Healthful Bites

Just in time for National School Lunch Week last week, Mrs. Q (aka Chicago elementary school speech pathologist Sarah Wu) released a book spinoff of her popular blog Fed Up With Lunch. School lunch is a captivating topic, in my opinion, since it’s something that nearly everyone can relate to and the issues at play have so much more going on than meets the eye.

Soon after Fed Up With Lunch was available I downloaded the book on my Kindle and devoured almost as quickly as the kids at the author’s school could finish the almost daily side of six tater tots! On her blog, Wu used photos and brief descriptions to chronicle her experience eating school “hot lunches” for one full calendar year. Soon after its launch, nutrition advocates caught wind of her project and an extensive dialogue about public school lunch offerings began. This book explains the behind-the-scenes work that went into the blog (Wu had to scurry back to her room each day to snap a picture of her meal. She was afraid school officials wouldn’t be so keen on the concept—hence the pseudonym.) As a result of several meals that looked like this and this, Wu became more interested in nutrition and public policy, and shares what she learned, along with many of her lunch photos, in her book.

While I didn’t learn anything particularly new from a policy level since I had already read up on the topic for a few college projects, Fed Up With Lunch provides a pretty thorough overview for those who may have forgotten all about that time when regular milk was called “white milk.” For any reader, whether well-versed in the topic or not, it’s pretty fascinating to try to brainstorm ways to improve the current system while considering all of the cooks in the proverbial school lunch kitchen (government organizations and subsidies, large-scale food distributors set in their ways and don’t think about trying to implement neat programs like those suggested by the folks behind Edible Schoolyard or Alliance for a Healthier Generation…). It seems to all boil down to a money issue, but there has to be some way to put out food that’s better than rib-shaped mystery meat on a bun, French fries and a sugary juice box. Because how healthy is it if you eat that 180 times each year? And what does it teach kids about how they should be eating for the rest of their lives?

Photo courtesy of Flickr user USDAgov

I’m no saint through—my bagged lunchduring grade school might have included a turkey bagel sandwich, apple, bag of chips or pretzels and a Nutty Bar (remember those?) or cookie. What did you eat during your school lunches and how does that compare to what you enjoy for lunch now?

And do you have any suggestions for how our country can makeover the current school lunch program?

Bad market, long life?

As a whole, Americans tend to have longer lifespans during times of economic recession and depression, according to University of Michigan researchers who studied data from the 1920s-1940s. They guessed that since more people drive when they are financially in the black, more deaths occur on the roads. Plus citizens have more money to spend more on alcohol and drugs and may work more and sleep less.

Critics say that this finding may not ring true today, since countless medical discoveries have been made since the Great Depression. Others note that many people are currently skipping their important medications to save dough. What do you think? Have you made any changes in your lifestyle in an effort to pinch pennies that could lead to a longer or shorter life?

(courtesy of Comedy Central’s Indecision)

Feeding the Kids

We all have lived through the days of the grease-pooled pizza and purple hot dogs that roll off of the grade school lunch line. But one company, Revolution Foods, is attempting to make nutritious school lunch food delicious. And the kids are actually enjoying it! Only one problem: higher quality food comes at a cost. Schools are often subjected to whatever food products the government can get at a good price, hence Charlie’s chicken nugget meal for the fifth time this month.

Regulations require schools to meet specific nutrition guidelines, but several health experts believe that, as a society, we are doing a disservice to our youth by not feeding them more nutritious foods because of budget concerns. What is cheaper: warming a pan of corn dog nuggets and french fries or paying for additional staffers to prepare fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein options (that are less subsidized by the government than the sneakily corn-filled foods that often fill school menus)?

Is there a way that we can give students healthy options that they will eat and families can afford—without too much reliance on government financial intervention? 

(courtesy of Washington Health Foundation)

Water cooler conversation starter: working out with another person (or many!) can make fitness more enjoyable, which makes you more likely to stick with it. Who’s ready to hit the gym with me?