I have a 5 year old in Kindergarten. His teacher has a signed statement from the wife and I instructing that he is only to eat the home prepared meal
he is sent to school with every day. I could give two flips about fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, (not so much dairy, as he has a casein
allergy... but I digress) The reason he isn't allowed to eat the government approved "healthy" school lunch is because of the abundance of absolute
CRAP that is mixed together with the healthy food bases to produce an "edible" that is anything but healthy.
Before we even begin to mess around with nonsense like "is it a vegie?" or "Does this meet the RDA for vitamin XYZ?" we need to look at all of the
additives, preservatives, chemicals, and debris that gets thrown into those school meals. As a starting point, take a look at the sodium content of
your local school menu (I believe most all districts now include a nutritional value listing on their websites for the school menus.) My son's first
week of school, day #2, the lunch du jour was lasagna, a roll, fruit cup, milk, and a small salad.
Anchorage Elementary School Nutritional Info table
Sodium...
Lasagna: 924 mg
Roll: 201 mg
Milk: 120 mg
Dressing: 131 mg
GRAND TOTAL: 1,376 milligrams of sodium...
For a 5 year old!!!
These little children aren't part of a road crew digging a ditch in west Texas, mid July, under 110 degree heat. Their little bodies do not need
meals with a thousand mg of sodium in them. Furthermore, way to freaking ensure yet another generation of Americans who can't enjoy a meal for the
natural taste of their food because the salt shaker is the first thing they grab when their plate arrives.