If McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King all rejected it, you know it can’t be good.

Only a few weeks after the government announced new guidelines to improve the nutritional value of school lunches, the U.S. is buzzing with some startling news. In addition to offering more fruits and veggies, cafeterias will also be serving a decidedly less healthful option: pink slime.

Last week, The Daily reported that the USDA plans to purchase 7 million pounds of the controversial meat filler from Beef Products Inc. for use in America’s school lunch program.

Once only used for dog food, this substance – officially termed “lean beef trimmings” but better known as “pink slime” – is a ground-up combination of beef scraps and connective tissue that is treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens. In spite of this sterilization process, a 2009 New York Times investigation discovered dozens of instances of E. coli and salmonella pathogens in pink slime samples from across the country.

The LA times reported today that the Los Angeles school district has removed flavored milk from the cafeteria menu. This is sweet news. LA now becomes the largest school district in the nation to ban chocolate and strawberry flavored milk.

This is a huge victory in the battle against childhood obesity and for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution - the major catalyst in this move by Los Angeles Unified School District. Jamie was quoted in his reaction to this news:

"This is a giant step forward for the health and future of 680,000 kids in Los Angeles, and leads the way for more school districts around the country to follow."

In addition to removing the flavored milk, LA’s school district’s new milk menu includes low-fat and nonfat plain milk as well as soy and Lactaid milks.

LA is now leading the way to healthier school food. Larger school districts like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and DC need to take note. For more see the The Great Chocolate Milk Debate.

What is your reaction to Los Angeles’ removal of flavored milk?

To ban or not to ban?
That is the question many schools are facing when considering the removal of chocolate milk from school cafeterias. The rise in childhood obesity has become the #1 issue on tables across America. From the First Lady’s Let’s Move Campaign to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution everyone is talking about how to reduce the growing rates of obesity among school age kids.

School lunches remain a major point of contention. Congress recently approved reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which is designed to reshape the future of school food. While the Act is a move in the right direction, there is still much work to be done.

Got (chocolate) milk?
The main beverage served in schools for decades remains to be milk; and usually the favorite choice of school kids is the chocolate version. Of course.

Even though added sugars and sweeteners in chocolate milk do not make the list of nutritious foods, the creamy brown milk has maintained its status as the most popular beverage among school kids.

Take their chocolate milk away and kids will complain, as Farifax County and D.C schools found out. Actually, not only did school officials hear from students, they also heard from parents, nutritionists and special interest groups.

Dissenters take issue with districts “robbing students of a tasty drink and the vitamins and minerals that fuel bone and muscle growth,” reported by the Washington Post.

This month the Farifax and D.C schools will introduce chocolate milk back on the cafeteria line.

Is it ok to serve students chocolate milk just because they won’t drink it otherwise? Are the health benefits of milk, Vitamin D and Calcium, worth the extra sugar? Is there healthy chocolate milk?

The good news is that whatever side of the fence you stand on, finally, the health and wellbeing of the kids remains to be the final goal.

Do you agree with Jamie Oliver?
“When kids drink chocolate milk every day at school they’re getting two gallons of extra sugar each year. That’s really bad for their health.”

If so, you can sign Jamie’s petition here.

Do you think keeping chocolate milk as the staple beverage at the school cafeteria is the best choice?

Please share your thoughts in the comments. 

There’s a war going on out there, and some Philadelphia parents are taking matters into their own hands.

School lunch reform is something that we are in dire need of in this country. People know it and steps are being taken, but the pace is slow and special interest groups are doing their best to inhibit real change. But schools are not the only places where kids are eating junk.

Parents and school officials in one Philadelphia school district noticed that children are often stopping before school to get sugary, fatty snacks at corner stores. 

Enter: renegade parents.

Donning bright safety vests and wielding walkie-talkies, community members have set up a neighborhood watch-like operation to get kids to skip buying a snack – or shame them a bit if they do.

