Michelle Obama, "We can't leave it up to the parents..."

Today, the child nutrition bill was signed into law by President Obama. In response, Michelle Obama claimed “we can’t just leave it up the parents” when it comes to monitoring what children eat.

(Excerpt) Read more at blog.eyeblast.tv ...


First they came for the hot dogs and I did not speak out because I did not like hot dogs.

Then they came for the Twinkies and I did not speak out because I did not like Twinkies.

Then they came for the soda pop and I did not speak out because I did not drink soda pop.

Then they came for Pop Tarts and there was no one left to speak out for them.

Keli, you could at least finish the quote:

We can't just "leave it up to the parents". I think that parents have a right to expect that their efforts at home won't be undone each day in the school cafeteria or in the vending machine in the hallway. I think that our parents have a right to expect that their kids will be served fresh, healthy food that meets high nutritional standards.

Oh, the inhumanity, expecting schools to serve a healthy meal!

Out of context quotes are out of context (and unfair).

You can serve them whatever you like .......... but they won't eat it unless they like it.

Are you people stupid or what? Expecting kids to do what you won't do yourselves.

You can serve them whatever you like .......... but they won't eat it unless they like it.

At my house, you eat what is served or go hungry, just the way it was for me growing up.

Are you people stupid or what? Expecting kids to do what you won't do yourselves.

I eat right and I expect my kids to, also.

What if parents want their children to eat junk food? Should they be arrested?

What if parents want their children to eat junk food? Should they be arrested?

No. Perhaps they should pay a higher premium, though. I pay one because I smoke a pipe or a cigar from time to time.

TerryRC wrote:At my house, you eat what is served or go hungry, just the way it was for me growing up.

That is one way to nurture a maladjusted kid that will grow up with a bad attitude and an extremely defensive personality toward anyone that tries to tell them anything.

A child's preference for the types of food that it likes to eat is a nurtured thingy that begins just as soon as their olfactory nerves and taste buds start functioning and/or they have matured to where they can associate: (1) the smell, taste and/or consistancy (hard, soft, smooth, grainy, slimey, etc.) of a food type with pleasure, a good feeling, etc. ....... or (2) with displeasure, hurt, pain, etc., ...... or (3) what they see or hear how others react to a specific food type be it good, bad or indifferent.

All of the above said nurturing may or may not be imprinted in their permanent memory. But for sure anything that caused them displeasure, hurt, pain, etc., or that they seen caused said in others, .... will most likely be imprinted therein, ...... all of said being accessible only to their subconscious mind.

And thus, if afterwards, forever n' ever, via their eyes, nostrils, tongue or mouth their subconscious mind detects a food type like the one(s) that caused said displeasure, hurt, pain, etc., then it will "trigger" a rejection to eating it (frown, gag, spit, throwup) ......... or will instruct the conscious mind to reject the taking and/or tasting of it.

And any forceful actions to make them do otherwise will only re-inforce those imprinted memories ......... as well as nurturing the imprinting of a personality trait that is described as having "a bad attitude and/or an extremely defensive nature".

That is one way to nurture a maladjusted kid that will grow up with a bad attitude and an extremely defensive personality toward anyone that tries to tell them anything.

If you say so. Nice subtle slam at what you perceive to be my shortcomings and not really on topic. Typical.

I can't speak for you, but we can't afford to have three different menus for dinner in an effort to please everyone. Neither could my parents. Neither could most of the the people that settled this country. If beans were all that is in the pantry, guess what they ate?

What I think causes maladjusted children are parents that let the kids call all of the shots, from menus to curfews.

TerryRC wrote: If beans were all that is in the pantry, guess what they ate?

Iffen I tried I could probably think up 7 or 8 different ways that a good cook can prepare beans so that they will not only look good but will also smell and taste good.

But just a plain ole pot of boiled beans with nothing added is still nutritious ...... but really only good for "curing hunger tantrums".

I'm starting to here ramblings amongst students with Alex that not only is the food getting blander with fewer choices, the portions are getting smaller and smaller.

They were having pepparoni rolls the other day and he likes those but he said whereas they used to be begger then his fist and contain 5-6 pieces of pepparoni, they are now half the size with 2 pieces of pepparoni.

When I ask the vice-principal, about all she would say was that the portions met new federal guidelines. I had planned on looking into it but the snows came and shut the county school system down.

Well, all except snow removal teams which, even though there was no school scheduled for today, was out hot and heavy salting and scraping the school lots.

They were having pepparoni rolls the other day and he likes those but he said whereas they used to be begger then his fist and contain 5-6 pieces of pepparoni, they are now half the size with 2 pieces of pepparoni.

I don't consider pepperoni rolls to be "good food" for the core of a meal. Mostly carbs.

Regardless, portions have grown, along with American waists. The serving size of a McDonald's hamburger, soda and medium fries has increased over threefold since the early '50's. Perhaps it is time to start reversing that trend.

I expected no less.

I expected no less.

Who cares?

If you want to address my very reasonable points feel free. If not, I have no time for your meaningless comments.

Terry,

I agree that school lunches must be higher in protein and lower in carbs. Coupled with the lack of strenuous physical activity, we're doing little more than getting the kids all charged up with carbs to sit there for several hours while nothing is actually being learned.

TerryRC wrote:Keli, you could at least finish the quote:

We can't just "leave it up to the parents". I think that parents have a right to expect that their efforts at home won't be undone each day in the school cafeteria or in the vending machine in the hallway. I think that our parents have a right to expect that their kids will be served fresh, healthy food that meets high nutritional standards.

Oh, the inhumanity, expecting schools to serve a healthy meal!

Out of context quotes are out of context (and unfair).

