calling all parents and teachers...

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AnneElise
AnneElise Posts: 4,221 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I work in a public high school and i cannot believe the way that kids are eating! They will come to class with 2 bags of chips, a candy bar and a coke... at 7:30 am... and there lunches are even worse! Usually they buy lunch at school and get the worst option (cheeseburger, 2 orders of fries, 1 bag of chips and a candy bar is what I saw one female 15 year old eat today).

Since I started MFP I have been really paying attention to my classes eating and I am wondering what there lifestyles are like at home. I feel bad for them because the way they eat they are going to really struggle when they are older to lead healthy lifestyles.

I guess I am saying to all parents (which I am not yet myself) talk to your kids, encourage healthy eating, pack lunches for your kids so they don't buy lunch, do family exercise! You are already leading by example which is the first step.

and to teachers... do you see this in your schools as well? do you just watch it happen or is it our responsibility to say something/try to teach the kids proper nutrition...

Replies

  • AnneElise
    AnneElise Posts: 4,221 Member
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    I work in a public high school and i cannot believe the way that kids are eating! They will come to class with 2 bags of chips, a candy bar and a coke... at 7:30 am... and there lunches are even worse! Usually they buy lunch at school and get the worst option (cheeseburger, 2 orders of fries, 1 bag of chips and a candy bar is what I saw one female 15 year old eat today).

    Since I started MFP I have been really paying attention to my classes eating and I am wondering what there lifestyles are like at home. I feel bad for them because the way they eat they are going to really struggle when they are older to lead healthy lifestyles.

    I guess I am saying to all parents (which I am not yet myself) talk to your kids, encourage healthy eating, pack lunches for your kids so they don't buy lunch, do family exercise! You are already leading by example which is the first step.

    and to teachers... do you see this in your schools as well? do you just watch it happen or is it our responsibility to say something/try to teach the kids proper nutrition...
  • FluffnStuff
    FluffnStuff Posts: 387
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    I teach foods and nutrition and see it every day.
    Even with the kids who've been in my classes and heard all the bad things that poor eating habits can cause.
    The things that kill me are the energy drinks... man...I have a few kids who pound down 2-3 of those a day (while at school).
    However, I've also noticed that the options available at my school are SERIOUSLY lacking.
    Somedays, it's a choice between crap and crap...

    :sad:
  • okuhlmann
    okuhlmann Posts: 12
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    That is so true,

    I have my 14 yr old daughter that works out with me at the gym. One day I came home and she had ate a whole bag of chocolate chip I was mad. I do not buy those any more now it's all fruit and veggies I cut everything up when I buy it and bag it so she can grab and eat healthy. I try to make more healthy deserts if any.

    Hot lunch at school is nothing but grease and CRAP is right. I asked her what she had for lunch and she said a fruit salad I was so surprise by what we now do at home that she thinks of those things at school. I told her she is at that age where she can not neglect her body and needs to eat more than a fruit salad for lunch.

    Atleast she is thinking health!:happy:
  • kbirky73
    kbirky73 Posts: 110
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    Mom of 3 here!!

    My 13 year old daughter is an athlete - all-star Cheer ... and i tell her all the time that the food choices that she makes, will determine her eating habits as she gets older so even though she's 100lbs soaking wet ... when the sports stop ... she can't be eating two boxes of pasta on her own. :laugh:

    My 11 year old step-daughter, who lives with us ... different story. She weighs about what i weigh and she's at the 95 percentile .... We of course try to tell her to make the right choices but we can't be with them 100% of the time. I've recently recommended that she comes to the gym with me twice a week to do the elliptical with me. My gym has unlimited buddy passes ... and she can pass for 13 with no problem because she's very developed. But the choices at home are healthy ones ... but we don't deny her or the other two .. a cookie or real ice cream for dessert. She also plays basketball (it's the off season) which is a very affordable sport and available (like soccer, football, softball) in most towns and cities. She's also doing pop warner cheer in the summer/fall which is practice and games 4 days a week and they work OUT!!!

    My 5 year old is taking martial arts ... and when he's old enough, will definitely do a sport.

    Even though your kids are involved though .. it's always important to have the better choices around when you can control it.

    Great post aes14. Now if we can only find a way to switch the beef burgers to turkey or veggie at the schools ...
  • Roxy34
    Roxy34 Posts: 146
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    After running into this site and learning so much about calories, I feel guilty for not teaching my kids better eating habits. But, its never too late to start! Im going to watch what I buy now and start getting my kids into healthier eating too. :smile:
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    at our school we have no food service. at all. every kid brings their own lunch from home. We do see things like Lunchables, but mostly I see stuff like a sandwich, a piece of fruit, rice and meat, noodles. Our kids participate in PE every day, and are very competitive about their times on the mile run.

    what I''m trying to say is, it is possible to improve the situation, but it takes effort. Parents who willpack a lunch instead of handing their kid $3 every day.

    laziness is a major factor...among the parents.
  • tig3rang3l
    tig3rang3l Posts: 270 Member
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    Recently in the school district I attended for grade school and high school, they banned water bottles from the pop machines (kids can still bring water bottles from home).

