IF "Healthy school meals contribute to academic achievement and more productive days in the classroom", then why does the same organization making this statement offer processed, over priced non-nutritional garbage to our youth for lunch? It is national school lunch week, and I am disgusted with the contents of our lunch selections. This week alone the menu consists of:
Monday:
Cheese Nachos or Hot Dog
Seasoned Corn
Assorted Fruit (not fresh)
Milk
Tuesday:
Johnny Marzetti or Texas grilled cheese
Tomato Soup
Assorted Fruit
Milk
Wednesday:
Pancakes w Sausage or Asian Vegtables w Rice
Hashbrown Patty
Assorted Fruit
Milk
Thursday:
Chicken cheese burrito or Cheesy Bread
Seasoned Green Beans
Assorted Friut
Milk
So, I am not a nutritionist and I do have so much more to learn about this topic. However, It doesn't take a dietitian to see that these lunches are full of complex carbohydrates. Certainly, most of this menu is tainted with high fructose corn syrup, pesticides, preservatives and artificial ingredients. Where is the real food? The fresh fruit and vegetables? A good source of protein?
Is it no wonder our children are struggling academically and socially? Yet alone, they are faced with childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes at higher rates than ever before. As they face a depletion of essential nutrients their minds, bodies, and emotions are suffering. I once read an article that said it would cost the parents $4 per lunch to provide a lunch like I am advocating...
There is no way a parent is going to shuffle out $20 per kid per week for lunch, right? Maybe or maybe not... I can't answer that.
But, I am not so sure that a healthy lunch would cost that much. I am not sure where they get there numbers... I spend probably half of that amount on fresh foods for lunches per child per week. (which is still less than the amount I'd be spending if I were to purchase their lunches from the current school cafeteria menu.) Knowing that the companies providing lunches would purchase in bulk, I don't know how they come up with these numbers.
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I had HUGE problems with school lunches here in the UK, in the end I took them off and put my kids on packed lunches. The annoying thing is bece on benifits we are entitled to FREE school lunch..instead I had to fork out for lunch boxes, flasks, thermoses and assorted tubs for 3 kids AND make lunch.
ReplyDeleteBecause we are dairy and meat free I talked to school about lunches and was told that they could be facilitated..what happend is that my kids would come home having eaten such combos as baked potato, rice AND pasta with baked beans..MOST days for a year!!!
Consequently they had every cold and bug going last year (I don't know about yr kids but mine treat lunch as the main meal of the day and have little appitite for a big dinner).
Well they have been a whole term on packed lunches..kids have been off school left right and centre with the back to school bugs...my kids??
Nahh..they have been fighting fit!!
On a typical day I will pack them a p'nut butter seeded wrap, fruit juice, a peice of fruit and either a homemade muffin or some soya yogurt for their pudding.
My eldest is more advernturous and will often have veg and bean stew in a thermos or some potato salad, or some smoked tofu in his wrap.
Nicer than a lunch of 4 carbs thats for sure ;)