Very good point, TerryRC. However, if'n you think the parents of the lowest performing students are really putting a lot of effort into the children's nutritional, this is not the case 95% of the time. I work with teens who are miscrients, and I see first hand what the "parents' efforts" look like.

TerryRC wrote:If you want to address my very reasonable points feel free. If not, I have no time for your meaningless comments.

But you didn't make a reasonable point Terry. McDonalds is not the school lunch cafeteria and their portions are not comparative. Had you been able to display school lunches have increased proportionately or that they are now too large, you might have a point but as school lunches have been based on a set caloric intake of ~2000 calories per day (each meal averages between 500 and 800 calories) for decades, you’re statement is nothing more then anecdotal comments that have no bearing.

Heck, even your comment regarding the whole wheat pepperoni rolls was wrong as the USDA recommends 6-11 servings of the "carb" group per day, the most of any group.

Care to try again or is irrelevant comparisons all you have?

If you, or your child(ren) don't like the food being served in the school cafeteria, pack them a lunch. If it is simply inadequate, send snacks. I don't have a problem with the federal government imposing regulations on school lunches because so much of the funding comes from the federal government. What I do have a HUGE problem with is interferance with bake sales, vending machines and the like. Local control is best.

Aaron wrote:I'm starting to here ramblings amongst students with Alex that not only is the food getting blander with fewer choices, the portions are getting smaller and smaller.

They were having pepparoni rolls the other day and he likes those but he said whereas they used to be begger then his fist and contain 5-6 pieces of pepparoni, they are now half the size with 2 pieces of pepparoni.

When I ask the vice-principal, about all she would say was that the portions met new federal guidelines. I had planned on looking into it but the snows came and shut the county school system down.

Aaron, the Guidelines call for "X" ounces of: fruit, vegetables, meat, bread and milk.

And they must be placed on the student's tray - whether they want them or not ..... or whether they eat them or not.

And they can be in combo, ...... like a pepperoni roll = their serving of bread & meat. A vegetable pizza = their serving of vegetables & bread.

When Violet was cooking and pepperoni rolls were on the menu they made up and baked a ...... 3 oz. roll with 2 ozs. of meat (14 thin slices of pepperoni).

Violet said they ordered the pepperoni from a food distributor (Standards Foods) and it came pre-sliced in a big plastic bag.

But that was 2 years ago and those guidelines have been a changin.

And Aaron, ya gotta keep in mind now, even though they're suppose to: 1). check off the food order when they receive it, .......... 2). write down all the food that they prepared for each meal .......... 3). record the count of how many students and adults went through the cafeteria line ......... and 4). write down how much of each food was left unserved after each meal .................................. I don't think there is anyone anywhere that checks to see if ..... what came thru the backdoor was cooked, eaten, thrown away after the meal or still in the freezers and coolers.

Nobody checks the checkers, iffen you get my drift ....... and I know via "rumors of facts" that "special" items pretty often grow legs and wander off.

But you didn't make a reasonable point Terry. McDonalds is not the school lunch cafeteria and their portions are not comparative. Had you been able to display school lunches have increased proportionately or that they are now too large, you might have a point but as school lunches have been based on a set caloric intake of ~2000 calories per day (each meal averages between 500 and 800 calories) for decades, you’re statement is nothing more then anecdotal comments that have no bearing.

But I did make a reasonable point. You said the school meals are too small. I said there is a trend towards overdoing portions, so what is actually a healthy amount seems small.

If you think I'm wrong, go to an all you can eat buffet and watch what people put away.

No I did not say school meals were too small. I posted an observation that has been going around at ONE school and that is the portions are smaller then they were last year. I'm sorry that since I didn't say last year, you got confused and felt like comparing the portion increases of McDonalds over the past 50 years to my statement was relevant. I guess your inability to comprehend what I stated is my fault so I'll apologize for your lack of understanding.

To clarify. There are students at Poca High School (and apparently Poca Middle but I heard that from a 3rd party source so we'll keep that as hearsay for now so as not to confuse you Terry) who are saying that compared to LAST YEAR, the portion sizes are dramatically decreased.

I will once again clarify so you don't jump to conclusions in your attempt to prove me wrong; this is the grumblings at one school and is not a statement of fact so please try not to get your panties in a wad.

And in the likelyhood that you get all prissy and I don't see you before then, Merry Christmas (or whatever salutation satisfies the holiday you celebrate) to you and yours. Enjoy.

This is one of 3 or 4 stories I found about a state cutting portion sizes due to cuts in funding. That would seemingly run contrary to the McDonalds theory.

Interesting.

"If we went to 4 chicken tenders instead of 3 just on the high school level, that would cost us over $37,000 in a year just to add one chicken finger," said Anderson.

Aaron, now that should give you a good idea how much money goes thru the School Lunch Programs.

And if there is no "checker(s)" in the Board Office(s) that are checking the "checkers" in all the schools then ..... OH LORDY, LORDY.

Then the Director of Food Services in the Board Office, who orders all the food from the Distributor(s) to be delivered to each of the Schools, is not going to be questioning any of the actions of the Cafeteria Managers, ..... and those Managers are not going to be questioning the actions of the other Managers or the Director of Food Services in the Board Office. Which make for a .... McDonald's Happy Family Meal.

Aaron, you should check it out to "see for yourself". Go over to Poca High some day and pay your $2 or whatever and "have lunch" with your boy. Go early and just stand there in the cafeteria "observing" until he gets there and then go thru the line with him, etc. Iffen you've never done it before it should prove to be educational.



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I did it every year, once a month for 12 or 13 years Sam. Once they got to high school, they didn't want me coming anymore. They always gave me larger portions then they did the kids. Imagine that.