    The argument was that there are water fountains, and the water bottles are useless litter. The students pointed out that the water fountains were not maintained, not always working, and not clean.

    Somehow, though, they are continuing to sell pop. On top of that, gym is no longer required after grade 9. I swear they WANT kids to be overweight.

    Just makes me shake my head....
  • michlingle
    michlingle Posts: 797 Member
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    As a teacher, I do see that our schools give our kids junk food all over the place. But, I may get flack for this, it's still the parent's responsibility. I have plenty of parents who pack healthy lunches for the kids and they do eat better. I also have parents who do not pack lunches and their kids eat the junk. I don't feel it's the school's responsibility. Just like with anything else, if you want something done right, do it yourself. This usually means too that parents must fork over some cash in order to buy more healthful choices.
  • aymie24
    aymie24 Posts: 227
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    I have to jump in on the kid's behalf here. I work with low income youth groups in the areas of nutrition and physical fitness from time to time. Many of our youth never have the choice to eat fresh fruits and veggies. There are very limited choices at school and it's not very socially acceptable to be the one kid at the very limited salad bar. At home, they aren't doing the shopping.

    Last year there was nearly a fist fight over honey dew mellon during a session I did with 9-12 year old girls at our local boys and girls club! This year, I had the kids create shopping lists for their parents, they could choose whatever they wanted. I gave them this task after talking about fruits and veggies but said to list everything they would like their parents to buy. There was some junk on most lists but the majority of the kids asked for things like fresh pineapple and strawberries or dark green lettuce rather than iceburg and red bell peppers.

    We live in a very rural, very ag heavy area. These are not inner city kids with no exposure to fresh fruits and veggies! Their parents simply don't provide them. They aren't easy to pop into the microwave, kids can't just open a bag or box and eat them. They might have to be washed or peeled or cut up, maybe even COOKED!!!

    It makes me so angry.

    We also did a program called Media Smart Youth, which is a huge program that involves the kids in understanding how they are being marketed to in unhealthy ways and really gets them thinking and responding in positive ways. I highly recommend it to any educator! More information is available at www.nichd.nih.gov which is the website for the National Institute of Child health and Human Devolopment.
  • ngwife4life
    ngwife4life Posts: 569
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    I have been thinking a lot about what I put in front of my daughter now. She's just starting to get into solid foods and I feel like I can help control what her eating habits will be like if I 1) lead by example and 2) don't start cramming her full of junk. I have a friend who gives her 1 year old daughter hot dogs, french fries and Mc Donald's at least once a week. While I want my daughter to learn "all things in moderation", I also don't want her to have a taste for that crap. She is such a fabulous eater right now that I have a little bit of hope. I know that they can get picky around 3 or so (I got picky around 5 and never grew out of it) but I still want to try my hardest to show her how to fuel her body! I even started making my own baby food. Now, I'm not a pro and I don't do it for every single thing she eats but every little bit helps in my opinion.

    I remember the crap they used to serve in high school and everyone thought I was weird for bringing my lunch every day. I was given enough money for the week worth of lunches and if I packed my lunch, I got to keep the money. It was a little bit of motivation for eating food from home! I didn't like much of what they served at school anyway. We were only required PE in 9th grade for one semester. The other semester was Health. Had I been made to work out every day for four years, I probably would have stuck with it for the rest of my life and not be where I am today! Oh well, I'm here now...
  • aymie24
    aymie24 Posts: 227
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    at our school we have no food service. at all. every kid brings their own lunch from home. We do see things like Lunchables, but mostly I see stuff like a sandwich, a piece of fruit, rice and meat, noodles. Our kids participate in PE every day, and are very competitive about their times on the mile run.

    what I''m trying to say is, it is possible to improve the situation, but it takes effort. Parents who willpack a lunch instead of handing their kid $3 every day.

    laziness is a major factor...among the parents.

    When my kids were attending a charter school, they did not have a cafeteria and lunch could be purchased from a cart but most parents packed and my kids ate so much better.

    Now, they are in the public school system, though only one is going to continue there next year, and it's so not acceptable to pack your lunch! I head up one of the high school leadership groups and we meet over lunch. The superintendent popped in last week and asked "so what are we eating today?" I looked around at the kid's trays and said "a variety of unhealthy food." He got toatally flustered and went over to see what the kids had and said something about the gouloush not looking too bad. I was laughing when I said it and was a little suprised at his taking offense to my comment, lol.

    Some of the kids are really pushing for better foods. Check out Farm to School programs, there are some really amazing models working well out there!!!
  • LostinCali
    LostinCali Posts: 155
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    Thank you for the reminder. I do try to teach my kids what's healthy and what's not but I'm sure I'm not the best example since I don't like veggies much. You're right, though, that the things they learn as kids will stick with them for their entire lives. So again, thanks for the reminder.
  • TCASMEY
    TCASMEY Posts: 1,405 Member
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    ALas even though we can pay for hot lunches for our children the food service is in it to make money not prepare healthy food. The almighty dollar at work again:devil:

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