Childhood Obesity and School Lunches

If you live anywhere near a television, you have heard about the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Two out of three adults in this country are overweight. One out of three children are. And most overweight children will grow up to be overweight adults. Excess weight leads to many health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and increased rates of cancer. Nothing is more important than our children, and we need to do everything we can to insure their future. This means feeding them healthy, whole foods.

School lunches tend to be full of fat and processed foods. Some schools are improving their menus. My daughter's school cafeteria has a fresh fruit and veggie bar and serves vegetables with every entree. But the entrees themselves are usually fried and/or processed foods, full of fat and calories, and offering little in nutrition. Popcorn chicken, corndogs and pizza. I usually pack my daughter a lunch, but many families, including low-income households, depend on school lunches.

Jamie Oliver, a TV chef, has started a campaign to improve the nutrition in our schools' lunches. He has a TV show, which I have not seen, in which he visits a school district in West Virginia, and works with the cafeterias to improve the quality of the food they serve. He also has started a petition, that he plans to present to President Obama, asking the White House to address this issue. You can visit Jamie Oliver's website, and learn more about this campaign, at the link below. You can also sign the petition. Our children deserve the best.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution