I decided to volunteer at school once a month to help serve the hot lunch. What I realized was that I have been paying $2.25 for my child to eat nasty processed, so-called food. They consider a healthy child's lunch to be a pile of corn chips with a scoop of "Alpo" looking meat, and a glob of sticky, gloppy stuff they call cheese. Seriously???
America has boasted about how it is so advanced and superior to other cultures, but when it comes to food, I am amazed what American children will eat (and PREFER to eat). They not only eat it, they come back for seconds and thirds AND they throw their fresh carrots and whole apples in the garbage and dump their milk down the drinking fountain.
Now, of course, kids will be kids and will eat what tastes good, rich and sweet. So what happened to us as parents that we forfeited our responsibility to make sure what our kids are putting into their bodies on a daily basis will actually help them and not harm them? I had one mom tell me the other day that her son cried because they did not have corn dogs at school on Monday. "He only eats a few things - he is very picky with his foods", she said.
Now, so I don't sound all self-righteous and all that, my kids (at least some of them) would enjoy a good corn dog as well - the nasty ones they serve at at school?? - maybe....But as an adult and a parent, am I willing to go the extra mile to make sure they are getting good foods in their diet? It seems I better be, because the school has certainly abdicated their role in watching out of the health of our children!
I agree with you whole-heartedly! I eat lunch with Heidi at school once a week, but I bring lunch from home or, on occasion, from a restaurant. I can't believe what the kids DON'T eat - and by that I mean what they throw away. Most of them take only a few bites and the rest ends up in the trash. Even those who bring their lunch eat the junk they have and throw nutritious food away.
ReplyDeleteThe school serves only "kid friendly" food as you described: chicken nuggets, hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, French toast sticks, etc. Why did it ever become popular to make kids eat only what they wanted? I'm guessing because it's easier to give in to what they desire rather than have to stand firm and make them do something that is not pleasant.
I have to admit that I have it very easy here because H is an adventurous eater and counts only a few items on her "do not like" items!
MB,
ReplyDeleteCosette told me what she had when she went out to eat with you guys. It was so fun to hear her excitement and it flashed through my head of how we are actually doing our kids a disservice by not pushing them to try other things.
If the kids knew what were in the hotdogs they were eating, probably 99% of the kids would think it was horrendous that their parents/school would even suggest that they eat it. The government only has to account for 75% of the ingredients in those things. I am sure chicken nuggets aren't very far off from those either!