Do you have kids that go to public school? My daughter is only one, but she goes to a preschool in our town. One that provides lunch. I can't begin to explain the reaction I had when I reviewed the school lunch menu.
First, my daughter has wheat and dairy allergies. Which automatically removed half of the things from the menu. Lucky us. Here's why I say that; below is a week's lunch menu:
Breakfast: Cereal, toast, juice
Lunch: Chicken Nuggets, white rice & gravy, green beans (from a can), fruit, milk
Snack: Popsicles
Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal, toast, juice
Lunch: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, fruit, milk
Snack: S’more Mix, juice
Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, toast, juice
Lunch: Sack lunch
Snack: Rice Krispy treats, juice
Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal, toast, juice
Lunch: Quesadillas, refried beans, corn, fruit, milk
Snack: Cupcakes, milk
Friday
Breakfast: Cereal, toast, juice
Lunch: Cheesy noodles, green beans, fruit, milk
Snack: Snack mix, juice
So, at this point if you're telling yourself that nothing seems wrong with this menu, you should do your kids a favor and read on.
The American Heart Association recently announced that "Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963." (2012) Childhood obesity leads to health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol problems, depression, low self-esteem, and early death rates. Who wants to invite those problems into their children's lives? I'm not an expert on this topic, and I won't pretend to know everything that is causing this dramatic, and alarming, increase. However, I am a mom and I can easily see the differences in the way kids behave now versus just 30 years ago. When I look at my daughter I consider the following things:
Processed foods vs. Whole foods
Juice vs. Water
Indoor play vs. Outdoor play
Electronics play vs. Imagination play
The idea is to always have things weigh in on the right side instead of the left. The more the left weighs the higher the chances of my child be obese. These are simple things to account for, in my opinion; but it all starts with me. As her parent I have to lead by example and teach her how to make healthy choices. If I have no control over my own eating, how can I expect my daughter to learn control? Therefore I also consider the following things in regards to me and the way I run our home:
Processed foods bought vs. Whole foods bought
Eating out vs. Eating in
TV on vs. TV off
Time spent on computer vs. Time spent on the floor*
*I’d like to explain this theory a little more. I have this idea that the more time I spend on the floor playing with my daughter the healthier she will be. Imagine how you might feel if your parent(s) were always paying more attention to the TV or computer than to playing with you. Social development is a key player in physical and mental health, so I always try to make sure my computer is off while my daughter is awake. It helps me resist the temptation to jump on FaceBook or Totsy. :-)
Okay, so I may have digressed a bit. Going back to school lunch; it’s atrocious! White rice and gravy? What nutritional value is in that? Needless to say I was shocked. I’m lucky that I have an excuse to bring my daughter’s own lunch, but I would have done this regardless of her dietary needs. So this is my version of the Monday’s meal:
Lunch: Grilled chicken (olive oil, salt, and pepper), brown rice with yellow carrots, green beans (from the school), water
Snack: applesauce
Guess what, she ate it all too. Now that’s Mum Made!
References
Childhood Obesity (2012) American Heart Association. Web site: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/WeightManagement/Obesity/Childhood-Obesity_UCM_304347_Article.jsp
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