| Author |
Message |
Steve Jefferies (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 56
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 10:32 am: |       |
The pelinks4u November 2006 editorial is entitled "Profiting Off Student Health Must Not Be a Choice." Please post comments to the editorial in this thread.
(Message edited by admin on November 30, 2006) |
Erik David Forssen (Edfskins)
Junior Member
Username: Edfskins
Post Number: 7
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - 6:00 pm: | |
When it comes to food choices, people will typically choose what is familiar to them.
The familiarity leading to choice is formed by commercials, peers, schools, and family.
We Americans truly are a "Fast Food Nation" and our enormously popular burger, fry, pop diet has become familiar with nearly every country in the world. Also familiar are the rising rates of obesity related illnesses that go hand in hand with the fast food diet.
Public schools in the US, with their federally funded USDA breakfast and lunch program, are promoting, perpetuating and teaching the familiar "American Diet."
Hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, cheese zombies, nachos with cheese, macaroni with mini franks, and chips are typical lunches funded by the USDA, while doughnuts, pop-tarts, and cherrie pies dominate the breakfast menu.
Where are the choices? 50% of all American children participate in the USDA breakfast and lunch program, and there are no good choices. We serve them fruit in syrup, no fresh vegetables, highly processed junk, and wonder why the obesity epidemic grows by leaps and bounds; we are teaching them familiarity!
As a public educator I beg of you to step up and fight for a healthier school. Erik
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Lisa Ochieng (Lisao)
New member
Username: Lisao
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 15, 2006 - 5:46 am: | |
I agree that we need to offer healthy food choices in our school cafeterias. As a member our my district's Wellness Committee we adopted the Missouri Eat Smart Nutrition Guidelines for our school. In these guidelines there is a limit on the amount of fat that can be in foods. Cereal are whole grain. Skim and low fat milk are the only options. Fresh fruit and vegetables are offered several (if not all) days of the week. Our District also adpoted a policy to get rid of the fryers in our Middle and High Schools, so french fries are now baked. We also adpoted a policy that vending machines must be stocked with 100% juice or water. Soda machines are only available after school and must have pictures of physical activity on the front. There are tons more things we have done in my district.
My suggestion to you is to join your school Wellness Committee and make your voice heard! I'm sure they would love to have dedicated people like you to help out.
If you want to see the Guidelines we used go to: http://www.msbanet.org/pdf/wellness/Missouri_Eat_S mart.pdf#search='missouri%20eat%20smart%20nutrition%20guidelines' |
Arthur (Artamus1_2000)
Junior Member
Username: Artamus1_2000
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Monday, November 20, 2006 - 7:29 am: | |
I agree that students should have choices when making a selection of food, drinkgs and other items. But, if we limit the availability of products that have too much sugar, fat and cholesterol, then students would be forced to buy such products and maybe develop better habits. Then again, you will see students bringing their lunch to school more often.... |
Steve Jefferies (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 60
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - 4:23 pm: | |
Chuck Corbin (Arizona State University) also shared the following comment:
Good article. As one who advocates the teaching of self-management skills that lead to problem solving and good decision making in physical education I strongly advocate teaching kids to make good decisions and allowing them to make AGE APPROPRIATE CHOICES. The key, it seem to me, is to teach the skills and allow students to practice the skills BEFORE exposing them to situations that require choices. The skills and practice should be at an appropriate age for the skill being taught. I think the “age-appropriate” aspect of it was missed by your school board. Young kids are concrete rather than abstract thinkers—to expect them to make decisions about abstract ideas before they have the ability to deal with the abstractions is not age-appropriate—at least as I see it.
Chuck |
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