I was delighted to read the new USDA guidelines requiring schools to serve meals with twice as many fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, less sodium and fat, and no meat for breakfast. The guidelines were mandated by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act signed by President Obama in December of 2010 and will go into effect with the next school year.
The new guidelines offer a welcome change from USDA's tradition of using the National School Lunch Program as a dumping ground for meat and dairy surpluses. Not surprisingly, 90 percent of American children are consuming excess fat, only 15 percent eat recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, and one-third have become overweight or obese. These early dietary flaws become lifelong addictions, raising their risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In recent years, Hawaii, California, New York, and Florida legislatures asked their schools to offer daily vegetarian options, and most school districts now do. The Baltimore public school system offers its 80,000 students a complete weekly break from meat.
Parents should continue to insist on healthful plant-based school meals, snacks, and vending machine items. They can consult www.fns.usda.gov/cnd, www.healthyschoollunches.org, and www.vrg.org/family.
David Rich
Mesa
Dale Whiting posted at 5:52 am on Thu, Feb 9, 2012.
David,
"December of 2010" you say! And what else happened the month before that which has prevent other such well intentioned legislation from being presented, much less passed? While contemplating this question, try brewing yourself a drink and inviting Alice in Wonderland over for a Tea Party! Mad Hatter Republicans are hoping to continue their party through the next election. But the Cheshire Cat has caught Alice's attention. Hopefully it's 2008 all over again.
Now follows a diatribe of complaints about the Obama Adminstration. Mad Hatter has excuses for just about everything, blaming it all of the Cheshire Cat we now have in office.
TeaPartyPatriot posted at 9:02 am on Thu, Feb 9, 2012.
You do need a pseudonym Dale. Mad Hatter would be a good one for you. More dictates from King Obamanation is what we all need. Just what part of our lives do the democrats not think they have a right to rule on? When will this Obamanation finally get around to declaring himself supreme ruler or emperor? I applaud Hawaii, California, New York, and Florida legislatures that ask their schools to offer daily vegetarian options, and the Baltimore public school system for offering its 80,000 students a complete weekly break from meat. More parents and school districts should care more about what their children consume at school, but to allow this out of control, ever growing behemoth of a federal government to continually interfere with our rights is outrageous. We need less federal control and more state and community involvement.
Masterrogue666 posted at 10:18 am on Thu, Feb 9, 2012.
"Mad Hatter Republicans" -- Decorum?
Leon Ceniceros posted at 11:08 am on Thu, Feb 9, 2012.
The kids throw the healthy stuff in the garbage and whip out the Cheez-its, Chedder cheese cracker packets and burritos.
Now tell me what kid would want to eat uncooked broccoli or cauliflower or carrots or celery......legumes and lentils taste like cat-vomit...no matter how you doctor it up.
Just more Liberal, Progressive, Socialist, Democrat, and Commie (take that back...Commies love American junk food).........."social engineering".
What next ....."Gender-Free" bathrooms and showers in High Schools, LGBTSWSP-Honor Assemblies (awards for the neatest body art in the under 12yo age group)..........the Obama-istas won't be happy till every school kid looks like Twiggy and dresses like him/her too.........................[sad]
DemocraticDad posted at 5:25 pm on Thu, Feb 9, 2012.
@ TeaPartyPatriot: "Just what part of our lives do the democrats not think they have a right to rule on?" How about what goes on inside a woman's womb, and whether gay people should be allowed to marry...we leave that for the Republicans to rule on!
@ Leon: "Now tell me what kid would want to eat uncooked broccoli or cauliflower or carrots or celery?" As a retired school teacher and administrator in both NY and AZ I have been in many schools where hordes of students crowd around the salad bar in the cafeteria filling their plates with fresh fruits and veggies. I've asked you this before Leon, and you've yet to answer: When was the LAST time you were actually in a school building? over the last year? over the last decade? What do you base the "extensive" knowledge of kids and the education system in your frequent comments on?
Rational Human posted at 7:03 pm on Thu, Feb 9, 2012.
That's not true at all DemocraticDad. The democRATS have indeed ruled on what goes on within women's wombs. That is why it is legal to have an abortion. Isn't it the democRATS that ruled that your gays can marry? Anyone with a kid knows what they will or will not eat. Have you raised any kids lately Dad?
DemocraticDad posted at 12:05 am on Fri, Feb 10, 2012.
Rational Human, aside from raising 2 sons, I have worked in school buildings for over 40 years. I can't tell you how many times, as both a parent and as an educator, that parents have said to me, I can't believe that you got my son/daughter to act that way, or do that, or say that. Anyone who has spent time with children knows that many times they will do/say things for other authority figures, that they would not do for their parents... maybe like eating fruits and veggies when offered. I don't want to get into child psychology, but it has to do with children being more likely to buck and test parents, than other authority figures, because they know that, for the most part, their parents will always love them no matter what. Ask any educator, they will confirm what I say.
Now I am going to ask you the same question I've been asking Leon, when was the last time you spent any appreciable amount of time in a school building observing what kids do, or don't do there? I'm in school buildings all the time and, as I said, have been for over 40 years. This week alone I spent 2 days in 2 different schools working as an educational consultant.
Rational Human, a lot of times your comments on various letters in the EV Trib make me wonder how "rational" you really are.
Masterrogue666 posted at 10:14 am on Fri, Feb 10, 2012.
Leon: Actually my daughter LOVES broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and celery. Of course, she also likes Cheez-its, Chedder cheese cracker packets and burritos.
I'm just happy she'll eat the prior without a fuss....
VofReason posted at 12:30 pm on Fri, Feb 10, 2012.
Thank goodness that the Government is going to save us from "itself". Heaven knows that parents are way to stupid to say make a lunch for their child if they think the school lunch is not good for them. I mean, if the Government didn't figure it out for us, what in the world would we do. Ok, got to get back to Faux News for more "lies".