New USDA School Nutrition Standards - Time for a Little Happy Dancing

My little broccoli eater.

Marion Nestle who blogs at Food Politics has a great post explaining the new USDA school  meals nutrition standards. More vegetables, whole grains, lower sodium and fat - all good things. Thank you to Michelle Obama for kick-starting the revolution.

I consider these baby-steps. These policies are a HUGE improvement, but they were announced as "proposed rules" one year ago and our school's food vender has already implemented them. It's good to see whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta, and a reduction in fried foods. However, I'm still wringing my hands over the cooler full of fruit juice and flavored milk - even if it is low-fat flavored milk. It's still full-sugar flavored milk.

I'm looking forward to the day when we have consensus about what constitutes healthy, wholesome, nutrient dense food for our kids. It's a conversation worth continuing. And it's worth celebrating the baby-steps.

Party on.
 

Labeling

I'm all for labeling. Is it cotton or poly? Is it Christmas or Easter? Is it organic or GMO? Seems like obvious information. The reality is that while I try buy organic all the time, I sometimes have to resort to a conventionally grown product. (I know, it makes me shudder too...). So, if I have to buy something grown with chemicals, can I at least have the option of not getting the food developed through recombinant DNA technology? Please? It seems so simple to say, "Just label it", but as I've learned, very little in the food system is easy. Now, we're lobbying for our right to know what's in our food.

Check out this video and let me know what you think.

Join us!

My inspiration.  This picture of 5-year old Cooper was taken as he walked the labyrinth in New Harmony, IN.

I was contacted today by a representative of Prevent Obesity.net. They are an online community funded by Robert Wood Johnson. As Zach, the guy from the organization, explained to me, they are working to connect all of the those of us who work to "change the policy and environments" for kids so that they can live healthier futures. He saw one of my posts and said that he realized that I should be involved with them. Cool! It definitely sounds like something that I want to be a part of. Want to join us, too? Check out PreventObesity.net and come to the party.