Our Kids Deserve Real Food

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It sounds obvious, but when a box of food on the grocery store shelf says "low-fat" or "helps lower cholesterol", these claims do not mean it's a healthy product, and of course the claims made may not even be true.

"...Consumers tend to believe claims on the front of packages, according to recent research, and perceive health statements to be endorsed by the government. But few health claims on food products have any basis in science at all. And unlike medications, food product labels don’t have to disclose their potential ill effects, such as obesity from high added sugar content..." writes Dr. David Ludvig and Marion Nestle, PhD, in an article for JAMA on front-of-label-packaging.

I'm glad to read a credible physician, respected by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, say that high sugar content can cause obesity and other health problems (usually only saturated fat seems to be blamed, even though many recent studies, including this meta analysis, find no link between saturated fat intake and heart disease). The cause of proper childhood nutrition is a noble one, so I do hope it doesn't get watered down into meaningless garbage by the USDA's industrial food system's supporters.

The New York Times reports that one major public school food company has the following initiatives in the works to help create what are supposedly healthier lunches:

"...Lorna Donatone, the Sodexo official who worked with the White House on the obesity initiative, said her company was already trying to substitute healthier school lunch choices — low-fat cheese on pizza, baked chicken tenders instead of fried — but faces resistance from school districts who view such moves as too costly." (emphasis mine)

Sounds like a pathetically misguided attempt to make something that is already unhealthy, perhaps even less healthy. Low-fat dairy has been found in a recent Swedish study to be associated with more weight gain, while full fat, or whole milk, is linked to maintaining normal weight. Not to mention the chicken tenders, which are most likely made from leftover, low-grade chicken grown by Tyson, a huge factory-farm corporation (anyone see Food, Inc.? You won't want to eat commercially made chicken again, trust me). Speaking of Tyson, here is the longest list of ingredients for one food I've ever seen, and it's something that is fed to children in American public schools, paid for by our tax dollars.

Of course it's not all doom and gloom, I believe that the numbers of people who care about real food and our children's health and well-being are growing by the second, and this amazing era of technology that we're living in can help bring about positive change. I could sit here and write all day (or all night!) about the politics of food but we moms and dads do have to get up, pack lunches, make breakfast, and live our lives. Read my post here for tried and true ideas for packing a healthy lunch for your child, made with love and care, and real food, of course!

This post is apart of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday!