Obama Presses for Healthier School Lunches

It’s a fact, our children are heavier today on average than we were as children. Not only that, but they are the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.  Yep, that got my attention too.

The over-weight and obesity rate of children in our country has hit an all time high, due in large part to their access to processed “foods” high in salt, sugar and fat. And where are our children getting these unhealthy items if not at home? Try at school.

That’s right, school lunch and breakfast programs are contributing to the problem. Notoriously weak in nutrition, school lunches commonly contain breaded meats and low-grade canned fruits and vegetables. Granted, preparing foods en mass is no small task, and from-scratch cooking takes it up another level.  But steps can be taken to add more health benefits to school lunches.

More than 31 million school children eat school lunch and another 11 million participate in the breakfast program, which means they are consuming at least half of their daily calories at school. And with a budget of approximately $1 per lunch, you can see why they are not up to our mother’s (or our) standards.

This is why Michelle Obama is working to improve the nutrition standards of school food programs with the Let’s Move! campaign. On Feb 9th President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing a task force to address the growing obesity epidemic. The task force will develop a plan to solve the obesity issues among children as part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign. The campaign will work to engage both public and private sectors in helping children to become more active and eat healthier.

Over-weight and obese children are not only at risk of health problems, but self esteem issues, as well. It is up to us to protect our children by demanding higher nutritional standards for school lunches and breakfasts. To learn more check out the Let’s Move! website.

Image:  The White House Blog