The First Nanny's Food Crusade Revisted

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

When I posted about The First Nanny's "we can't just leave it up to the parents" statement the other day concerning the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, there were a lot of things I wanted to respond to but instead of several scattershot replies, I'll collect my thoughts here.

What I find objectionable, aside from yet more subsidies sucking up taxpayer dollars, is the whole idea of the federal government acting in loco parentis to determine what your kids should be eating instead of oh, I don't know, the actual people who are supposed to be raising them. Parents have already surrendered too much authority to the government by allowing schools to function as a babysitting service. Schools are there to EDUCATE your children, teaching them to read, write, and compute. They are not there to micromanage the lives of their students.

When I went to school in the '70s and '80s, there were no vending machines available to students except for ones that sold juices. But we did have bake sales and clubs sold bagels, Krispy Kremes, candy bars, M&Ms, etc. as fundraisers. Nobody sweated it unless they were making sales during class. I managed a chocolate bar sale for the Philosophy Club in high school. Dolores Umbridge Obama wants to even ban those sales. I guess it would be all right with her if school clubs sold condoms and medicinal marijuana instead.

As for the argument that school lunches are unhealthy, well, there's a reason why in elementary school we had a song that went, "Great green glops of ooey gooey gopher guts, mutilated monkey meat, dirty little birdy feet" about the stuff we'd get in the cafeteria. Both private and public schools in California already offer things like veggie burgers and salad bars. But just because they're offered doesn't mean kids are going to eat it. Are we going to hire prison guards to moonlight in the cafeteria to make sure Chubbs finishes his damn salad or he'll get hosed down?

If they want to do something about making school lunches healthier, maybe they need to look at how what's served is affected by USDA subsidies and stuff. The kind of food little Jake and Ava get at school is exactly the same institutional grade stuff served to prisoners. Honest! If there are subsidies for cheese for instance, more cheese ends up in the food getting served to people. If the cafeteria gets the foodstuff, it has to put it out so it doesn't go to waste. If it's not subsidized, it's a lot more expensive to buy. And for what? Unless it comes from the tater tot food group, an awful lot of school cafeteria food ends up in the trash or as arsenal in a food fight. It's hard to make large amounts of food that's tasty for large numbers of people, and keep costs down.

Parents who are concerned about the fat, sodium, carbs, and cholesterol in school lunches can do what mine did...pack a lunch for their kids. It doesn't have to take up a lot of time or money. I'd only buy lunch on occasion. Don't give your kids money if you don't want them hitting the vending machines.

But schools are getting ready to start dictating what you can pack for them. One guy on Free Republic claimed a relative of his tried to bring a bag of McDonalds food to her kid at school during lunch; this kid is very slim and participates in gymnastics. School officials wouldn't let her on campus with the food because it's "fattening." Do you really want busybody school officials, many of which have the common sense of a butt pimple, poking into your son's or daughter's bento box to see if it meets their definition of "fattening?" Do you want them seizing a homemade cookie, leftover pizza or barbecue chicken, some potato salad, or a sandwich with too much mayo in it? Already they are using peanut allergies as an excuse to ban certain snacks. Already they are prohibiting parents from bringing in birthday cupcakes. I had birthday cupcakes when I was growing up and I was never a fat kid.

Do you want the politically incorrect truth as to why there's supposedly this problem with obesity? People relying too much on convenience foods filled with preservatives, sodium, and fat because tired, busy working moms don't want to have to cook or prepare anything. Couple that with kids who stay in and play video games instead of going outside to play, because there's no one home to supervise them, and you have more fat kids. It's a cultural problem, not a "national security" threat that necessitates less freedom and more government control.

Comments

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

Not all kids eat junk food. We had a salad bar in my high school, and many kids made use of it, even with open campus lunch, more than enough to justify its existence. I ate salad bar almost everyday- I was not a "greasy gopher guts" kind of kid. It was not a logistics nightmare, either- my grandmother worked for the schoolboard as an experienced cook with years in the school cafeterias, and according to her it was no more expensive or more difficult to handle than any of the other foods.

They should get rid of the vending machines, though, and let the kids sell the goodies for their clubs.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

I seldom ate junk food when I was in school too and back then, we had no salad bars. I just brought stuff from home.

The only thing that squicks me about salad bars in a school is the germ factor, i.e. kids hacking all over the stuff or someone thinking he's going to be funny by spitting in it. I don't even like salad bars/buffets as an adult.

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

Good point about the squick factor. I guess I lucked out and went to school with reasonably well behaved kids, lol.

[whak-hat.livejournal.com]

or how bout, instead of banning every food that isn't 'vegan' (which is ultimately where this is going to end up, especially in California) you get the kids outside? How about you get them off the video games and computers and send them outside to play? Create clubs, inspire them to join sports? Bike riding, canoeing and all that jazz.

