After being told that cupcakes will be served at school next week for a birthday, I'm getting really frustrated with the snack menu.  The regular snacks already consist of stuff with high fructose corn syrup, dairy, chemical preservatives, artificial colors and flavors and sugar.

I've already talked to the school about the snacks, and we're packing ours to bring, but I'm halfway thinking of talking to them again about the whole thing.  I really don't want to be a party pooper or one of those parents that nobody wants to deal with, but really, we're dealing with kids' health here.  I'm finding it hard to believe that the teachers would want to deal with kids all pumped up on that junk!

Any advice?

It's really just lazy thinking.  Like the government sanctioning the junk they actually serve at school cafeterias as representing the "Food Pyramid".  Realy it is high in fat, low in fiber and most veggies are overcooked and oversalted.

I have found that just complaining does nothing but get you labelled as a difficult person.  Instead, if you present with your complaint an easily-implemented alternative you might get somewhere.  At the very least your could choose one of our more decadent vegan recipes to bring to school.  Make enough for all.  People will be surprised, and you may have the opportunity to educate them about nutrition.  Make sure your choice doesn't include nuts.  There is almost always a kid who is allergic to them, and you don't want to give anyone a reason to complain about your delicious healthier option. Just stay calm and reasonable and you will be taken more seriously.  Good luck!

Please check out PCRM's website, as they have a huge initiative to overhaul school lunches.  I think that it also gives you ideas of how to approach the subject in your own district.  Good luck!

Nicole, here is the link:

http://www.healthyschoollunches.org/

My son goes to a private school where we have to pack our own lunches.  They allow no candy, chocolate or dyes in lunches and no sodas or fake juices for drinks.   Birthday celebrations and holidays (even valentines)  do not allow any treats.  And they practice a Waste-Free policy.  They compost, recycle, and expect lunches in reusable containers. 

All of these things make me a happy camper.  Here is the BUT...  They provide morning and afternoon snacks.  Sometimes it is fruit.  But other times it is stuff that is full of preservatives, HFCS, Artificial Sweetners etc.  I was shocked to see their snack cupboard knowing what I know about their other policies. 

I understand cost is a factor to provide snacks for that many kids, and taste too.  So I started sending my own snacks that they put out for my son.  I sent extra fruits so they would provide that to other kids.   I sent enough unopened  boxes of healthier versions of the same snacks for the whole class.. And yet, I discovered, they saved them for my son, and gave the other stuff to other kids.. 

All i can do is make sure mine is taken care of and try to help with the others where I can.  I don't want to complain as they do soo much good already, I don't want to be "that parent" but if they weren't doing all those other earth friendly practices, I would certainly say something more or change schools.

Now don't get me started on the Public School lunches!   I'd be on that topic all day :-)

Thanks so much!  I'm definitely planning to talk to them about it.  I'm really not happy about the whole thing, I just picked my son up, and they had the cupcakes today - they didn't let him have one (which is great), but he was left out and upset about it.  Ugh!!  They just told me this morning it was next Thursday!  I was planning to pack him something special to take that day instead. 

Anyway, thank you so much for your suggestions!  I am planning a carefully worded email to them with suggestions, and just see what happens.   

Is this the biggest single challenge of our time? How do we protect our kids? I wish I had an answer.

Justin, a friend of mine sent her 5 yr old off to a School run Camp this week, for the first time ever in a lunch line.   That little girl ended up choosing her own food to eat for the first time in her little life and ended up with Chicken nuggets, fries, cake,  and mountain dew....

SERIOUSLY!  those were actual options in a school cafeteria for a five year old....

As for how do we protect our kids... Arming them with the knowledge they need in the real world to make good food/drink choices is critical, as we won't always be there.  But if we all sent our kids with their own lunches/snacks and demanded more from our schools, it would have to force change.  

That said, there are some children that school lunches are the only real meals they get in a day.  And the system is critical for their survival, how do we get their meals to be more nutritious?  I don't know.   

You know what would be fun, if we could get one school to change and then monitor the absense, sick rates etc.  compared to an equivalent school.  Maybe that will push for change?

Vegmom, that is hideous!  That's worse than what I'm dealing with.  Although I have honestly been to birthday parties for kids that age that had similar options.

