Michelle Obama right to target student nutrition

Michelle Obama right to target student nutrition

Michelle Obama needs to be applauded for advocating for quality, nutritious school lunch programs. With childhood obesity and diabetes type 2 in record numbers in our nation’s schoolchildren, Obama is a voice of reason in a mixed-up, budget-cutting educational environment.

What’s wrong with Obama suggesting to schools that foods such as pizza, hotdogs, foods laden with high sodium, cake and ice cream be curtailed in our school’s cafeterias? These are the type of foods served over and over in our schools that contribute to the types of diseases associated with a high-fat, high-sodium, low-fiber diet.

Our nation’s public schools have a difficult job in providing school lunches; nutrient-dense foods are expensive and I do not see the private sector putting extra money into school lunch programs; in fact the government is not either. The prevailing school of thought is that children will not choose nutritious foods, but research has not shown this, in fact the opposite is true.

Eliminating pizza, hotdogs, chicken nuggets and flavored milk will go a long way in reducing childhood obesity and diabetes type 2. Schools can get into the grant-writing business and aggressively pursue grants that provide rich, nutrient-dense foods for school lunches. Parents can write and pursue such grants.

Asking our government to provide quality lunches is not destroying our freedom of choice and not a subtle attack on our nation’s children. It is in fact, the right thing to do.

  Michelle Obama right to target student nutrition