Michelle Obama's New School Lunches Are A Flop

How much of the child obesity problem is due to sitting in front of a TV or video game for hours on end? MORE EXERCISE!

reply to post by aardvark888


Yes I believe this is true as well.
But to be fair, it's not all about the PCs, ipads, xboxs and ps3s.
Most parents are to afraid to let their kids play outside because of gangs, drugs, pedophiles, and other evil things in this Ducked up world.

I loved my childhood, lots of good memories playing outside, and it is sad to see some kids will never understand how much fun it could be. Do kids today know what a fort or tree house is? Do they still play football and baseball ride skateboards or bikes? Not around here.

reply to post by GunzCoty


I dont know if its so much the Parents not allowing their kids to go outside, as much as its the kids not wanting to. My cousins are under 18, and they have never known a world of playing games with the neighborhood kids in your lawn, or skateboarding, or riding a bike.. But instead Wii, and DVR, ooVoo with their friends, or skype all day.

Obviously this isnt the story of every American kid, But I live in a big enough city and crime and gangs and such are of no concern.

I am the parent of a VERY active 16 year old boy...He does sports in school..and goes to the gym 2 or 3 days a week after school to play basketball with his friends...he eats very healthy for a teenager...rare that he has a soda pop...hasnt had candy or such in forever..
his last class of the day is athletics...running track, working out in weight room, or ball practice etc...

1 small taco, 5 carrot sticks, and half an apple is no where near enough for him...he burns more calories than that in the first five minutes of gym.

You now can watch a bee line of cars leaving school grounds headed right to the closest fast food joint in town..

Providing kids with healthy lunches....ok
Providing high school kids with same portion as first graders?? ...not so much

And when these kids look over at the teachers table do you think they see the same food and same portions?? Nope

IF they are going to dictate and control the menus..then perhaps the should eat it as well....
Michelle should go eat at the local grade school every day for a month and see how that holds her over!

1 small taco, 5 carrot sticks, and half an apple is no where near enough for him...he burns more calories than that in the first five minutes of gym.

reply to post by okiecowboy


This is true as well.
Kids burn up food fast and need a hearty meal.

reply to post by aardvark888


Unless it's millet or spelt flour....yes wheat (or shall I say GLUTEN) is just BAD for you!

reply to post by AliceBlackman


did her "organic" garden involved GMO seeds or Heirloom?

Originally posted by stonebutterfly
These lunches don't sound bad. And portion control is essential to being healthy. We eat extra large portions as Americans, cause we think eating till you pop is right. The sad thing is our kids are so used to eating junk and sugar they cant handle a decent meal. I mean really people are complaining that schools are feeding their kids healthier? Oh dear, lets just go buy crud and fill them up till they puke with it. An unhealthy lifestyle needs time to adjust to the new healthy items. So now Ms Obama is terrible for not shoving Little Debbie cakes and grease into their unhealthy butts?

Evil Obamas and their SPINACH!

It's not whether Mrs. Obama is terrible for pushing this program on school kids....it just IRKS me and many others that a menu must be planned for them with no alternative! Some children and also adults cannot digest gluten products, especially wheat which is the new staple of school lunches without another choice. Why does the government have the right to dictate what any child eats while in school? Does anyone think they really care about the health of our kids! Nope, just another "brick in the wall" of government control! The reality and sad truth is that we are subtly and systematically regulated for everything that is our inherent right as individuals!

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide". ~Napoleon Bonaparte

Originally posted by elrem48

Originally posted by stonebutterfly
These lunches don't sound bad. And portion control is essential to being healthy. We eat extra large portions as Americans, cause we think eating till you pop is right. The sad thing is our kids are so used to eating junk and sugar they cant handle a decent meal. I mean really people are complaining that schools are feeding their kids healthier? Oh dear, lets just go buy crud and fill them up till they puke with it. An unhealthy lifestyle needs time to adjust to the new healthy items. So now Ms Obama is terrible for not shoving Little Debbie cakes and grease into their unhealthy butts?

Evil Obamas and their SPINACH!

It's not whether Mrs. Obama is terrible for pushing this program on school kids....it just IRKS me and many others that a menu must be planned for them with no alternative! Some children and also adults cannot digest gluten products, especially wheat which is the new staple of school lunches without another choice. Why does the government have the right to dictate what any child eats while in school? Does anyone think they really care about the health of our kids! Nope, just another "brick in the wall" of government control! The reality and sad truth is that we are subtly and systematically regulated for everything that is our inherent right as individuals!

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide". ~Napoleon Bonaparte

schools are required by law to have alternatives for food allergies. I see a whole lot of people in this thread speaking about things they know nothing about.

reply to post by captaintyinknots


look what Jamie Oliver was up against when he tried to change American school cantens!

reply to post by elrem48

Why does the government have the right to dictate what any child eats while in school? Does anyone think they really care about the health of our kids! Nope, just another "brick in the wall" of government control!

Why do they also have the right to dictate what shots they need to attend school, what clothing they can wear at school, what books they can read while at school.....because parents as a whole have just set back and handed them that control.

I can't believe people still aren't getting it. Schools are not dictating what kids eat. They dictate what they offer. Nothing more.

Someday I hope parents realize that school is for education. It is not a restaurant. It is not daycare. It is not surrogate parents. It is not there to offer every convenience that you want.

Education folks. That's what school is for. If people spend as much time being parents, making lunches, etc for their kids as they do whining about this nonsense, the children would be far better off.

But its much easier to expect schools to be the parents than it is to actually do it yourself.

