Junk Food Terminator - Arnie Action in Cali

[Odin]

Originally posted by pchang
Put healthy stuff in the vending machines. Problem solved.

[Pekka]

yeah, sometimes school food sucks, but I had rather good food and tasty meals. No reason why this shouldn't be possible everywhere else if there's will and money.

Besides when it comes to choices, we all know that when kids are out and stuff, they don't go eating healthy food, they go eat junk food. They choose junk food on their spare time, so how about healthy food in school because for many it seems like it could be the only place to GET healty food.

And then there is this whole mcdonalds and others campagns, like look at these nutritional facts. YEAh, but how many kids can really understand them? If you eat a burger and some fries with it, it's ok, but when that's all you eat, well.. don't think you're eating healthy food beacuse the tray says so. If it gives you this much calories, and we look at the kid, well that should be his/her 70% of the whole days worth. Is that all he/she eats? NO! So they'll go past the limits all the time, every time, and that's why they get fat.

And when you get a fat kid, it's most likely fat forever, because it's tougher to get fat as a kid when you move and consume so much. So it's more worrying anyway.

Basically what you are looking at here is poor Return of Investment right here, if we need to talk business.

[duke o' york]

The ROCE for the schools isn't great either, but wonderful for the companies.

[Pekka]

Kids > Companies.

And that's not even communist statement. Anyone who says that its' commie to say that is out of their minds and hating the kids.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Pekka

Kids > Companies.

Why do you hate America Pekka?

[Pekka]

Kids = America's future.

On the contrary, I clearly like it more than company lobbyists and politicians, trying to make your kids sick and ill and bad future tax payers.

[Ben Kenobi]

First of all no one has even mentioned the second half of the equation, physical activity. Could that have something to do with the fact that this is an internet forum?

[duke o' york]

Is physical activity like when you've got a cigarette in one hand, and are trying to use the other to stretch to press shift and Y together?

I agree, but the rubbish served in schools is hardly shaping the kids for pro sports is it?

[mrmitchell]

Ben I thought about it but that would have been a little threadjacksih..

Besides phys ed takes away valuable school time schools simply MUST have to teach other subjects to make the grade on standardized tests...

Americans of all age groups are fatasses. This new law doesn't solve any root problems except loses money for schools...

[Pekka]

oh but it does solve one of the root problems. And yes, physical ed can't hog too much time from other subjects I would agree. THUS special need for proper nutrition.

[mrmitchell]

It's not what we eat or if kids are playing basketball for a half hour every day in school...

I think the biggest root of the problem is car culture

I know people who will drive three houses down the street

[Pekka]

NO these are all problems and nutrition from hell SURELY IS a root problem. Cars too. But so is nutrition.

There's two sides to heatlhy body. Nutrition and moving. There's no 'this is mor eimportant screw this'. They are ALL important and contribute to it all.

Don't make excuses here not to spend money on this. Don't hate the kids

[Ben Kenobi]

Ben I thought about it but that would have been a little threadjacksih..

Besides phys ed takes away valuable school time schools simply MUST have to teach other subjects to make the grade on standardized tests...

The problem I think is not in the time spent in PE, but in the wasted class time poorly spent. The point about a car culture is very true also, my younger brother always asks for a ride to the neighbours house down the road! I'm like, dude, you can walk.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by pchang
Put healthy stuff in the vending machines. Problem solved.

We have it here. Many vending machines in schools now sell apples and things like that. It's a serious improvement, as we've been quite hurt by teen obesity recently.

[Mr. Harley]

I cannot remember which issue it was, but US News and World Report already did a largish article on this earlier this year. No big pronouncements, New York City has already been doing this for several years.

They got an excellent chef who also knows his food science, and put him in charge. He is requiring the companies selling to the schools to provide healthy and tasty food, as well as requiring the on site food preparation to meet the same standards. He provides menus, tells the companies what to prepare and how to do it, and just generally reforming the entire school cafeteria system. They found the right man, put him in charge, and gave him the authority. A very fimple and fiendishly difficult (I am NOT being sarcastic) solution.