A few weeks ago, I heard a report on the radio that a community in NJ is upset at the poor nutritional quality of the school lunches in their district. The lunches apparently include many high fat and fried foods. The parents are worried that their kids are eating poorly at school.

Although the issue of the actual meals and use of tax payer money is an interesting issue, I am more interested in the parental reaction and mind set. My first thought was “pack your kid a lunch if you don’t like the menu.” My second thought was “are these kids really eating so much healthier at home?”

A week or so later, I saw a McDonalds commercial promoting the “Big Kids Meal”. This meal includes a double hamburger, with fries and a soda. Are parents buying these meals for their 10 year-old kids? Are any of the parents who are buying them from that community in NJ that’s complaining about french fries in school lunches?

Last weekend, I over heard a father in the supermarket ask his 7-ish-year-old son “do you want chocolate Twinkies or vanilla Twinkies?” This to add to a cart full of fatty snacks and soda. Are these the same type of people complaining about mozzarella sticks in school lunches?

Call me crazy, call me unrealistic, or even call me childless, but it seems to me that healthy eating, like anything else, starts at home. Kids will be kids and probably always choose mozzarella sticks over carrot sticks, but teaching your kids through example about healthy eating and moderation seems like a good idea. And if your feeding your kid double burgers, fries, and Twinkies, don’t blame the school system for his high cholesterol and weight problem.

catbird :: Mar.13.2002 :: food :: 2 Comments »