Does this sound like a healthy school breakfast to you??? - Page 2

[Jes'sBeth]

As a teacher it drives me bonkers to see what kids bring from home to eat as well. I had a student in grade 2 try to tell me that a Bearpaw wasn't a cookie... it was a Bearpaw. Hmmm - interesting because the package says 'soft cookie' on it! It blows my mind that we are allowing our children to eat sugary processed garbage for breakfasts or lunches. There's some really interesting stuff that's gone on in the UK with regards to healthy lunch programs using fresh fruit and vegetables. At the beginning parents were showing up at the yard fence to hand fast food over to thier children so that they wouldn't have to eat the fruit and vegetables in the cafeteria. I find that incredibly sad. How are we to expect our children to grow up heathly if we allow them to eat horribly unhealthy food?! They should only be able to access healthy foods in their schools. Fresh fruit and vegetables (cooked from frozen counts), whole grains and lean proteins (including vegetarian proteins). I wonder how long it will take us to figure out that we are harming our children by allowing them to eat crap.

[1xmom]

Originally Posted by Jes'sBeth

As a teacher it drives me bonkers to see what kids bring from home to eat as well. I had a student in grade 2 try to tell me that a Bearpaw wasn't a cookie... it was a Bearpaw. Hmmm - interesting because the package says 'soft cookie' on it! It blows my mind that we are allowing our children to eat sugary processed garbage for breakfasts or lunches. There's some really interesting stuff that's gone on in the UK with regards to healthy lunch programs using fresh fruit and vegetables. At the beginning parents were showing up at the yard fence to hand fast food over to thier children so that they wouldn't have to eat the fruit and vegetables in the cafeteria. I find that incredibly sad. How are we to expect our children to grow up heathly if we allow them to eat horribly unhealthy food?! They should only be able to access healthy foods in their schools. Fresh fruit and vegetables (cooked from frozen counts), whole grains and lean proteins (including vegetarian proteins). I wonder how long it will take us to figure out that we are harming our children by allowing them to eat crap.

Exactly! I remember when I went on a field trip w/my dd class and the "food" some of the kids were pulling out of there bags for lunch was really sad. I'm talking 16 oz. bottles of Mountain Dew, candy bars, cupcakes - you name it.

I know my dd's school lunch leaves alot to be desired, but sadly that if probably the healthiest thing the kids have to eat. At my dd's school, the kids are allowed to bring a snack for the morning, some kids were actually bringing candy. Now I know sometimes parents just allow their children to choose and that is when we need to remember they are basically imitating their atmosphere. So while my child thought it was great that she could bring Ants on a Log, there is a kid beside her w/either nothing or candy. It is such a sad situation.

[IlluminatedAttic]

I don't think school meals are going to change until there is a shift in the nutritional thinking of our society at large. The last school I taught at before ds was born was a private school in an affluent area. The vast majority of the parents were college educated. The food these kids brought for their lunches was atrocious! The school had enacted rules prohibiting soda and candy to combat some of the worst stuff, but still 95% of the kids seemed to be living on ultra-processed sugar, salt and fat. It was so sad. The exception to this was a group of Japanese children (there was a major Japanese auto manufacturer nearby and management employees would do three year rotations in the US with their families.) Most of the fair in their bento boxes was amazing, both in presentation and in nutrition.

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

The breakfasts aren't that great here either, and it's free for all students. I wish they'd have *all* healthy options.

Unfortunately for the public schools, the reimbursement rate from the government is kind of pathetic, so they have to go as cheap as they can while still meeting at least the minimum standards... and it needs to be something the kids will actually eat.

I live in a pretty affluent suburb, and I volunteer in the cafeteria frequently. You'd be surprised how much food these kids are throwing away because they say they don't like it... and it happens just as often with kids who are bringing lunch as the ones that are buying hot lunches. It's gotten so bad that the custodian has designated a spot for kids to leave their unopened/untouched food if they don't want it so it's not going straight into the trash...

[CarrieMF]

Exactly! I remember when I went on a field trip w/my dd class and the "food" some of the kids were pulling out of there bags for lunch was really sad. I'm talking 16 oz. bottles of Mountain Dew, candy bars, cupcakes - you name it.

For field trips i"ve always given my kids treats. though cupcakes I'll give them anytime. I don't buy them if that makes a difference.

[1xmom]

For field trips i"ve always given my kids treats. though cupcakes I'll give them anytime. I don't buy them if that makes a difference.

Oh, I give my dd cupcakes as well, but that isn't the main part of her lunch. For some kids, the treats I give my dd are the actual lunch that they have. I mean a 5 year old w/a 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew. Now I realize that some kids can't afford to bring a packed lunch and in those cases the school does provide a bag lunch with a sandwich, carrot/celery sticks, fresh fruit, milk. The parents are also informed of this when info goes home about the trips.
We also have held classes at my dd's school for parents about nutrition and the importance of healthy meals.

[octobermom]

Originally Posted by ginger_rodgers

meemee, my sympathy glands are not welling up here. If those kids parents won't tell them to Eat That Food, then too bad. I don't see a reason to serve bad food to the rest of the kids because some won't eat anything else.

I have the rare child whith extreme food intollrances to textures and such and does have a history of self staring to the point of needing hospitalization and possible feeding tubes.. Yet I have to at least overall agree there is a dirrence between "child friendly" and junk : make simple pancakes heck make then with regular flour eggs and milk for all I care and seve them in fun shapes thats "kid friendly" but the idea we need to add artifical this and overly sweetened that with extra dyes and candy prizes makes little sense.

Deanna

[octobermom]

oh and FWIW my super dupper picky kindergardener wont touch most processed foods or even homemade sweets to save her life SHe always complains when ever they do birthday celebrations (last Friday of the months) that they keep serving all the stuff she doesn't like (cupcakes cookies ect.. her one really bad food choice exception is soda SHe loves like sprite but its not allowed at school I wont buy it at home she is allowed to have it if we eat out which we rarely do.
I do give my DD basic ceral in the morning ussually eaither cheerios or store brand frosted flakes (no HFCS in it) with whole milk and she ussually splits a bannana with her daddy. I've really really have tried pretty much everythign else but this is what she will consitantly eat and she is a lot easier to deal with if she gets in something.
Lunch is tradionally a sandwhich (no HFCS added persertive bread whole wheat breads) some fruit or carrots and eaither a juice or an organic milk plus her water bottle) snacks ussually one of the following annies bunny crackers or gram snacks a bannana or carrots thats pretty much all she will consistantly eat.
HEr school though thinks that hot pockets, artifically flovered panncakes on a stick (for lunch), and fruit cocktails in syrup so think the fruit floats are healthy choices
SO when I got a letter suggesting that my DD might enjoy more of a "variety" in her diet (after her phase of wanting a PB and J sandwhich baby carrots and an organic pink milk in her lunch and cheeder cheese bunny crackers for her snack every day for like 5 weeks and suggested she could try the school lunches I just

Deanna

Deanna

[luv-my-boys]

Originally Posted by ecoteat

Yes, but when schools are buying stuff from huge distributors like Sysco, they are limited by what commodoties are available to them. Schools basically have to grow their own food or buy directly from farms to get real food. (Which my school does! Yay!)

Another frustrating thing is some school districts are limited to who they can purchase from by the state(if they even can purchase things individually and not as a district)