Lisa Paolino
S-R Parents Council
February 19, 2007
Our son came home from school one day and announced, "We don't get seconds at lunch anymore!" Our first thought was that it must be related to budget cuts. Instead, we found out that the policy is intended to fight obesity.
"I'm going to toot our own horn," said Catherine Abbott, Food Service Director for the Mead School District. "We are the heroes of the school. Kids love to go to lunch." Abbott says that lunch time is a needed break from the study time of the day. Good nutrition is an important tool in helping students learn.
Abbott notes that their staff in the district work very hard to provide nutritious and delicious meals to their students. It's no wonder that kids want to have seconds and thirds at lunch. Yet according to the National School Lunch guidelines, having seconds can give the students more than the recommended daily amount of calories.
"As a teacher I have spent much time in the school lunch room," wrote a reader named Corina on the Parents Council blog. "Each kid is given the same amount of food and it is plenty for any kid. Majority of the students don't finish what they are given. Back in the day when they would receive seconds it would just be for the dessert (if there was one)."
"It must be nice to be able to go back for seconds," wrote parent Mark Utley on the blog. "In the schools my kids have attended, Cheney and Medical Lake, the children are given a very short amount of time to complete their meals. Several times my sons have said they have to rush to finish in time. Shoving food in their mouth as fast as they can is what creates obesity. Schools need to re-evaluate their lunch schedule and give the student enough time to properly eat their lunch, even if it means longer school day."
Utley has a point – the University of Rhode Island performed a study that showed that when people eat slowly, they will need fewer calories to feel full. In theory, eating quickly can lead to the consumption of more calories. When schools don't allow seconds, the students are being served the proper amount of calories to fulfill their nutritional needs whether they are eating fast or slow.
The Mead School District allows 20 minutes for lunch. The Cheney School District has an average of 20 minutes, while the Medical Lake School District ranges from 20 to 30 minutes for the lunch period.
Mead utilizes research done by the National Food Service Management Institute when determining the length of lunch times. The report, "Eating at School," was based on a study of 18 schools in four states, including Washington.
The study found that elementary students on average spent 10 to 14 minutes getting their lunch, eating, and then cleaning up, leaving 6 to 10 minutes for socializing in a 20-minute lunch period.
The research also showed that "the eating time for all students was very consistent. Socializing time appeared to change in direct relation to the amount of time allotted for the lunch period."
Abbott stresses that the healthy food served at school lunches are a benefit for paying parents because the meals are nutritious. Parents can feel good that their children are being provided with healthful food.
Dana Malone, a registered dietician, is a nutrition wellness consultant with the Mead School District and with other districts in the Spokane area. Malone, "Mrs. Nutrition," says that in the Mead elementary schools, the Nutrient Standard Menu Planning is used to develop school menus. It is a system that analyzes the nutrient content of food to meet nutrition standards.
"While we follow the guidelines, we also kick it up a notch and introduce new foods, including whole grains and a variety of interesting and different fruits and vegetables." Whole grains are brought in through avenues such as whole wheat hamburger buns and in the crusts of pizza. Malone calls it "subliminal nutrition."
"We love to have our children eat school breakfast and lunch," said Abbott. She notes that the Mead School District is taking part in the HealthierUS school challenge, which recognizes nutrition excellence in schools. It "encourages schools to go further and to recognize those who chose to do so."
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Strikes Against Soda (The Spokesman-Review)
Lisa Paolino
S-R Parents Council
February 12, 2007
The next time you go to restock your refrigerator with soda, you may want to think again.
According to a recent article in the Washington Post: "For every can of soda your child drinks each day, their chances of being obese double. But the problem isn't just extra calories. A Harvard University study shows that the calories in soda don't register with the brain the same way other calories do. The brain doesn't get the message to stop eating. On average, that means kids consume the calories in the drink plus an extra 200 calories from other foods every day."
Besides obesity, drinking soda can deplete bones of calcium. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry states that, "As teenage girls have increased their consumption of soft drinks, their consumption of milk has decreased by 40 percent, which may contribute to a decrease in bone density, subsequent increase in fractures, and future risk of osteoporosis."
A third strike against soda is that it is a contributor to tooth decay.
Dr. Charles Toillion of The Children's Choice, a pediatric dental practice in Spokane, sees this every day. Dr. Toillion, fondly known by his patients as "Dr. Charlie," says that drinking soda is like "bathing your teeth in a solution that does nothing but break down your teeth."
