Child Nutrition

Happy Monday everyone, I hope that all is fine and dandy.

So, I'm not sure if many of you noticed last week, but a bill passed congress that was a near overhaul of child nutrition as we currently know it. Personally, I am very pleased to see this as I feel that it has been long overdue. Here is a link to the New York Times article on the passage of the bill if you would like to read it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/us/politics/03child.html

The bill, which was largely a Democratic effort, has essentially set required nutritional guidelines for school lunches while providing more funding in this area. This includes an increased focus on the prominence of fruits and vegetables in school lunches, aspects of the meals that have been seriously lacking. Also, outside vendors will be forced to comply with nutritional standards, further shielding our children from the draw of flashy advertisements and empty calories. Another wonderful aspect to this bill is increased access for children to free/reduced lunches. Finally, more money, which is imperative because we all know that nothing in politics gets accomplished without it.

While I know there are some who will see this as another piece of misguided legislation or a waste of government money, and there are those who are perplexed at the contradiction of cutting funding for SNAP to pay for school lunches, this bill is a good thing, despite all of its quirks and compromises. Child nutrition, especially in low budget public schools, has been in dire straits for decades. With lobbyists for agribusiness and the fast food industry molding policies in Washington that allow them access into the schools, it's no wonder that child obesity, and hunger, are prominent social issues in this country today. At the same time, and for the same reason, it is no wonder that these are two of the most overlooked issues in our country as well. Opponents of this legislation may see this as an encroachment on our children's freedom of choice, but the reality is that supermarkets and the food industry destroyed that freedom years ago. And with the absence of health food options in low income communities(which is another often overlooked issue), these children are fighting a losing battle for their health from birth. School is a place of learning, holistic learning, and this should include a teaching of food and the role it plays in a healthy lifestyle. Without these lessons learned, children are doomed to a lifestyle of malnutrition, obesity, and an overall lack of health while furthering the disconnect between consumers and their food, it's nutritional value, its effects, and its origins. You truly are what you eat. So, I commend the Senate, the House, and Michelle Obama, who championed this issue, for their efforts in improving child nutrition before it deteriorated even further at the expense of this and future generations.

Healthy Eating Everyone,

Jordan