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PAPYRUS3
Posts: 13,259 Member
in Debate Club
These are typical lunches I see on my students consume everyday.
Curious if you are concerned or not at all?
4
Replies
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No real nutrition there. It doesn’t surprise me. The average American eats a lot of “junk” food. I would be concerned about the amount of processed food and added sugar.4
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It's convenient and expensive? Salty? What is your actual concern?
Is the school-provided lunch any better?
What do you think you can realistically do about it?7 -
Personally my
main concern would be that it's not balanced. Where are the fruit and vegetables?!7 -
Dibs on the cookies and tiny hot dogs!
Ok, I'm not the healthiest of eaters but if this is how the kid eats all the time (no idea), give him or her a chance with a piece of fruit or something.
I'd be most concerned all that sugar would give them way too much energy so the teacher ends up with none, tho.
5 -
To bad you can't make the parents watch "Jamie's School Dinners" (lunch here in the US.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie's_School_Dinners4 -
I think it's a reflection of the food culture that these kids are finding at home. My son went to the States to live with my brother and his family for 3 months. The way they eat was completely different from Italy. I cook everyday. They just told him to open the frig and help himself. He wanted fruits and vegetables but was too embarrassed to ask.2
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Wow. It surprises me. Basically sugar, fat and white flour in different forms. Where is the “real” food?
There is none. Not one item providing decent protein (even the yogurt drink has only 5 grams), maybe 1 or 2 grams of fiber (mainly the granola bar) and the volume is crazy. The Cheetos bag is 320 calories! This is not a single serve- more like 3 servings.
Thanks for sharing this. I guess it is the norm but I didn’t know it was really like this. Wow!
Yes. It concerns me!
3 -
It concerns me.
It concerns me on a bunch of levels.
Nutritional education (or lack there of), the US cultural standards around food in general and feeding kids in particular, potential financial or time constraints influencing these decisions, and
Well, someone taking pictures of my kids' lunches and half their face and posting them online for the sole purpose of debate and judgement.22 -
wunderkindking wrote: »It concerns me.
It concerns me on a bunch of levels.
Nutritional education (or lack there of), potential financial or time constraints influencing these decisions, and-
Well, someone taking pictures of my kids' lunches and half their face and posting them online for the sole purpose of debate and judgement.
Yep, everything here, including the last sentence. Did you have permission to post these to a public forum for scrutiny and debate purposes? If not, that's I'd be pretty pissed if I was one of these kids' parents and I found out, and frankly it's unethical if you're their teacher.15 -
It sure doesn't look like my lunchbox when I went to grade and middle school and brought my lunch from home. Typical was ONE sandwich made with tuna or egg salad or cold cuts. Then there was a fruit--apple, banana, orange or pear and maybe a cookie. To drink --milk in a thermos. This would have been in the 60's.
In high school we had a hot lunch program, and it was a well balanced meal.2 -
Leaving aside ethics of taking and posting these pictures aside for a moment (because if there's not a story here I am unaware of YIKES), my gradschool lunch (in the 80s) was typically a sandwich (at that age mayo/lettuce/kraft sliced cheese on white bread), some carrots (with ranch), an apple or orange, a small bag of chips, some kind of snack cake, and a soda.
So. Pretty devoid of nutrients, too. And almost no protein.
My school lunches were typically tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, or pizza - though usually some canned veg or fruit , a roll and a cookie with (chocolate) milk.3 -
I’m American, I really hate the stereotype that we all eat processed to-go food. Untrue.
I was a 90s kid and my Mom packed all sorts of food for me including veggies. If I had kids, I would do the same.
Re photos -Many parents are on the go and working.. looks like from the photo they made sure their kids had cute to go boxes and plenty of snacks.. Would less sugar and salt work, yeah.. but also maybe that’s what they have time and resources to do.
15 -
I don’t make judgments on a picture of kids or anyone’s one meal. A diet is about all the things you eat all throughout your day over time. If you took a picture of my kids lunch you may see similar types of items, but you don’t see what I feed them for breakfast, dinner, and other snacks, or for that matter all the activities they are involved in.
Are these kids overweight or do you have other concerns about their health? One meal even once a day does not give you the full picture of their diet. If you have concerns about your students health or safety then you should follow the appropriate channels to get those addressed.19 -
These are typical lunches I see on my students consume everyday.
Curious if you are concerned or not at all?
Wow this brings back memories - many years ago one of my kids kindergarten teachers went into my kid's lunch and told her she couldn't eat the (mini) chocolate bar that I gave her (it was after Halloween). I was livid and told her in no uncertain terms to mind her own damn business critiquing my kid's lunch was not in her job description. I would expect that the parents of the kids you are singling out here would probably tell you the same.23 -
When my kid was in public school I would have sent him with a lunch like that exactly twice a year.