Originally posted by captaintyinknots

Originally posted by elrem48

Originally posted by stonebutterfly
These lunches don't sound bad. And portion control is essential to being healthy. We eat extra large portions as Americans, cause we think eating till you pop is right. The sad thing is our kids are so used to eating junk and sugar they cant handle a decent meal. I mean really people are complaining that schools are feeding their kids healthier? Oh dear, lets just go buy crud and fill them up till they puke with it. An unhealthy lifestyle needs time to adjust to the new healthy items. So now Ms Obama is terrible for not shoving Little Debbie cakes and grease into their unhealthy butts?

Evil Obamas and their SPINACH!

It's not whether Mrs. Obama is terrible for pushing this program on school kids....it just IRKS me and many others that a menu must be planned for them with no alternative! Some children and also adults cannot digest gluten products, especially wheat which is the new staple of school lunches without another choice. Why does the government have the right to dictate what any child eats while in school? Does anyone think they really care about the health of our kids! Nope, just another "brick in the wall" of government control! The reality and sad truth is that we are subtly and systematically regulated for everything that is our inherent right as individuals!

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide". ~Napoleon Bonaparte

schools are required by law to have alternatives for food allergies. I see a whole lot of people in this thread speaking about things they know nothing about.

That may be true about alternatives in SOME schools, but not my grandson's school, as they just sent a letter home regarding the changes in school lunches, and one of them is WHEAT BREAD ONLY. Oh maybe the alternative is NO bread. Well, so far he can still brown-bag it if he chooses. And there we go again inciting the laws! THIS is the problem you see...too many unneccesary laws. It is not the government's job to dictate what meals a child SHOULD eat. What I DO know is the growing restrictions on every facet of our being! Oh my....don't they have some important wars to fight instead?!

reply to post by elrem48


So again it comes down to being mad that schools aren't catering to exactly what each person wants. And yes, every school in america is required, by law, to have allergy alternatives.

reply to post by captaintyinknots

Education folks. That's what school is for. If people spend as much time being parents, making lunches, etc for their kids as they do whining about this nonsense, the children would be far better off.

Yessss, in a perfect world education IS what schools are for......

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
reply to post by elrem48

 

So again it comes down to being mad that schools aren't catering to exactly what each person wants.

Nah, I grew up in a time where this wasn't a concern of the government, and that's how it should be today. Never did I say "schools should cater" to our wishes....they should just leave it alone...not their problem. This will not improve anything, except more children will brown-bag it. If you say this is non-important, then why do you agree with the new guidlines? All I'm saying is to leave it alone in the first place! The portions are a crock also, they just make the same money serving less to the person....sounds familiar aka (groceries).

reply to post by captaintyinknots


Something tells me you don't have a school age child or are out of touch with what actually goes on in schools now days...

Like has been said before several schools must not be aware of that law you speak of regarding food allergies..

If people spend as much time being parents, making lunches, etc for their kids as they do whining about this nonsense, the children would be far better off.

Ok here is how it is locally....you pack a lunch for your 3rd grader....he has to put said lunch in his locker because it is not allowed in class.....come lunch time they are marched to lunch room...and you are not allowed to visit lockers enroute...so what do you think the kid has a choice to do??


the schools really really frown on bringing a lunch from home...the schools get awards based on the lunch program they have..the more kids they feed the better they look...

IN GENERAL.—Effective for each of the schoolyears beginning July 1, 2011, July 1, 2012, and July
1, 2013, the Secretary shall offer performance awards
to States to encourage the States to ensure that all
children eligible for direct certification under this paragraph
are certified in accordance with this paragraph

DEFINITION OF REQUIRED PERCENTAGE.—In thissubparagraph, the term ‘required percentage’ means—
‘‘(I) for the school year beginning July 1, 2011,
80 percent;
‘‘(II) for the school year beginning July 1, 2012,
90 percent; and
‘‘(III) for the school year beginning July 1,
2013, and each school year thereafter, 95 percent

Source

reply to post by okiecowboy


Actually, I work for the local school district, which is how I know this. Just because they may not offer the alternatives that you want, doesn't mean they don't offer alternatives. Again, school is not a restaurant. Period.

reply to post by captaintyinknots

And yes, every school in america is required, by law, to have allergy alternatives

can you point me to that law?

I would like to read it but having trouble locating it

I actually enjoyed my school lunches back in the day (way back when). Looking at the menu today, I GUESS it's not so bad, but wheat with everything??? No. (mind you, all bread I eat is wheat). Food should look, feel, taste appetizing and compliment each other.

The kids may currently be rejecting the food due to current eating habits; they will need to adjust (the kids).

Now, about the portion sizes. Same portions for a 1st grader and high schoolers? Really?. Less food does not mean kids will lose weight; as people grow, their nutritional needs grow also. In reality, it will cause weight gain if kids are still starving; why? It's how metabolism works.

You ever wonder why there are people who eat so much, yet never gain weight? It's because their bodies never go into starvation mode. Then, look at many (not all, just many) large/fat people, they usually don't eat much; regardless of the stereotype. The large folks bodies go into, and many times stuck in starvation mode because they eat very little, or eat less frequently but with large servings (ex: 1-2 times a day only). These are facts.

My advice to the schools, gov't and parents, cut down on the fructose, sugars, oils. Stop serving processed junk if you want kids to eat + be at 'normal' weight. Let kids have in-between snacks. Teach kids how to eat healthier and they will make healthy eating choices.

As far as Gov't intervention of these school menus, I get a feeling it's not without it's reasons. What are the reasons? Well, possibly, they are cutting costs in guise of 'healthy' eating.

I don't think I've ever known a kid that doesn't eat SOMETHING when they get home.