Bleh, right? But is it really why we are all so fat? Everyone from Jamie Oliver to Michelle Obama is up in arms about the quality of food in our nation's cafeterias. Yes, it is gross and unhealthy, but can that really be the reason for our obesity epidemic? Get ready for a rambling rant.
I am a bit obsessed with food. I like to know where it came from and how long it took to get to me. Organic is better, local is best. It is obvious in my line of work that many children are not eating right. (Unfortunately, it is also obvious in my line of work that many children do not go to school.) Many children come to my office reeking of McDonald's and Popeye's. The elevators in court are often littered with french fries and smell of grease. This is what the impoverished in America eat. It is pretty gross. It seems like more and more we are fast-fooding our cafeterias as well. Instead of baked chicken, we have chicken nuggets that are as fried and greasy as ever.
I was captivated by this article in the NY Times a few years ago about carrots: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/dining/17carr.html?scp=1&sq=carrots,%20schools&st=cse The idea of all of those carrots going to waste to make baby carrots has stuck with me. It all seems linked together, doesn't it? instant, cheap food is nearly impossible to be good for you, but it is everywhere in poor neighborhoods. Check out the neighborhood food joints at a school in Bronx and ones in Park Slope- entirely different options. (side note- you can also check out the difference in Army recruitment offices in those neighborhoods- scary.) Although, Park Slope kids still seem to venture to pizza places. The point is, change needs to come on all fronts. School cafeterias, fast food restaurants outside the schools, how parents shop in grocery stores. Maybe grocery stores should post cheap and easy recipes above the onions. Maybe fast food restaurants could use organic produce and recycle their kitchen grease. Food stamps can be used at many farmer's markets now, maybe there should be a discount.
Ultimately, you can't get kids to eat stuff they don't like. But if they don't eat McDonald's, they won't know what they are missing. It needs to start early, and it needs to start fast. More fresh option need to be located around low-income areas, gym class is probably a good idea, and groceries need to be given a priority. That means that if parents can't afford pots and pans, we need to start a program that will give them pots and pans. Who's with me?
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Sorry, I've been slacking on my reading but I of course have to comment here :) Our school lunches are indeed atrocious. Chicken rings, need I say more? The funny thing is, our students are equally as grossed out. They don't like the food. I've shown Supersize me to freshmen and it has sparked passionate debates about why there isn't fresh, healthy food in the cafeteria. We have a student run restaurant, which is kind of cool, but because our school is on PCB contaminated grounds, we can't have school gardens. The biggest excuse we hear (at least in our school) why they can't do the local, fresh route (we are SURROUNDED by farmland) is our lunches are subsidized by federal money that doesn't allow any other food distributors in the school system. Except we have vending machines. But don't worry, they distribute diet soda. Sometimes grassroots movements can be a little too tangled up by their own weeds, can I say that without sounding too dramatic?
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