Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog debated whether the federal government has gone too far in its higher standards for healthy and low-calorie school lunches. In a guest column today, a school nutritionist urges the feds to hold fast. Here is a sampling of reader response:
Mom: My son eats the fruit and veggies; he just complains there isn't enough of it, and he's hungry at the end of the day. Active middle schoolers need more calories than what they are getting. I don't believe any school lunch has ever caused a child to be fat. It's the crap they're eating at home. I'm guilty of allowing Pringles, too.
Another mom: One other point to make is some kids from poverty-stricken families eat only when they are at school. The calorie restrictions at school leave those children underfed by the time they get home. But I still think the decision should be left to local school boards. I have no issues with national guidelines, but to strongly enforce the guidelines leaves some schools and some students in a bad position.
Kate: Having studied health, nutrition and physical exercise, I can tell you eating healthy is more expensive. Research proves more protein is essential to grow young brains. Eggs, peanut butter, meat — are those options even considered in today's vegetarian, organic, gluten-free world? Children require more calories than adults for their successful development.
Living: It should be common sense that schools offer healthy choices. Anyone look at what Jamie Oliver's been unearthing the past several years? We serve garbage in our schools, just as it is unfortunate so many parents serve garbage to their children. Schools and families must work together on this epidemic. And it is an epidemic, people. Atlanta has one one of the highest child obesity rates in the nation.
Taylor: During my planning, I wandered down to the school cafeteria to see what's on the menu for today (since many think it approaches gulag levels). Entrees: calzones, chicken nuggets, turkey and dressing. Vegetables: mashed potatoes, green beans (not from a can), broccoli, baby carrots. Fruit: apples, peaches in juice and apple crisp. Not too bad, I think. The kids seem to be eating pretty well. They can take one entree, up to two vegetables, and one fruit. With the milk, it's a well balanced meal, and the servings are appropriate for elementary students.
Dawgonit: Let's get one thing straight: The day my kid comes home and tells me some lunch lady or administrator dumps out the lunch I fix for him and put in his lunchbox every morning because it doesn't meet some government standard, that's the day I get arrested because I will be punching the principal of said school right in the teeth. I make the decisions for my children — not the government. PERIOD.
Quid: I have one student who regularly brings a lunchbox full of total junk — a can of soda, two candy bars, a bag of chips, pork rinds, a sucker and M&Ms … absolutely nothing nutritious. I thought he was packing his own lunch, but no, it is a parent. I suppose my making any suggestions about better choices would be construed as "government overreach."