I definitely think about the only thing you can do is arm them with the knowledge they need to make healthy choices.  I used today as an opportunity to reinforce with my son why we eat the way we do.  I know my son was upset because he couldn't participate in the school cupcakes, but we talked about why we don't eat stuff like that all the time, and what's in it that's bad for us.  By the time we were done talking about it, he was saying how he didn't want to eat all those yucky chemicals anyway.  I think picking up a couple of his favorites from Whole Foods helped too. :)

I think your experiment sounds like a great idea!  And Justin, this may very well be the greatest challenge of our time!

I give dietary advise all day, it's easy for me. I practice with my patients. I tend towards long hours, six days a week and a crowded schedule book. I am very fortunate that acupuncture is very popular at this time.  I can give good advise to my patients all day and yet struggle with this very issue and must describe it with the priority it demands.

The single most pressing issue of my life.

What will I feed to my kids and will I be able to protect their health?

They live in a very dangerous environment. My day to day experiences puts me in contact with sick people. It tends to be on my mind. When I see repeatedly the power of food choices to effect heath outcomes in my patients it somehow translates into increased concern for my loved one's health outcomes.

Every school lunch, every single party, birthdays, holidays, there are twenty places to eat in a local radius with nary a healthy option. The pressure on parents simply overwhelms our ability to resist with the kind of consistency required. You are forced into the role of a fanatic.

No to this, no to that.

Every thing everyone else is eating, drinking and watching is restricted.  It's really hard on kids, their parents, their extended family and friends.

I know just how the hippies of old must have felt. I have become one.

My advise?

Become a fanatic.

We certainly have to be on our toes.  Kids seem to want to eat every couple of hours and bad choices are everywhere so we need to stay armed with healthy choices.  This is where a simpler lifestyle pays off.  Doing more at home and packing our own picnics and keeping friends and family at our home where we can provide meals is helpful. We have grandmas bringing watermelon instead of candy now, so I am grateful for that.  Between the junk they get and the healthy foods they wont eat, I could just cry.   It is a pressing issue, one that weighs heavily on us and we just have to press on.

I was going to write more and more on this subject, but thought it would be too long, so instead I wrote about it on my blog, A Midlife Vegan, http://midlifevegan.blogspot.com Please copy and paste it if the link doesn't work. I have the same concerns, but my kids are teenagers, so my influence is different. Please check it out if you are so inclined. It is in the post called "A Homerun!" Keep reading past my review of Alicia's fabulous Rustic Pasta.  Thanks for reading!

Hi Justin,    

Being the primary caregiver of my children, I shop for and cook for my family and I still have an incredibly hard time battling with the constant bombardment of sugar and chemicals that are thrown their way.  

I can't imagine the frustration of being engrossed in good health all day, witnessing firsthand the good and bad effects of foods, and not having the control or power to train my children the way that I know, can even prove is in their best interest. It must be terribly disturbing, as I myself could just cry thinking about the junk they consume and the healthy foods they simply will not eat. This lifestyle can be both freeing and enslaving.   

I will read your blog Cheryl.  This is a fantastic discussion. 

I have decided to look at my kid's diet as something that I must manage.  The same way that I try to manage my husband's inability to find good employment, or my son's chronic illness, or my child's nasty teacher....focus on the good, make the most of the situation, and learn from it.

I want my children to do well in school, to love learning, to be kind, to have a sense of humor, yet be compassionate, to have conviction, to be spiritual, to play an instrument or paint, to be generous.......on and on it goes....so when one aspect of their wellness as whole individuals isnt as perfect as it should be, there is another that is thriving.  It's one big juggling act with their diet and physical health constantly at the forefront.  One of the reasons I have striven to work as minimally as possible is so that I can feed them well.  Hard choices. We just have to hang in there and persevere. The world is not perfect yet!

This coming from the woman whose child just announced that he wants to buy a deep fryer and have a frying party with oreos and twinkies!  Yea, the one with all of the health issues, while a pot of brown rice and miso soup are cooking on my stove he is looking for fried twinkies! (which by the way have never been in my kitchen!)

Manya -- This is so funny, and illustrates so well the way it works in a family.  Keep doing your best for everyone!  It is all we can do, and well worth the effort.  Thanks for your great insights.