This article is about how school cafeterias are aiming more towards feeding the children healthier meals that also are cost effective. Schools are concerned about the recent studies in childhood obesity, which have been linked to poor eating habits, and are trying to combat that with making their menus healthier. Ways that they are combating this crisis are to change the amount of sugar or salt in many of their recipes.
I have heard of the childhood obesity scare but not to the extent as to how much work that the government and school cafeterias are putting towards making children healthier. This article has put into perspective what has to be done in order to make the nation healthier.
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It is no secret that there is an obesity crisis sweeping across American, and it is no longer just effecting adults. Today, thousands of children are considered overwieghtand for the first time doctors our saying parents may out live their children. To many this may not seem like an important issue, but in my opinion it is an extreme problem which must be attended to right away.
ReplyDeleteCurrently schools across America are attempting to do their part to help aid against childhood obesity. Although I think this is great I can't help but think, is it to late? For years school cafeterias have been serving processed foods which are high in fat and calories. Along with serving unnutritional foods, schools have also begun to decrease the physical education programs offered to their students, due to budget cuts. So how can this all change? How can schools support and contribute to the on going fight to end childhood obesity?
In many schools across the United States, new programs are being added to help control the quality and quantity of food which is being served to the student body. Many schools are trying to limit or cut back on the amount of proccessed and fatty foods which they serve to the students. Along with revamping the cafeteria menu, schools are also begining to introduce breakfast programs. These programs are meant to give the students a healthy start to the day in hope that it will boost their energy and increase learning ablitity. More physical activity has also become a priority, with schools incorporating daily stretching and exercise section for students. The eliminate of soft drinks in the school cafeteria is also in effort to help create a healthier generation of children.
Although, putting an end to childhood obesity may seem like an impossible task with the proper programs, I believe it can be done. It will be a long process and results may not be instant, but I feel that it is important to invest the time and effort into making the future generation healthy. Recently, Chef Jaimie Oliver has joined the fight against childhood obesity, introducing a plan to provide healthier school lunches in England. Chef Oliver's efforts have been so successful, that he will be introducing his techniques to the American audience. In March, Jaimie Olivers new show will begin airing, in which he tries to make a town aware of the dangers of childhood obesity. The show will also show the chef implenmenting the changes to the school lunch system which he found to be so successful in England. It should be an interesting show and I am curious to see peoples reaction to it.
Obesity is definitely the number one problem in children's health today. Schools can prevent this problem and, more and more of them keep taking action on it. If we market healthy food conscience ideas to kids they will get the knowledge of eating healthy. If you start teaching kids about nutrition, and excersice at a young age i believe it would be benfical to them in the long run. I know when i was younger my parents tought me to save money and a value of a dollar and it went along way. I think if we get to childern earlier enough and devise programs and other pursuasive ideas into their heads that obesity and thier health will improve.
ReplyDeleteIt is imparitive that we try to do whatever we can to improve the lives of the next generation as well as do what we can to improve ours too. Starting school nutrition programs in the school is a great way to educate the kids. This program done the right way will teach kids about what options are the best for their health.
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses what some of the mandates that the federal government have placed on the school lunch program. It also shows examples of what schools are doing like baking instead of deep fat frying, using low fat mozzarella cheese in replace of the whole fat, and the same for salad dressings.
Budgets the amount of kids have stayed the same but prices of ingredients have gone up tremendously along with the added cost of freight now adays. One idea that alot of schools choice to do is a cycle menu using the same ingredients and not going crazy on unique ones.
This article goes on about how to attract students to the healthy food options and break away from their traditional or commonly known food that they feel comfortable with. They are using nutrition as education by dedicating a day to a nutrition fair. The final point that it brings up is the computerized systems that charge the kids and how advanced they have become over the years.