<DIV>Well Saundra three points here;</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Saying that giving children a choice between junk food and healthy food and being surprised why the child always picks the junk food seems like a cop out. "Like WOW, the six yer old chose the pizza over the mixed vegetables!" Of course children need to be taught and guided away from junk food. 6 year olds don't have the level of reasoning to decide what is right and is not right to eat, even adults have that trouble, children are especially vulnerable. That is why God gave them parents. And if the parents are not there, then yes, the adults that are there are responsible for the well being of the children in their care, including what they put in their bodies. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Second, obviously you haven't taken any actions to remedy the situation either if they are still regularly eating garbage like hot dogs, pizza, and nachos. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>And finally, I don't blame the
cafeteria lady for the slop they feed the kids. I think if anything, they are probably the least paid and have to deal with more problems than any other employee with maybe the exception of the bus driver and special education teachers. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>PS. If Idaho gives out healthy eating awards for serving junk food, what slop are losing schools serving for lunch?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>lunch menus<BR>-- which I've watched closely for years because I've ***so*** wanted to be<BR>able to nominate our district for a Golden Carrot Award:<BR>http://www.healthyschoollunches.org/ -- our school menus are superior to<BR>many districts, and they are certainly far more healthful than the school<BR>lunches
I grew up with even with what was known about nutrition back in the<BR>Dark Ages!<BR><BR>I also have to add a plug for the cafeteria workers! My dd has opted to be<BR>a vegetarian, and for special lunch events at school, I know the cook has<BR>personally made healthy vegetarian choices available, which we greatly<BR>appreciate! Sure, I wish it could be done every day, but I'm pleased that<BR>*fresh* fruits & veggies are available virtually every single day, something<BR>not all kids get access to at home and something not all school districts<BR>provide.<BR><BR>I also have to add that just because more healthy options are available to<BR>kids doesn't mean kids will choose them at school. I say that as a parent<BR>who has spent time in MSD's lunch rooms. Unless you want our lunch rooms<BR>staffed with Food Nazis ("You WILL take this food" and "You WILL eat<BR>everything on your plate before leaving the table," both of which can cause<BR>major food aversions), you can
offer all the healthy choices you want, but<BR>the some/many/most of the kids *will* refuse, particularly if the choices<BR>offered are drastically different than home fare. When my dd was younger, I<BR>was pretty rigid and thus not pleased with some of the school lunch<BR>offerings because my dd would, of course, choose things I wouldn't offer at<BR>home even though healthier choices *were* -- and remain -- available.<BR><BR>However, it was the job of our family to teach her good nutritional habits<BR>-- and healthy living choices -- that reflect the values of our family.<BR>And, the reality is that school lunches played a limited role in my dd's<BR>nutritional status -- breakfast & dinner were done at home, as were snacks,<BR>as were lunches on the many days of summer, weekends, holidays, and "no<BR>school" days.<BR><BR>Besides, all bets are off once kids become teens :-) All of my nutritional<BR>and healthy lifestyle programming <G>seem to have taken a hiatus
during<BR>these teen years . . . but I've been assured that the foundations she<BR>learned *at home* will reemerge at some point ;-)<BR><BR>I personally would be strongly in favor of restructuring school lunches<BR>nationwide, and towards that end, I've contacted my legislators to let them<BR>know that I strongly support revisions to the Farm Bill to help ensure that<BR>more healthy foods are available at reasonable costs. Bet that's not going<BR>to earn me any Brownie points here, but I see addressing the gross<BR>inequities in food subsidies vital to making more healthy foods affordable<BR>and available to all of us, including our food assistance programs, which<BR>includes our school lunch programs.<BR><BR>What have you done, Donovan? Anyone can complain, but it's *action* that<BR>can make a difference.<BR><BR><BR>JMHO,<BR>Saundra Lund<BR>Moscow, ID<BR><BR>The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do<BR>nothing.<BR>- Edmund
Burke<BR><BR>***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2006 through life plus<BR>70 years, Saundra Lund. Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce outside<BR>the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the<BR>author.*****<BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]<BR>On Behalf Of Donovan Arnold<BR>Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 12:44 AM<BR>To: vision2020@moscow.com<BR>Subject: [Vision2020] Hot Dogs, Pizza, and Nachos, MSDs Meal Plans<BR><BR>The Moscow School District says it cares about its children. Yet looking at<BR>the school lunch program it looks a lot closer to child abuse with hot dogs,<BR>pizza, hamburgers, and nachos as common staples for children as young as<BR>five or six under the care of MSD. Teaching kids to eat greasy foods high in<BR>empty calories; fast food that is loaded with sodium and other preservatives<BR>is not taking care of children and
providing them with a good education on<BR>how to eat correctly. Poor diets early in life leads to increased risk of<BR>diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, and shorter life<BR>spans plagued with health problems and huge medical bills. Yet this is the<BR>avenue that our Moscow School District chooses to take.<BR><BR>Why does MSD believe that these greasy foods should be consumed by children?<BR>What steps has it taken to correct the problem? <BR><BR>Best,<BR><BR>Donovan<BR><BR><BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================<BR></DIV><BR><p> 
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