In Defense of School Food

As the deadline for the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act approaches, the debate around school food has reached a cacophony of opinions. The politics of the debate are intense. Jerry Hagstrom at National Journal provided a great overview incase you have not been following the theatrics. At the core of the school food debate is the balancing act of priorities between public health and economic viability. Advocates for healthier school food do not have to struggle to make the case for keeping the nutrition requirements passed with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The nutrition standards are evidence based from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). For instance, sodium requirements that were supposed to be imposed for meals by 2017-2018 required meals to limit amounts to no more than 935-1,035 mg per meal. IOM recommends daily sodium intake to be limited to 2,300 mg for the entire day. So when the values are compared, the amount seems appropriate, as research has shown, excessive salt exposure at a young age can set children up for a life long preference for high amounts. On a daily basis, kids consume on average 3,260 mg of sodium, 282-362 calories from added sugar and over consume the recommended amount of refined carbohydrates by 100%; all while consuming very little whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Less than 5% of children between the ages of 4-8 consume the recommended amount of 1.5 to 2 cups of vegetables per day. Across all ages, especially childre...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news