No I don't think the gov't should control or decide what my kids eat/drink that my job as a parent, but they should not have acess to those items at school.

Ok, maybe Im in a time warp but when I was in school and up through high school, carbonanated drinks were not allowed on the property, which was funny because there was a smoking section in the parking lot.  There were no vending machines with candy and crap like that, either.  Maybe im wrong but kids are spoiled rotten and shouldnt eat this crap either, nor should they smoke.  I dont want the govt dictating what a mother feeds her kids but maybe they should pack a lighter and a ciggy along with that snickers............ this is getting stupid.  Maybe if people quit letting their kids go grazing and playing nintendo for their activity we wouldnt have this crap rammed down our throughts.  Maybe we asked for it passively.  Bad choices for 2 decades will lead to no choices of our own,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,hence going broke because we are caring for obese children and this could have been avoided by smart food choices and regular exercise. 

 With the number of children getting diabetes how can we not  provide nutritious lunches and snacks as well as physical and nutritional education? It is the only responsible option.

if you were a parent i think you would be quite unpopular. 

unfortunately eating the same thing gets old and children wil get tired of it  quickly and will sneak off and eat something unhealthy behind the parents back. 

I can't believe I'm agreeing with alphamale, but I am!

Who cares if you're "unpopular" with your kids? I suspect most of the backlash against eating "healthfully," when it comes to kids is because the PARENTS don't want to do so themselves. I can't believe people would care more about spending time on watching trash TV than making a healthy meal for themselves, and those bad eating habits just continue with the parents.

Should schools ban things from kids lunches? No. But should they be pushers of sugary sodas and crappy snacks? Hell no. 

Actually the issue is, as always, about the money. Soft drink and junk food/snack manufacturers make significant donations to schools in return for the right to put in vending machines and have their products sold in the cafeteria and other food venues such as the booths at football games, etc.

The last thing that we the people need is to have the government trying to control one more element in our lives!  The track record of this Congress and Administration is lousy after only one year. Besides, you cannot mandate or legislate morality or common sense.

AngieHeartNurse is correct. When I was in school (back in the 60s) we had MILK to drink every day at lunch-no substitutions unless you had a doctors' note stating that you were allergic to milk and then you could get water instead.  We also had parents who expected us to behave at school and God help you if you got in trouble and had to go to the principal's office because they would call your mother and it was going to be even worse when you got home.  Teachers were all powerful and NOBODY's mama ever came to the school to 'cuss out' a teacher.

I realize that I am waxing nostalgic, but we had a much better nation and school system when parents had the guts to be parents and not expect the schools/government to raise their kids for them.

While it is true that the schools can make the decision NOT to have the junk food on the school grounds; I don't believe that they will, because there is money that is made off of this stuff.  This is why (I believe) the gov't will have to step in to inforce that the junk food to be banned on school grounds.   Until I reach high school I too didn't have any junk food or sodas on campus, and then in high school the machines were only open before and after school and during games or functions.

As we all know if you start feeding the baby/child good healthy food early and not introduce them to junk; they will actually crave it as they get older.   Unfortunately I don't believe that a lot of the parents don't  know what truly is good, and what to look for on the labels when they are shopping.  I know as an adult I didn't until I went to nursing school.  I grew up in a house where we didn't sit down to eat and my mother was a working mother so she made quick/easy meals.  Back then there were not as many quick good-for-you foods, so we ate a bunch of sodium filled processed foods.  My point to this is we need to educated the parents and if the schools will not fix the junk food problem on their own then the gov't will have to step in to take control.

WiseOldOwl says ...

Actually the issue is, as always, about the money. Soft drink and junk food/snack manufacturers make significant donations to schools in return for the right to put in vending machines and have their products sold in the cafeteria and other food venues such as the booths at football games, etc.

The last thing that we the people need is to have the government trying to control one more element in our lives!  The track record of this Congress and Administration is lousy after only one year. Besides, you cannot mandate or legislate morality or common sense.

AngieHeartNurse is correct. When I was in school (back in the 60s) we had MILK to drink every day at lunch-no substitutions unless you had a doctors' note stating that you were allergic to milk and then you could get water instead.  We also had parents who expected us to behave at school and God help you if you got in trouble and had to go to the principal's office because they would call your mother and it was going to be even worse when you got home.  Teachers were all powerful and NOBODY's mama ever came to the school to 'cuss out' a teacher.

I realize that I am waxing nostalgic, but we had a much better nation and school system when parents had the guts to be parents and not expect the schools/government to raise their kids for them.

When you used the term waxing it .............seemed sort of uncomplementary.  What I do wax is personal and not anybodies beeswax.........but it didnt sound like the kind of waxing we do when getting ready for summer wear.  It sounds like finding a place for me in a museum, huh?  I feel like a crappy old crank.  But I still drink milk because I love it but now I choose 1% nutrish.........sort of like whitish water, but im use to it and it still has loads of vit D and calcium in it.

So will the Obamas and Pelosis and others who want to control all the other aspects of our lives be setting the example for what is acceptable to eat?  Will The Prez give up his cheeseburgers with french fries that he ordered on the Air Force One show that was on the History Channel last week?  Will cow's milk be replaced by BEER as the PETA people suggested several years ago?

Am I the only one who is sick of the special interest horse manure that people keep wanting to satisfy/accomodate whenever the pile starts to stink?  If the Government cannot find a way to stop people from smoking, drinking and other 'nonhealthy' behaviors then HOW is this new notion suppposed to be accomplished? 

We could all plant 'victory gardens' as was done in the past to assure an adequare supply of food for the civilian population, but who would decide WHAT would be planted and HOW it would be fertilized and treated or not treated for pests in order to keep the population safe from the poisons which would be used to keep out bugs and whatever contamination they might deposit on the plants?