We were on the free lunch program and I refused to let him eat the free breakfast because it was nothing but sugar pops and donuts and chocolate milk.
Not even a fruit cup.
In third grade he chose to become a vegetarian for a while. And the lunch people flat refused to provide him with a vegetarian lunch. He would ask, and they would give him dry bread. When I found out, and requested they give him a veggie burger like they do for the vegetarian kids in the high school, I was told that would be pointless since there were no vegetarian kids in elementary…. While talking to me, the mother of a vegetarian kid in the elementary school.
Anyhow, we bailed after 4th grade for unrelated reasons. And that’s exactly when the local soda pop bottling plant decided to sponsor a school reader board by the main road. And THAT got a lot of people upset.
I went to a few of those school board meetings. And not only were the lunch people completely unconcerned, they said the advertising didn’t change anything because “the most popular drink in our soda machines is water” not seeing the irony there when there are water fountains 10 feet away and our water is good here.
But the worst was when they said they would serve Milky Way bars as a lunch entree, and tie it into a science lesson if they could get the candy for free.
This was about 20 years ago and it hasn’t gotten better.6 -
I think kids often eat fruit and veg at home but it isnt cool to take it to school.
That was my kids anyway.8 -
The US government ruled that ketchup is a vegetable. Ridiculous.4
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The US government ruled that ketchup is a vegetable. Ridiculous.
More detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable
https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica/article/21/1/17/116213/Ketchup-as-a-VegetableCondiments-and-the-Politics
Related, since this is about school lunch, here are the CPS (a low-income school district) lunch and breakfast requirements for school-provided meals: https://www.cps.edu/services-and-supports/school-meals-and-nutrition/cps-nutrition-guidelines/
Here's the most recent K-8 menu. IMO, sure it seems to be attempting to appeal to kids, but there are real veg and fruit options, and I think trying to incorporate those into a menu the kids will eat isn't a bad idea. I don't think these menus are as bad as people often try to claim US school lunches are.
Personally, back in the '70s and '80s I disliked most of the school lunch options so would normally bring some kind of soup (with veg) in a thermos, some fruit, and a small dessert (I was super picky about bread and most sandwich options so didn't like sandwiches). Occasionally I would bring something like leftover turkey or chicken, maybe a bag of chips, some carrots and/or celery, and a small dessert. I think that was basically fine, even now.3 -
I work at a school and I am going to just chime in with some info here:
What schools provide have guidelines and restrictions (i.e. they are supposed to be 'nutritional/healthy') but LOTS of school districts are being run on a SHOESTRING budget. That limits what they can provide while TRYING to stick within those guidelines. Also - in many school districts (including mine), MANY students are on the free or reduced lunch programs. This further makes is difficult for schools to provide food to students (including take home food for evenings/weekends) that has high cost.
There are districts where students are coming from low income families and they buy what they can - which often isn't fresh/whole/nutritious food. They buy what's on sale, cheapest, or what they can use SNAP programs for.
I will never ever blame any parent for feeding their child. This is a problem that goes far beyond any individual parent and is far more systematic than people realize sometimes.
If people are interested in trying to help make a difference in the options for children, consider looking for ways to help organizations directly working on this issue:
Summer Food Service Program or No Kid Hungry.
This was a MAJOR issue during covid shutdowns last spring because instead of being worried about children going ~8 weeks without at least one meal per day --- we were worried from March - August. =(
23 -
The US government ruled that ketchup is a vegetable. Ridiculous.
More detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable
https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica/article/21/1/17/116213/Ketchup-as-a-VegetableCondiments-and-the-Politics
Related, since this is about school lunch, here are the CPS (a low-income school district) lunch and breakfast requirements for school-provided meals: https://www.cps.edu/services-and-supports/school-meals-and-nutrition/cps-nutrition-guidelines/
Here's the most recent K-8 menu. IMO, sure it seems to be attempting to appeal to kids, but there are real veg and fruit options, and I think trying to incorporate those into a menu the kids will eat isn't a bad idea. I don't think these menus are as bad as people often try to claim US school lunches are.
Personally, back in the '70s and '80s I disliked most of the school lunch options so would normally bring some kind of soup (with veg) in a thermos, some fruit, and a small dessert (I was super picky about bread and most sandwich options so didn't like sandwiches). Occasionally I would bring something like leftover turkey or chicken, maybe a bag of chips, some carrots and/or celery, and a small dessert. I think that was basically fine, even now.