Research shows that adults only need to consume an extra 200 calories per day to be overweight. But a recent study out of Temple University shows that children are routinely getting 360 calories per day from chips, candy, and sugary drinks.

Vest-clad parents are hoping to cut some of those junk calories with their efforts outside of local stores. But they are up against even bigger adversary than store owners: biology.

Humans have a sweet tooth, but tolerance (and preference) is something that diminishes with age, meaning our nation’s children like things even sweeter than the average adult.

In an age of high-fructose corn syrup and aspartame, foods can deliver a sweet punch that is far, far higher than anything Mother Nature can come up with. This results in an ever-higher desire for sweet foods, and makes cutting back very difficult. Plus, studies have shown that foods high in fat and sugar activate similar reward systems in our brains as cocaine. They can also set off the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical that can override the natural ‘stop eating’ signals our bodies send us.

It’s hard to say whether or not this particular strategy will work in Philadelphia, but one thing is for certain: The only way to beat childhood obesity is for parents and schools to work together. After all, a little education can go a long way.

Do you think the junk food vigilantes will work to curb those cravings?

Mexico, like nearly every other industrialized country, is fat. In fact, with 30% of their population categorized as obese and 70% overweight, Mexico is the fattest country in the world. But this January, officials put their foot down and said, “We have had enough.”

A recent New York Times article discusses new guidelines that went into effect on New Years Day, dictating what can be served and sold to children in schools around the country. The rules banned soft drinks and 90% of fried foods from the menus, and changed the composition of meals across the board.

Obesity starts early, so addressing how and what children eat is an important step in dealing with the obesity epidemic. Overweight children face physical and social complications, as well and an increased risk of being overweight or obese as adults. Obesity is a disease, and like any illness, prevention is always the best option.

Health officials began working on these regulations last year, but were quickly met with opposition from certain special interest groups: Namely, snack food companies. The resulting rules are not as strict as the original proposal, but officials say that the relaxed guidelines will still have an important impact.

The goal with all of this is to teach children moderation and to show them what types of foods will make them feel healthy and happy. Some things like lollipops, chips, and cookies are allowed under the modified guidelines, but they are now smaller and prepared in healthier ways (e.g. baked chips instead of fried).

Some schools are struggling because kids can get cheap junk food from vendors outside school grounds, but officials hope that by teaching children to navigate the food scene themselves that they will make better choices when face with those temptations.

The US has similar regulations in the works, plus another set of rules guiding vending machine options, but no date for implementation has been set and the exact rules are yet to be finalized.

What do you think? Should schools dictate what children eat?

It’s not just health problems that are at stake in the fight against childhood obesity. British researchers released findings this week that eating a junk food diet throughout childhood can even affect IQ!

As seen in US News and World Report, of the 14,000 children tracked, those who consumed a diet of highly processed foods had lower IQs five years later compared to peers with healthier eating habits. Fatty, sugary and processed foods consumed during some of the most important growing stages resulted in individuals lagging behind mentally.

It is believed that diet makes the greatest impact during the first three years of life—a time when the brain is quickly growing and developing. The connection between a healthy diet and good nutrition for physical growth, is easily understood; and now it appears that it is just as important for mental ability as well.

It doesn’t really seem fair that young children (with little say in what kind of foods he or she is consuming) could be permanently set back in their cognitive abilities because of their diet. To give all kids the chance to reach their highest potential, they should be given the opportunity and encouragement to eat a healthful diet from early on.

Are you surprised by these findings?

Hopeful news for Child Nutrition! The U.N. health agency just announced that this coming September 2011, The World Health Organization (WHO) is going to use the U.N. General Assembly meeting to discuss efforts to tighten junk food marketing to children. The meeting held in New York will be on September 19-20.  The heads of state will be looking into limiting the amount and type of ads that children are exposed to.

As cited on the Huffington Post, the WHO reports that worldwide, over 43 million preschool children are overweight or obese. This is already causing millions of premature deaths each year and will only continue to cause more serious damage. Health directors are hoping that voluntary measures to limit advertising of junk food will evolve into laws eventually banning the practice all together, similar to the way it happened with tobacco.

