According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
· Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.
· In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
Consider the above facts and that some schools to save money are eliminating physical education for juniors and seniors. I want your input as parents and teachers on the policy in many schools to provide alternative lunches as many students were not eating the regular lunches. Some alternative lunches include salads but most were pizza, hamburgers, and French fries. Along with these lunches, schools provide snack machines and drink machines. The schools believe that many students were not getting lunch prior to this policy going into effect. Also, the profits were used for programs at the school that did not have traditional funding, such as school clubs.
I disagree with the idea of alternative lunches and snack machines in schools. Hungry children will eat healthy food. Lunchrooms can still serve pizza - just use wheat crust. Serve french fries but use sweet potato fries or bake them instead of frying. There are plenty of healthy alternatives to foods children like.
ReplyDeleteThe baking instead of frying is a good idea. I know I bake many meats instead of frying them.
DeleteAt my former school we had an awesome cafeteria manager who made school lunches yummy and healthy. On special holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving the school would have hundreds of extra parents and visitors come and enjoy lunch.
ReplyDeleteDuring lunch hours it was required that the vending machines be shut down so students would not be able to purchase snacks or drinks. They either had to purchase a lunch or bring one from home.
As a teacher, I always required my K5 students to eat one healthy item before the "junk" that was in their lunchbox or on their plates. When I taught upper grades I left it up to the students to decide what they wanted to eat.
At my school we do not have alternative lunches unless a student has an allergy. We get salad with most of our lunches and I did not have one single student who enjoyed it, even the ones who probably didn’t have dinner the night before. Our students do not have a vending machine to use at all throughout the day. I always do my best to get the students to eat a healthy part of the meal before they eat the dessert.
ReplyDeleteOur school does not offer alternative lunches. I believe that alternative lunches should not be available. If the children are hungry they will eat it. Schools need to offer healthy meals for appropriate developments. Fruits, Veggies, Meat, Starches, etc. The amount they receive should solely depend on the food pyramid. I always ask my children to eat one item of real food before they eat the junk they bring from home. Also, they are already eating too much junk food at home and at fast food joints.
ReplyDeleteThe schools in Mobile County that I have been in do not fry their food. I could be wrong, but I believe that Mobile County has taken out the fryers in all of the schools. Vending machines should be in school but instead of candy bars there should be Sun Chips, trail mix, crackers and other healthy snacks.
ReplyDeleteI like your suggestion about the vending machine contents. I know when my daughter went to Davidson High she always said that if you went through the lunch line you didn't have any time to eat before your lunch wave was over. She worked at Hardees so she usually bought her lunch from the vending machines by adding her money to what we gave her for lunch. I wanted her to eat healthier, but I knew she had to eat something with being in Band and having to stay late several days a week at school.
DeleteI believe if offered choice to students about what they eat, a majority will turn to the "tastier" rather the healthier option. It has been found that "fat is addictive" and that is what children will crave and select. I belive vending machines should be turned off during lunch time, and only a few healthy choices offered for lunch. If parents and students truly find the school lunches non-desirable, then there is still always the option of bringing one's school to lunch. As far as physical education, I feel it should stay in the schools but, perhaps, different choices could be offered to those who are non-athletes such as aerobics classes for girls, or strength training for boys.
ReplyDeleteI like your suggestions about the different choices for PE. I think strength training should be offered to all students, male and female, not just the athletes. Zumba would also be a good choice for girls.
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