The National School Lunch Program is already administered by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (a government agency).  At the same time we have State Boards of Education who are cutting back on such things as teachers and other necessary parts of the school systems.  My daughter works as a teacher and has already been 'furloughed' once this year. In her school system, and yet this school makes a point of sending home 'sack lunches' to kids every night and weekend who would not otherwise have any food due to their socioeconomic situation at home.

As Americans we have the right to CHOOSE.  We can make either GOOD choices or BAD ones.  To diet or not, to exercise or not, to smoke and drink or not, etc.etc.

And all of this worry coming from a bunch of people who have NO PROBLEM with abortion, owing trillions of dollars to Red China, failing to provide good-enough care for our veterans and elderly citizens (and going so far as to define what constitutes the right to live and receive care).

Thanks but no thanks.

Now I feel so sorry for the Obama's kids.  Michelle will have them developing eating disorders by putting info with their bmi on television.  I grew up with a mom who said I was 'chunky' growing up, hence I grew up with eating disorders that I've battled my entire life.   I was also the one who sold my dessert at school for cash, peanut butter cookie day was a money maker.   She should be ashamed of herself.   Those little girls are beautiful and the thought of them made to feel less than that as a preteen is cruel.

You know, as a country, are taking less and less responsibility for our daily living. It's not MY fault MY kids are fat it's the food stamps or WIC or whatever. It's not MY fault I have lung cancer from smoking cigarettes, it's the cigarette companies' fault.

It is MY responsibility to keep my kids healthy. I work with families that are on welfare/food stamps/WIC and it IS the CHOICES they pick to purchase. The WAY they cook the food and serve it. There is not excuse for not CHOOSING healthier foods on food stamps/WIC. Paretns don't seem to want to say"NO" to children these days.

Popular or not at my house that I am paying for the mortgage/lights/cable/water and anything else that my kids need then that makes me and my husband the supreme rulers and what we say goes. My kids eat healthy. They are allowed to junk it every so often, but the food is not bought and put in the house, so the CHOICES my kids have....carrot sticks or apples. If my kds are unhappy with me...well, life will go on and when they are RESPONSIBLE fro another life then they can make those decisions. Until then they need to live by the law of the land!

Shan4691 says ...

You know, as a country, are taking less and less responsibility for our daily living. It's not MY fault MY kids are fat it's the food stamps or WIC or whatever. It's not MY fault I have lung cancer from smoking cigarettes, it's the cigarette companies' fault...........

 

I agree, everyone wants someone to blame. As a parent I took responsibility for my children. I taught them good manners and also a healthy lifestyle. I did not let them eat the sugery cereals because it was quicker, I made the oatmeal, or cooked them some other healthy breakfast. I avoided processed foods as much as possible, and their snacks were vegies and some fruits.  As they got older I let them decide on some of their foods. I was surprised that even though they tried the junk foods, they came back to healthy foods.

So I am against the government controling what kids eat. Let the schools concentrate on teaching the academics and let the parents decide what their children eat.

A lot of parents say that it is there responsibility to monitor what there kids eat but are they really walking the talk. I volunteer at a elementry school at lunch time. The packed lunches are just as unhealthy as the choices the kids make in the lunch line. Also kids spend most of there time in school so what better place to start to show them how to make healthy choices with there meals and to work out. I agree with what the government is doing, Too many of these children are obese and struggling with diabetes.

Nurse_John says ...

Shan4691 says ...

You know, as a country, are taking less and less responsibility for our daily living. It's not MY fault MY kids are fat it's the food stamps or WIC or whatever. It's not MY fault I have lung cancer from smoking cigarettes, it's the cigarette companies' fault...........

 

I agree, everyone wants someone to blame. As a parent I took responsibility for my children. I taught them good manners and also a healthy lifestyle. I did not let them eat the sugery cereals because it was quicker, I made the oatmeal, or cooked them some other healthy breakfast. I avoided processed foods as much as possible, and their snacks were vegies and some fruits.  As they got older I let them decide on some of their foods. I was surprised that even though they tried the junk foods, they came back to healthy foods.

So I am against the government controling what kids eat. Let the schools concentrate on teaching the academics and let the parents decide what their children eat.

 

 

I agree with Nurse _John...mostly.  I have seen a lot of comments about how the gov't sticks their nose in too much, but this is one instance where I halfheartedly agree with it.  Parents SHOULD have the control of what their children eat, and parents SHOULD be aware of what their children are eating (espesically the ones who are overweight, getting limited exercise, and at serious risk for health issues as a result of poor nutrition).  Unfortunately many parents are not parents anymore.  We all see this, and we all know this to be true.  Children are becoming more like accessories to a family than actual members.  SOMEONE needs to take control somewhere, and it needs to start early.

Eating healthy DOES NOT always cost a lot more, but I do agree that it should be much more reasonable. I think the price of a fast foot burger should be $10.00 or better...a meal $20.00...and a portion of what the fast food companies make should go toward affordable healthcare, or research.   Fresh chicken should be cheaper, as should lean ground beef and turkey, fresh fruits and vegetables...think of the turnaround for farming!  (I know, I know, potatoes =  fries, low quality beef = fast food burgers, which both in turn = big profit.  Problem is they also = increased medical insurance premiums, increased incidences of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.)

I have 5 kids (four still living at home) and sometimes we have more than that in the house, as most of you can probably imagine.  I will not have piles of junkfood in my house.  Meals here are very well balanced - even if they are simple.  But what many don't realize is, it's a matter of educating, and it's a matter of the parents caring enough to be receptive and implement changes in lifestyles.  We all have a CHOICE - no one is going to make me eat a twinkie because it's cheaper than those carrot sticks!!!