
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It's no wonder we're raising generations of obese children, considering what they're getting in public school. My little one will be in a school-run daycare next week, and she's eating solid foods now. One of the options is to let her get her breakfast and lunch free from the cafeteria, but after looking at the menu options, we'll spend our own money and send her real food.
Keep in mind this menu is produced by arguably the "best" cafeteria in our region, and most of the other schools around here COPY this menu for their students.
Breakfast daily options: Cinnamon roll/cheese stick, assorted Pop Tarts, Graham Snackers or blueberry or banana nut muffins. Daily hot options are a sausage roll, breakfast pizza, French toast link with syrup, pancake on a stick with syrup and a waffle with syrup and a sausage patty.
Lunch options...
Chili dog or cheesy stix (cheese bread) with marinara; chicken nuggets or PBJ; pepperoni pizza or a chalupa; corn dog or "fish strips" (WTF is that anyway); nachos or stuffed dippers with sauce; cheese pizza or meatball sub; and my PERSONAL favorite "main dish" options: mac and cheese with a roll or a corn dog.
Oh, and the lunch options are served with assorted milks, fresh fruits, veggies AND desserts.
If this is what our government says is healthy and acceptable for kids to eat, we're doomed.
Breakfast: Pop Tarts
Lunch: PBJ / Corn Dog (PB has protein & carbs // Corn Dog = Protein, Carbs, Veggies, and Fat WIN)
Milk, veggies, fruit? Nothing wrong with any of those. I would kill for some lunch room chocolate milk right now0 -
I think that suggesting that food is "junk" is the ridiculous part.
How so? Pizza and pop tarts and stuffed cheesy bread and fish sticks? What would you consider junk?
Belly button lint0 -
I think that suggesting that food is "junk" is the ridiculous part.
How so? Pizza and pop tarts and stuffed cheesy bread and fish sticks? What would you consider junk?
just fish sticks...primarily bc its a cheap knock off of the real thing - Fish and Chips. and that should never be defiled. Cheesey Bread (Mozz Sticks), Pizza are decent.
Nothing wrong with Pop Tarts0 -
Oh wow, and I thought my daycare was bad. I have to regularly alter my daughter's menu and send substitutes for things like corndogs and pizza sticks...and poptarts and frenchfries. I'm sorry but my about-to-be 2 year old does not need to be eating this stuff...
I was hoping it would get better when she entered state-run school but I'm thinking that I'll be packing her lunch for the rest of her 16 years of school. It really is sad that those kids who do not have parents who either have as much time as we do or who care as much as we do (because some parents do care just as much but just don't have time) cannot get a healthy meal no matter what...nothing on that list besides the side of veggies and fruit seemed actually healthy. yikes!
Meh....
My boys love French Fries.......they also love fruits and veggies.
I'd rather they learn some moderation now, than shelter them.
You and I seem to be agreeing a lot lately.....
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I think that suggesting that food is "junk" is the ridiculous part.
How so? Pizza and pop tarts and stuffed cheesy bread and fish sticks? What would you consider junk?
Belly button lint
Harry Potter Earwax / Vomit jelly beans0 -
It's no wonder we're raising generations of obese children, considering what they're getting in public school.
Yes, it's the school's fault. :huh:
Never mind that the parents don't teach kids healthy choices, healthy eating habits, or how to listen to their body's natural hunger & full cues. Never mind that the parents allow their kids to sit and play xbox for 5 hours a day... Nope... we are all obese because we eat one crappy meal per day.
For some children school's provide 2 meals a day. And for those living below the poverty level, sending homemade lunches when the school will provide them for free is just not a luxury they can afford.
I don't know if the OP's school is public or private, but when tax dollars are spent on public school lunches we ought to at least be outraged when it's spent on junk food lacking in nutrtition.
This isn't to say schools shouldn't be concerned about providing nutritionally beneficial options in school because they absolutely should.
That being said, there is an insane number of people who qualify for free and reduced lunches who (in all honesty) probably shouldn't. I know there are plenty of people in this country who have legitimately fallen on tough times and need the assistance, but I can't even count how many times I see parents in the grocery store with their nails perfectly manicured and a coach purse buying the most expensive cuts of steak with food stamps. And many times these are the same people who complain about not having enough money to pack lunch for their kids.
