It's a known fact that kids who eat foods that are high in fat and sugar are often the ones who pack on the pounds. Those foods often taste good to them, it's also no secret that the marketing ploys used by makers of those snacks are what snares the attention of the kids to begin with. And while parents can often control or at least contribute to what their children eat at home, that isn't often the case regarding what they snack on at school. That's because many schools have vending machines filled with non-nutritious foods that are easily available for a low price - and that convenience is yet another reason those items are so popular.
Recently there has been an initiative within schools to replace unhealthy items, such as soda and potato chips, with more nutritious items. The USDA's recent ruling on that issue requires schools to offer foods that are lower in sodium and sugar. But is it enough to just remove the options that aren't good for kids? In order for the forward momentum of this healthy initiative to work, we need to curb the desire to eat unhealthy foods. Again, this is where savvy marketing can be used. By putting a positive spin on the healthier items that are offered, children are more apt to buy them - and so are adults.
The changes that will be implemented include reducing the amount of sodas that are offered in high school vending machines as well as keeping certain items at or below the 200 calorie threshold. And in middle schools and elementary schools, soda in vending machines will be a thing of the past - water, fruit juices, and low-fat or fat-free milk will be the main offerings.
Of course, many people will complain that their choices are being arbitrarily taken away from them. However, schools are supposed to be a safe environment. How safe is it to serve food to kids that will contribute to obesity and other health problems? Not very safe at all, if you look at it from that point of view. The bottom line is that to improve our children's health, we have to simply offer better foods and introduce them to the concept of making better choices. Doing so is simply laying the groundwork for a healthy life.
A blog with information to help inspire action that will improve health.