Should Cupcakes Be Banned From School Parties?

When my older children were in elementary school, I sent in cupcakes for their birthdays or for class parties. My youngest is in elementary school now, and for his birthday, I sent in pencils and temporary tattoos for classmates — because the school doesn’t allow us to send in sweets anymore. When the change was first made, my reaction was: For real? Banning sweets? Since when did some cupcakes at a birthday party become so dangerous and a big deal? Even as a pediatrician, I thought it was silly. There’s nothing wrong with eating sweets as long as your diet is overall a healthy one. But therein lies the problem. Not all kids’ diets are healthy. And, as I’ve thought about this more, I’ve decided that there’s something to be said for setting standards — and an example. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a policy statement on snacks and sugary foods and drinks in school. In it, they point out that more than 55 million children attend public schools — and get about 35 to 40 percent of their daily calories there. It’s not only important that the food they get in school be as healthy as possible, it’s important to use the opportunity (any opportunity, these days) to teach children and families about eating healthy. Let’s face it: Junk food and sweets are crowd pleasers — I mean kid-pleasers. They are also generally inexpensive and often pre-packaged, making it very easy to throw them int...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Claire McCarthy, MD Healthful eating Source Type: news