Fuck off liberal asshats, if my kid wants to eat pizza then so be it (I mean you shouldn't feed them pizza everyday or anything because then they'll come to hate pizza…). If a school person tried to tell me that I couldn't deliver food to my kid I would punch them in the mouth, right then and there. Why the hell is everyone being punished by someone else's diet?

This is the same 'big mother hen' attitude that's cause the fucking gang wars with drugs…only now kids are going to kill one another for potato chips.

[cakemaven.livejournal.com]

sinister-looking guy wearing black trenchcoat: hey kid, wanna buy some Cheetos? I got regular AND flaming hot!

[whak-hat.livejournal.com]

yeah, while the kid is smoking 'medicated marijuana for depressive issues'

[so-sporktastic.livejournal.com]

I HATE LOATHE DESPISE how it's become "OMG OBESITY IS A HUGE PROBLEM!" While I agree that it is an issue (especially with both food and lifestyle choices), it's foolish to paint 100% of America with this OBESITY OBESITY OBESITY YOU ARE FATTTTT brush. If somebody, anybody, private or government or my dad, tells me I can't give in to my chocolate addiction anti-witch-medication indulgence, they're either going to get socked or I'm gonna call it like I see it. "YOU shouldn't be eating chocolate. Go spend an hour on the Stairmaster."

Some people are fat because they sit on their rears and do nothing.

Some people are fat because they have food issues and they eat their feelings.

Some people just hate healthy food, so they eat unhealthy food and get fat.

Some people have genetic predispositions even if they try to eat healthy food and/or exercise, so they're fat.

Some people have medical issues that prevent them from being active, so they get fat.

And some people are skinny. Or "average." And THAT needs to be acknowledged. That's really been my issue with her whole FAT AGENDA (and admittedly it's a personal one for me - I'm the lone "skinny" person in a family full of "not skinny" people, and I'm also the only vegetarian, so I get mocked at almost every family function - "What, are you anorexic? Eat some steak!" - which makes this a particularly hot-button RRRRAWR STFU issue for me).

I'm sorry, (and the First Nanny could probably stand to lose a few pounds herself... by the way, lady, when you can get your husband to stop smoking and get him to eat right, THEN and ONLY THEN can you SUGGEST improvements on my personal health habits) - I'm skinny. My BMI is at the low end of normal. If your minions tell me I can't have Ben and Jerry's because America has an obesity problem, I will show you my XS self and tell you to stick it.

/rant done.

♥

As a parent, this makes me even more determined to homeschool my pre-schooler.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

I agree the Obesity Epidemic(tm) is a lot of hype from the media and the nanny staters who want to use yet another crisis as an excuse to further control our lives.

I had been overweight for many years and it's only within the past year that I've lost almost 60 pounds. With no help from Michelle Obama. There are many things I've learned about food and why people are fat. A lot of us don't pay a whole lot of attention to what we're putting--and especially how much--in the piehole, especially as we get older and our metabolism changes over time.

Mrs. Obama has gone on about so-called food deserts in poor neighborhoods but the fact of the matter is, low-income people in particular look for pleasure from what they eat because they don't have a whole lot of other ways to enjoy life. They can't afford fancy vacations, nice clothes, flashy cars, and other things that people who earn more can enjoy. On a related note, many people regardless of income level use food the way others use drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes as a way to take the edge off of life. And the easiest way to thrill the tastebud is with sweets, fried foods, and other fatty foods, because we're still wired to prepare for periods of starvation. It's a more complex issue than what a government program or top-down nanny statism can solve.

[hannahsarah.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Feeding issues, the bane of my existence. I used to call my daughter the Picky Picky Princess - until I found out that she has sensory disorders, and that she's actually "orally defensive". She really does try to make herself eat certain things, but she just can't.

This means that her bento has two layers. One is full of cheerios, saltines and graham crackers. I know she will eat those. The other layer has carrot sticks, an apple, some raisins and a tangerine - which she may or may not eat, depending on if she feels up for it. The fruit and veggie layer is strictly for the benefit of the school administration, so they will quit calling me about "making poor nutrition choices". (Yeah, if you think it's so easy, then YOU try getting her to eat!)

I always make sure that she gets lots of good protein, fresh vegetables and salad for dinner, so I figure it balances out.

[eajou.livejournal.com]

You've actually gotten phone calls from the school administration?

[hannahsarah.livejournal.com]

She goes to a small private school. On the one hand, I'm glad that they take such individual care of the students. On the other hand, it was annoying to have to keep explaining our situation. I guess that's what I get for paying a school to actually give a darn about my kid's wellbeing.