School lunch

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rebysue
rebysue Posts: 136
in Food and Nutrition
I went on a field trip with my kindergarten son yesterday. I was shocked at the amount of food given for 5 and 6 year old children! When I got home, I figured up the calories and the total was over 800!! FOR ONE MEAL!! I looked it up and a child that age should consume 1400 calories in an ENTIRE DAY! Is anyone else bothered by this? I'm thinking lunch from home might be a new standard for our house!

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  • BamBam1113
    BamBam1113 Posts: 542 Member
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    Absolutely!!! These kids get crap food given to them because it is quick and easy. No wonder our kids are so overweight!!! Take care of it now before they wind up being adults on a weight loss website!!! lol
  • aladd2
    aladd2 Posts: 70
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    Wow!! That is ridiculous
  • denise980
    denise980 Posts: 296
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    Yes, I have seen what my cafeteria at the school I work at serves, and wow. I can't believe what they feed the kids. I'm so grateful that there is a salad bar in the cafeteria.

    If I were you, on days that your kid doesn't have a field trip maybe pack a lunch instead. When I was younger my parents only let me buy lunch once a week and the rest of the time I brought a lunch. Just a suggestion...
  • rachel0923
    rachel0923 Posts: 137 Member
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    Were they given something special because it was a field trip, or was it the norm?
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
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    Wow. 800 seems like a lot... but for some children I know it's an okay amount. I remember in elementary school we were all sold the "You need 2000 calories every day" thing... of course we didn't know what calories were or why we should have cared, but as I've grown I've always thought that was a bit high. If I need 1530 to maintain now, at age 19, why would a child need 2000?

    Of course, if they only ate meals and no snacks, and all of the meals were 800 cals, then they'd be getting 1600 a day. Which isn't bad. I'd be more concerned with the quality of food offered. Honey buns for snack time? Really?

    Anyway, I'm guessing that they give the children so much under the assumption that they'll stop eating when they're full. There's probably some legality issue in there.... some parent sued because their child wasn't getting enough food at lunch or something like that.
  • anzura
    anzura Posts: 171
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    Have you ever checked out Jamie Olivers Food Revolution? It's sickening what our kids are fed in schools. However, I have seen some kids come to school with much worse in their own lunches...so that's not much better. My kids get "hot lunch" about once a month as a treat.
  • rachel0923
    rachel0923 Posts: 137 Member
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    Have you ever checked out Jamie Olivers Food Revolution? It's sickening what our kids are fed in schools. However, I have seen some kids come to school with much worse in their own lunches...so that's not much better. My kids get "hot lunch" about once a month as a treat.
    No kidding. Sometimes the school option is the best option. It's hard for me to even have enough food in the house to prepare healthful meals for myself and kids every day as a working mom, but I try to keep the Lunchables to a minimum! My kids are only in preschool/daycare, so there is no hot food option anyway.
  • ivyjbres
    ivyjbres Posts: 612 Member
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    Keep in mind, they don't expect the kids to eat all of it. They give them plenty and variety so that the picky eaters will still get some nutritional value out of it. My son's at a public pre-k, he usually only eats the fruit, maybe the bread, and if they're increadibly lucky, he might not throw the meat dish on the floor.
  • adougherty10
    adougherty10 Posts: 50
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    This is a topic that frustrates me to no end. My daughter is in kindergarten too and she actually WANTS to eat healthy. She wants seconds on the vegetable but they say she has to eat all the main course first (even if that means junk fried foods like chicken nuggets or little weanies) - I'd much rather she avoids the junk main course and eats several helpings of the veggies - I mean what is that teaching the kids?
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
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    This is a topic that frustrates me to no end. My daughter is in kindergarten too and she actually WANTS to eat healthy. She wants seconds on the vegetable but they say she has to eat all the main course first (even if that means junk fried foods like chicken nuggets or little weanies) - I'd much rather she avoids the junk main course and eats several helpings of the veggies - I mean what is that teaching the kids?

    How frustrating!
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
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    I've noticed the exact opposite. My kids come home starving because they don't feed them enough foods. But the foods they do get are such poor quality.

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