What We Ate Wednesday: School Lunch Rant Edition

September's goal is to eliminate sugar from the man cub's diet, and in general promote better eating habits for him. We've done a bit of experimenting this summer and proven beyond any reasonable doubt that sugar is evil. It makes everything harder for him. When he is on sugar, he has less control of moods, everything is harder, and everyone is more annoying. Sugar messes with endorphins and produces insulin spikes and crashes that make him a nasty little Dr. Jekyl (Sorry folks, that's about as scientific as I get at this late hour... it's bad stuff... watch this if you don't believe me), and now that he's learned to recognize that feeling in his body, he's happy to avoid it. He is reading nutritional labels and turning down candy from friends. I'm so proud of him!

I pack his lunch everyday with healthy foods, and this year I bribed  invested in an awesome lunch box to make all the little Lunchable-eaters jealous.

Today, I packed pepperoni (from a local farm), organic popcorn (non-gmo), grapes, carrots and dip, and a few banana chips. Here's a picture of tomorrow's lunch, and his super cool lunch box.

 Speaking of school lunches.....

It's the start of a new school year, and I'm reminded again of how ridiculous the USDA's school lunch program is. Feed The Animal just hosted THIS guest post on his blog, highlighting a mom's frustration over tiny portion sizes and lunch box police. I previously directed a preschool that contracted with program, and I'm guilty of signing the contracts for reimbursement through this program, and so I shall present to you one of my favorite rants......why the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program should be reformed.

1. (This should really be the only reason needed) They feed poor kids toxins for breakfast and wonder why we see disparities in academic outcomes between socioeconomic groups. 

The program serves meals in schools, childcare facilities and adult daycare facilities across the nation, including over 31 million children who qualify for free and reduced meals. Socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of academic performance for students across the nation. Students in affluent communities generally outperform students in poverty. It is a well known phenomenon that there is less access to healthy foods in low socio-economic neighborhoods, and children living in poverty are often reliant on school lunch programs for the bulk of their daily food access. So then, with everything we know about the effects of nutrition on brain development, shouldn't ALL children have access to a nutrient dense diet, free of neurotoxins and chemicals? Low in sugar and high in protein with fresh fruits and vegetables? These foods are known to increase satiety, increase brain development, and stabilize moods, as well as boost immunity and reduce disease risk factors (which are also higher for children in poverty)? Instead, the CACFP meal pattern requires children be served one fruit (canned or frozen is acceptable) and one grain, with a serving of milk every day for breakfast. At worst, gluten is a neurotoxin, at best, it is HIGHLY irritating to underdeveloped intestines, and one of the 6 most common allergies. Milk is another top allergen, known to cause brain fog, congestion, sinus and ear infections, asthma, eczema and hives. Children of color are over represented in the free and reduced lunch line, so while Johnny from the valley is eating eggs at home for breakfast, Jose is getting frosted flakes and an ear infection in the cafeteria. Lunch is not much better, with low quality foods allowed, and very small portion sizes. In the CACFP program, french fries are a vegetable, and chicken nuggets are the norm, and a burger contains 26 ingredients. It seems an interesting coincidence to me that children of color (who are over represented demographically in free and reduced lunch programs due to higher rates of poverty) are also under performing in school when compared to their white counterparts as a whole. 

2. Power and money should not over-ride unbiased nutritional research

But they do. Dairy and grains are big business, and with massive overlap between the USDA and food company executives and lobbyists, it's no surprise that the government would like the nation to eat more of those foods. Piles of research have shown that low-fat, high-carb diets void of nutrient dense foods are not suitable for healthy human beings' optimal health. Grains, dairy and sugar are highly inflammatory and lead to most of america's disease epidemics. GMO fruits and veggies are likely to contain much less nutrition, and require the kidneys to process more pesticides, among many other downsides. Food companies cater to schools with special CACFP labels, and low bulk pricing for low quality foods such as "processed cheese food" and "mechanically separated meat". 

3. Pizza is not a vegetable!
'Nuff said.

4. Almond milk is not a pharmaceutical

The CACFP meal pattern for fluid milk requires fluid milk with every meal. Childcare centers and schools get reimbursements for each meal served that meets their requirements. If a parent wishes for their child to not be offered milk, the school loses money unless the parent can provide a doctor's note to prove there is a medical reason for the substitution. Even then, in most states, the substitution does not count towards a reimbursable meal unless the substitution is soy milk. Why? Because soy (the second largest crop in the US) producers funded research showing their product contains similar nutrition. Never mind that it is not suitable for young children to consume, due to the disruption of hormones. My child attends a before and after school program that participates in the program for breakfast and snacks. Because he is allergic to dairy, I provide almond milk. I am required to provide the substitution, along with a doctor's note. They lose money because they cannot claim reimbursement for his breakfast, and they actually record each time they "administer" his "dose" of milk on a medication form.  

Sigh.... end rant. I feel sad for all of the kids who eat toxic sloppy joes, and hope that one day people will have enough education about heath and nutrition to stand up for better meals for our children. In the meantime...I'll keep packing the awesome lunch box and teaching my guy how to make his own healthy choices. 

Cheers from my healthy family to yours!