Junk food marketing to children is so common that many of us may not even notice the frequency with which young minds are exposed to unhealthy products and habits. It is our responsibility to make sure that we are contributing to an environment that supports and encourages health and wellness for all. Children deserve the chance to start off on the right foot and to be protected from false information.

What are your ideas for making this a reality?

Do you remember pizza Fridays, cookie snacks and trips to the vending machine for a soda? Not that long ago, this nutrition deficient trio was the norm in every school system in the US. However, the policy makers, once blind to the problem, have started to take  the issue head on. Vending machines are being removed, and school officials are taking a closer look at what children need to thrive nutritionally. 

According to a New York Times article, the First Lady and her colleagues are determined to make child nutrition a top priority. The National School Lunch Program as well as the recent Child Nutrition Act are working towards making nutrition a more integral part of every child’s education.

One of our very own graduates, Nancy Easton, is co-founder of Wellness in the Schools (WITS), a non-profit organization highlighted in the Times article. The WITS team is working to place culinary school graduates in the New York City public schools to help create healthy lunches. 

Non-profits like WITS are agents of the change we need to overhaul the nutritionally weak school lunches that are so common. With these organizations, the support of policy makers and local school officials, school lunches can achieve the A+ parents and kids are looking for. 

Have you seen the effects yet? Go back to your elementary school for a visit or join your kids at lunch one day. Let us know what you find out!

 On Tuesday June 15, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation held its
annual Healthy Schools Program Forum in New York.  Integrative Nutrition graduate, Sarah Chaplin was in attendance to accept a Bronze award for her school, Thurgood Marshall Middle School, in Maryland.  President Bill Clinton was also on hand to speak on the important work The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is doing in over 9,000 schools. 

Sarah explains what receiving this award means to her, “It is an absolute privilege to be in a position to help a child take responsibility for their health and know that the work I have done with them will create habits that will last a lifetime.”

Founded in 2006 by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association and largely funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Alliance is focused on addressing one of the nation’s leading public health threats—childhood obesity.  The Alliance launched its Healthy Schools Program to support schools across the country in creating a healthier school environment.  Sarah’s school was among 179 schools recognized Wednesday by the Alliance and President Clinton.  The Gold Award was given to Memorial High School, West New York Town, New Jersey. 

"The 179 schools earning recognition today – the most in any year in the Alliance's history – join the ranks of schools from all over the United States that have shown exemplary commitment to the health of their students and staff," President Clinton said, "The Alliance is pleased to assist in these efforts in more than 9,000 schools in all 50 states to make innovative and healthy changes that will turn the tide on childhood obesity."

For more information on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation visit their website http://www.healthiergeneration.org/

Another celebrity chef is in the news talking about school food.  Rachael Ray, the host of 30 Minute Meals, was in Washington recently lobbying lawmakers on the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.  This act determines how much money school districts are given for meals and how much control the government has over food outside of school cafeterias, like those vending machines stocked full of sugary drinks and processed snacks. 

New York junior senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Rachael Ray are both passionate about increasing the amount of money the schools are reimbursed per meal.  They are also proposing a ban on trans fats in school cafeterias. 

This article in the New York Times reports that Rachael Ray, who grew up in Senator Gillibrand’s former Congressional district in northeast New York State “has made school nutrition something of a personal crusade. She has helped the New York City school system develop a healthier menu, creating a chicken taco dish for cafeterias using a whole wheat flatbread, roasted chicken and a ratatouille-style stew.   Her latest coup was persuading the city’s schools to use whole wheat pasta in macaroni and cheese.”

It’s great when celebrities use their fame and speak out about issues they care about.  We say, “Hooray Rachael Ray” for bringing more attention to the Child Nutrition Act and how it affects the health and well-being of our children. 

Is your school district doing anything to change school lunches on a local level?  We want to hear about it!