Those guidelines don’t look too bad but are they sticking with it? And…..if ketchup is a vegetable, then those guidelines mean nothing.1 -
westrich20940 wrote: »I work at a school and I am going to just chime in with some info here:
What schools provide have guidelines and restrictions (i.e. they are supposed to be 'nutritional/healthy') but LOTS of school districts are being run on a SHOESTRING budget. That limits what they can provide while TRYING to stick within those guidelines. Also - in many school districts (including mine), MANY students are on the free or reduced lunch programs. This further makes is difficult for schools to provide food to students (including take home food for evenings/weekends) that has high cost.
There are districts where students are coming from low income families and they buy what they can - which often isn't fresh/whole/nutritious food. They buy what's on sale, cheapest, or what they can use SNAP programs for.
I will never ever blame any parent for feeding their child. This is a problem that goes far beyond any individual parent and is far more systematic than people realize sometimes.
If people are interested in trying to help make a difference in the options for children, consider looking for ways to help organizations directly working on this issue:
Summer Food Service Program or No Kid Hungry.
This was a MAJOR issue during covid shutdowns last spring because instead of being worried about children going ~8 weeks without at least one meal per day --- we were worried from March - August. =(
I watched a documentary once where some people investigated the school lunch program in depth. I wish I could remember the name now but I can’t. They found a way to make school lunches healthier and taste better with better quality ingredients for the same budget but the lunch ladies were resistant to change. It made no sense.
Not all, but many kids offered fresh foods don’t even take them because they want to eat junk food that they are used to eating. It is possible to eat healthy on a low budget but this would require parents to change what they are used to eating and many parents are resistant to change too. I grew up poor and we ate relatively healthy so there is no excuse really.
My parents often wouldn’t let me eat the school lunch because it wasn’t healthy. I was also limited because a lot of the lunches had pork, and we are Muslim. I distinctly remember pepperoni and sausage pizza being served at least twice a week with no option for cheese even if i did want an occasional pizza lunch.
I brought turkey or tuna sandwiches, yogurt, soup, leftovers from dinner, carrots, fruits, etc. from home. Parents and schools can do a lot better. In high school, I remember a lot of kids having money to buy real lunch but choosing to spend it on candy, chips, and soda from vending machines. I’m not sure if schools nowadays have these items but I believe they shouldn’t. Given the choice, many kids will choose to eat the unhealthy food. It is sad.4 -
As to the topic of kids' school lunches, it did seem my kids' school was *trying* to improve upon the standard fare. Last year when everyone was doing remote learning and throughout the whole, everyone was entitled to free lunch and breakfast that we'd have to pick up at the school. Some of it was not too bad, like sweet and sour chicken with veggies and brown rice. There was also the standard kid fare like chicken nuggets, hot dogs and cheeseburgers, but they did include a veggie and fruit (even if the "veggie" was salsa--still better than ketchup IMO). The veggies were usually tasteless and steamed from frozen; I like veggies and even I thought they were disgusting. I'd roast them with a little olive oil/butter and salt, but my kids still didn't like them (even though they like a lot of roasted veggies). The fruit was sometimes hard-as-rock oranges or pears--seriously you could injure someone with them.
I'm still curious as to whether or not these kids in the pictures are actually the OP"s students and if so, what her point was in posting them. Was it to get actual feedback as to whether or not it's a concern of hers and how to approach it, or so people could judge and scrutinize? As someone who works with kids (and has her own), I'm actually really bothered if they are the OP's students. I know some people disagree, but I wouldn't dream of posting even a faceless pic of a client on a public forum without the parents' permission, even if it is well-intentioned (like to get professional advice about a tricky case). Most Facebook forums that I'm a part of actually forbid you to do so unless you've gotten permission.
9 -
westrich20940 wrote: »I work at a school and I am going to just chime in with some info here:
What schools provide have guidelines and restrictions (i.e. they are supposed to be 'nutritional/healthy') but LOTS of school districts are being run on a SHOESTRING budget. That limits what they can provide while TRYING to stick within those guidelines. Also - in many school districts (including mine), MANY students are on the free or reduced lunch programs. This further makes is difficult for schools to provide food to students (including take home food for evenings/weekends) that has high cost.
There are districts where students are coming from low income families and they buy what they can - which often isn't fresh/whole/nutritious food. They buy what's on sale, cheapest, or what they can use SNAP programs for.
I will never ever blame any parent for feeding their child. This is a problem that goes far beyond any individual parent and is far more systematic than people realize sometimes.