Having many close friends who are teachers, I understand how stretched schools are for money and I know a lot of families are the same way. But blame for the childhood obesity epidemic does not lie only in the hands of the schools--they should be making more of an effort to provide something better than fried, processed crap.0 -
Wow! My kids are in public school (i have one going into 2nd grade, my youngest starts kinder in a week or two). Their menu options seem healthier than that.
No matter what the main entree is, the kids HAVE to put a fruit and vegetable on their plate. Mostly raw - celery, broccoli, carrots, apples, banana etc.0 -
In high school I ate pizza, tater tots or fries, and a large soda every day. I also had one of those drumstick ice cream cones and a pop tart nearly every day.
Yes, good habits are important to instill, but on the other hand, just as in adulthood, exercise is an insulator to "bad" food. Work on getting them to have good habits, but realize they aren't going to die from eating a processed school lunch.0 -
It's not the food that's making kids obese, it's the TV, and the Ipad, and the Xbox, and the overprotective parents who shelter their kids indoors. When you're a kid, you're supposed to be active, many of us just went until we crashed face down on the carpet, and as a result, what we ate was largely inconsequential. Not saying that kids don't benefit from real food, just that they don't suffer as much as adults from over processed food (assuming the kids are active.) Kids in school these days sit in class for hours on end, many schools have done away with PE programs, and recess, and when they get home they vedge in front of the boob tube. That's what's making them fat. When I was a kid I spent hours playing basketball, football, night games, or riding my bike. At that point I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce. Kids need to be kids, otherwise, they get fat.
By the way, I'm no fan of the school lunch program, or public schools in general, but it's become an easy scapegoat for parents who are largely vacant from their children's lives.
Rigger0 -
It's not the food that's making kids obese, it's the TV, and the Ipad, and the Xbox, and the overprotective parents who shelter their kids indoors. When you're a kid, you're supposed to be active, many of us just went until we crashed face down on the carpet, and as a result, what we ate was largely inconsequential. Not saying that kids don't benefit from real food, just that they don't suffer as much as adults from over processed food (assuming the kids are active.) Kids in school these days sit in class for hours on end, many schools have done away with PE programs, and recess, and when they get home they vedge in front of the boob tube. That's what's making them fat. When I was a kid I spent hours playing basketball, football, night games, or riding my bike. At that point I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce. Kids need to be kids, otherwise, they get fat.
By the way, I'm no fan of the school lunch program, or public schools in general, but it's become an easy scapegoat for parents who are largely vacant from their children's lives.
Rigger
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1. Tax payer dollars in schools go towards repairs, equipment, teachers, maintenance, books, education - the stuff that the kids go to school for.
2. School Lunches are a convenience for parents that don't "have time" to make their kids lunches, and aren't provided directly by the school, but rather an outside food catering / prep company. The schools order what the kids eat, and frankly that's never the "good" stuff.
3. Breakfast?! Damn, I'm not old, but I remember we got one lunch, and we ran our *kitten* off during recess so the quality of food didn't matter unless kids chose to sit on the swing instead of playing with everyone else.
4. If you want the menus changed, go to board meetings and complain about it. Become more active and contact other parents with the same concerns and continue to voice your opinions at the board meetings. You may think they're a bunch of cheap stiffs, but what they really care about most is making sure the kids are getting the best education, and are happy. They'll listen to you if you voice your opinion
5. If they don't because it's not in the budget, make their lunch0 -
I'm at war with my husband over feeding our little girl. I don't want her to be so sheltered from "junk food" that she binges on it in secret or when she's away from us when she gets older, but I don't see how it's necessary. He, his mother and his brother constantly try to feed her sweets and desserts and potato chips. It makes me incredibly upset when I see him giving her drinks of soda. She's ONE for goodness sakes...let her teeth grow IN before you start trying to rot them out!
I wouldn't give up on that fight. And the best thing you can do now is shelter her from it! You are setting her eating habits and cravings right now!
I never let my kids have school lunches bc they are disgusting.0
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