Sugar causes cavities, but the acid in soda will erode the tooth enamel. Toillion notes that while the sugar content may be less in a diet soda, the acid in the soda is still bad for your teeth.
Carolyn Lamberson, a Parents Council member and S-R correspondent, says: "My husband and I do drink diet soda (and are trying to cut back) but we don't let our 2-year old daughter drink it. I attend a playgroup where one of the moms lets her 20-month old drink her soda all the time. 'It's OK,' she says. 'It's diet.' "
By choosing healthy food and drink and properly taking care of your teeth, tooth decay can be preventable, Dr. Charlie says. "It is unrealistic for people to give up soda. But you can limit the frequent exposure to soda. Don't let kids get a bottle of soda and sip on it all day."
He says that if you do drink soda, the best precaution against tooth decay is to drink some water afterwards. This will help to rinse out the sugar and acid contained in the drinks.
Another debate about kids and soda is whether to allow it in our schools. Andrew Garabedian, also a dentist at The Children's Choice, has concerns with teens and soda.
As kids grow older and become more independent, they start to make their own choices. If they were brought up drinking soda, their choice, when given the opportunity, is more apt to be soda, he says.
This type of habit is risky for tooth decay.
Keeping soda out of school is an issue that the AAPD has addressed with its policy on vending machines in schools. The purpose is "that targeted marketing and easy access to sweetened foods and beverages (acidulated carbonated and noncarbonated) by children and adolescents may increase the amount and frequency of their consumption, which, in turn, may contribute to an increase in caries risk and a negative influence on overall nutrition and health."
Parents need to set a good example by choosing a healthier drink than soda. Sodas are full of empty calories. The only thing they will do for you is take up space in your refrigerator.
S-R Parents Council
February 12, 2007
The next time you go to restock your refrigerator with soda, you may want to think again.
According to a recent article in the Washington Post: "For every can of soda your child drinks each day, their chances of being obese double. But the problem isn't just extra calories. A Harvard University study shows that the calories in soda don't register with the brain the same way other calories do. The brain doesn't get the message to stop eating. On average, that means kids consume the calories in the drink plus an extra 200 calories from other foods every day."
Besides obesity, drinking soda can deplete bones of calcium. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry states that, "As teenage girls have increased their consumption of soft drinks, their consumption of milk has decreased by 40 percent, which may contribute to a decrease in bone density, subsequent increase in fractures, and future risk of osteoporosis."
A third strike against soda is that it is a contributor to tooth decay.
Dr. Charles Toillion of The Children's Choice, a pediatric dental practice in Spokane, sees this every day. Dr. Toillion, fondly known by his patients as "Dr. Charlie," says that drinking soda is like "bathing your teeth in a solution that does nothing but break down your teeth."
Sugar causes cavities, but the acid in soda will erode the tooth enamel. Toillion notes that while the sugar content may be less in a diet soda, the acid in the soda is still bad for your teeth.
Carolyn Lamberson, a Parents Council member and S-R correspondent, says: "My husband and I do drink diet soda (and are trying to cut back) but we don't let our 2-year old daughter drink it. I attend a playgroup where one of the moms lets her 20-month old drink her soda all the time. 'It's OK,' she says. 'It's diet.' "
By choosing healthy food and drink and properly taking care of your teeth, tooth decay can be preventable, Dr. Charlie says. "It is unrealistic for people to give up soda. But you can limit the frequent exposure to soda. Don't let kids get a bottle of soda and sip on it all day."
He says that if you do drink soda, the best precaution against tooth decay is to drink some water afterwards. This will help to rinse out the sugar and acid contained in the drinks.
Another debate about kids and soda is whether to allow it in our schools. Andrew Garabedian, also a dentist at The Children's Choice, has concerns with teens and soda.
As kids grow older and become more independent, they start to make their own choices. If they were brought up drinking soda, their choice, when given the opportunity, is more apt to be soda, he says.
This type of habit is risky for tooth decay.
Keeping soda out of school is an issue that the AAPD has addressed with its policy on vending machines in schools. The purpose is "that targeted marketing and easy access to sweetened foods and beverages (acidulated carbonated and noncarbonated) by children and adolescents may increase the amount and frequency of their consumption, which, in turn, may contribute to an increase in caries risk and a negative influence on overall nutrition and health."
Parents need to set a good example by choosing a healthier drink than soda. Sodas are full of empty calories. The only thing they will do for you is take up space in your refrigerator.
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