If people are interested in trying to help make a difference in the options for children, consider looking for ways to help organizations directly working on this issue:
Summer Food Service Program or No Kid Hungry.
This was a MAJOR issue during covid shutdowns last spring because instead of being worried about children going ~8 weeks without at least one meal per day --- we were worried from March - August. =(
I watched a documentary once where some people investigated the school lunch program in depth. I wish I could remember the name now but I can’t. They found a way to make school lunches healthier and taste better with better quality ingredients for the same budget but the lunch ladies were resistant to change. It made no sense.
Not all, but many kids offered fresh foods don’t even take them because they want to eat junk food that they are used to eating. It is possible to eat healthy on a low budget but this would require parents to change what they are used to eating and many parents are resistant to change too. I grew up poor and we ate relatively healthy so there is no excuse really.
My parents often wouldn’t let me eat the school lunch because it wasn’t healthy. I was also limited because a lot of the lunches had pork, and we are Muslim. I distinctly remember pepperoni and sausage pizza being served at least twice a week with no option for cheese even if i did want an occasional pizza lunch.
I brought turkey or tuna sandwiches, yogurt, soup, leftovers from dinner, carrots, fruits, etc. from home. Parents and schools can do a lot better. In high school, I remember a lot of kids having money to buy real lunch but choosing to spend it on candy, chips, and soda from vending machines. I’m not sure if schools nowadays have these items but I believe they shouldn’t. Given the choice, many kids will choose to eat the unhealthy food. It is sad.
Yes the do, even starting at the elementary-age level! I know my kids used to be able to buy one of those ice cream cups or sugary drinks with their prepaid lunch card in like 3rd grade. Now in middle school, I know my son sometimes buys cookies or rice krispie treats. He is a good eater, but has a sweet tooth. We don't typically buy prepackaged stuff like that, but will make them from scratch. I told him he could bring a healthier or homemade treat from home and add it to his lunch, but hasn't done so yet. He just now told me I need to remind him, which is probably true.
1 -
If you're concerned that the nutritional intake of your students is affecting their academic performance, classroom behavior, or overall health, I think that would be an appropriate thing to discuss individually and privately with their parents.
Is there a PTA? Can you reach out to them to share information about child nutrition?
I have my doubts about posting photos of their lunches on a semi-public forum, presumably without parental permission, even though no child is identifiable. Is the point to do something to cause change with your students specifically, educate people here that they shouldn't give their children lunches like this, amplify outrage about parents these days, or what?14 -
The US government ruled that ketchup is a vegetable. Ridiculous.
More detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable
https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica/article/21/1/17/116213/Ketchup-as-a-VegetableCondiments-and-the-Politics
Related, since this is about school lunch, here are the CPS (a low-income school district) lunch and breakfast requirements for school-provided meals: https://www.cps.edu/services-and-supports/school-meals-and-nutrition/cps-nutrition-guidelines/
Here's the most recent K-8 menu. IMO, sure it seems to be attempting to appeal to kids, but there are real veg and fruit options, and I think trying to incorporate those into a menu the kids will eat isn't a bad idea. I don't think these menus are as bad as people often try to claim US school lunches are.
Personally, back in the '70s and '80s I disliked most of the school lunch options so would normally bring some kind of soup (with veg) in a thermos, some fruit, and a small dessert (I was super picky about bread and most sandwich options so didn't like sandwiches). Occasionally I would bring something like leftover turkey or chicken, maybe a bag of chips, some carrots and/or celery, and a small dessert. I think that was basically fine, even now.
Those guidelines don’t look too bad but are they sticking with it? And…..if ketchup is a vegetable, then those guidelines mean nothing.
Yes, they follow them. And it appears they are not using ketchup as a veg.4 -
westrich20940 wrote: »I work at a school and I am going to just chime in with some info here:
What schools provide have guidelines and restrictions (i.e. they are supposed to be 'nutritional/healthy') but LOTS of school districts are being run on a SHOESTRING budget. That limits what they can provide while TRYING to stick within those guidelines. Also - in many school districts (including mine), MANY students are on the free or reduced lunch programs. This further makes is difficult for schools to provide food to students (including take home food for evenings/weekends) that has high cost.
There are districts where students are coming from low income families and they buy what they can - which often isn't fresh/whole/nutritious food. They buy what's on sale, cheapest, or what they can use SNAP programs for.
I will never ever blame any parent for feeding their child. This is a problem that goes far beyond any individual parent and is far more systematic than people realize sometimes.
If people are interested in trying to help make a difference in the options for children, consider looking for ways to help organizations directly working on this issue:
Summer Food Service Program or No Kid Hungry.
This was a MAJOR issue during covid shutdowns last spring because instead of being worried about children going ~8 weeks without at least one meal per day --- we were worried from March - August. =(
I watched a documentary once where some people investigated the school lunch program in depth. I wish I could remember the name now but I can’t. They found a way to make school lunches healthier and taste better with better quality ingredients for the same budget but the lunch ladies were resistant to change. It made no sense.
Not all, but many kids offered fresh foods don’t even take them because they want to eat junk food that they are used to eating. It is possible to eat healthy on a low budget but this would require parents to change what they are used to eating and many parents are resistant to change too. I grew up poor and we ate relatively healthy so there is no excuse really.
My parents often wouldn’t let me eat the school lunch because it wasn’t healthy. I was also limited because a lot of the lunches had pork, and we are Muslim. I distinctly remember pepperoni and sausage pizza being served at least twice a week with no option for cheese even if i did want an occasional pizza lunch.
I brought turkey or tuna sandwiches, yogurt, soup, leftovers from dinner, carrots, fruits, etc. from home. Parents and schools can do a lot better. In high school, I remember a lot of kids having money to buy real lunch but choosing to spend it on candy, chips, and soda from vending machines. I’m not sure if schools nowadays have these items but I believe they shouldn’t. Given the choice, many kids will choose to eat the unhealthy food. It is sad.
Probably that Jamie Oliver special set in WVa. I am a bit skeptical about it (documentaries are skewed to make a point, again) and more skeptical that it is broadly applicable to the US, as he cherry picked the area it was set in.7 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »westrich20940 wrote: »I work at a school and I am going to just chime in with some info here:
What schools provide have guidelines and restrictions (i.e. they are supposed to be 'nutritional/healthy') but LOTS of school districts are being run on a SHOESTRING budget. That limits what they can provide while TRYING to stick within those guidelines. Also - in many school districts (including mine), MANY students are on the free or reduced lunch programs. This further makes is difficult for schools to provide food to students (including take home food for evenings/weekends) that has high cost.
There are districts where students are coming from low income families and they buy what they can - which often isn't fresh/whole/nutritious food. They buy what's on sale, cheapest, or what they can use SNAP programs for.
I will never ever blame any parent for feeding their child. This is a problem that goes far beyond any individual parent and is far more systematic than people realize sometimes.
If people are interested in trying to help make a difference in the options for children, consider looking for ways to help organizations directly working on this issue:
Summer Food Service Program or No Kid Hungry.
This was a MAJOR issue during covid shutdowns last spring because instead of being worried about children going ~8 weeks without at least one meal per day --- we were worried from March - August. =(
I watched a documentary once where some people investigated the school lunch program in depth. I wish I could remember the name now but I can’t. They found a way to make school lunches healthier and taste better with better quality ingredients for the same budget but the lunch ladies were resistant to change. It made no sense.
Not all, but many kids offered fresh foods don’t even take them because they want to eat junk food that they are used to eating. It is possible to eat healthy on a low budget but this would require parents to change what they are used to eating and many parents are resistant to change too. I grew up poor and we ate relatively healthy so there is no excuse really.
My parents often wouldn’t let me eat the school lunch because it wasn’t healthy. I was also limited because a lot of the lunches had pork, and we are Muslim. I distinctly remember pepperoni and sausage pizza being served at least twice a week with no option for cheese even if i did want an occasional pizza lunch.
I brought turkey or tuna sandwiches, yogurt, soup, leftovers from dinner, carrots, fruits, etc. from home. Parents and schools can do a lot better. In high school, I remember a lot of kids having money to buy real lunch but choosing to spend it on candy, chips, and soda from vending machines. I’m not sure if schools nowadays have these items but I believe they shouldn’t. Given the choice, many kids will choose to eat the unhealthy food. It is sad.
Yes the do, even starting at the elementary-age level! I know my kids used to be able to buy one of those ice cream cups or sugary drinks with their prepaid lunch card in like 3rd grade. Now in middle school, I know my son sometimes buys cookies or rice krispie treats. He is a good eater, but has a sweet tooth. We don't typically buy prepackaged stuff like that, but will make them from scratch. I told him he could bring a healthier or homemade treat from home and add it to his lunch, but hasn't done so yet. He just now told me I need to remind him, which is probably true.
Increasingly vending machines or what can be bought from them has been regulated: https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/soda-at-school-more-districts-are-just-saying-no4 -
I have a 11year old and I can’t get him to be in the same room with vegetables. He just won’t eat them, and it’s not for a lack of trying.5
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