School Lunch Improvements

Look for healthier school lunches in the near future! I am truly excited about this initiative. I know if my son starts eating unhealthy food at school he is going to beg for it at home too. And if I try to make him take cold lunch everyday he will freak out. So I am thrilled to hear school lunches will be healthier soon! I called the food services person at my son's school yesterday to find out more about hot lunch. My son will have the option to take it for the first time next year.

For instance, when the menu says "Grilled Cheese" does that mean white bread with butter and American cheese? Or whole wheat bread with cheddar and butter spray? At my son's school it will mean wheat bread (not 100%) , American cheese and butter spray. The food services supervisor says this year all she could get was white bread so she is excited to offer wheat bread next year. She is also switching to skim milk or 1% instead of 2% milk. She said the school offers fresh fruit and vegetables most of the time. Sometimes the veggies are canned. She said the school has never fried anything and the breaded items do contain whole grains. She said the biggest problem is sodium in processed food. The White House's new initiative should force food manufacturers to limit the sodium in processed foods.

FROM NBC: A White House task force is tackling childhood obesity - and says it's a problem that can be solved. Nearly one in three American children are now considered overweight or obese. The task force has a seventy-point plan to get the government, businesses - and American families - working together to help children get fit and stay that way. The first lady presented the plan, but says this isn't something Washington can do alone.

Can America's Childhood obesity epidemic be wiped out in a single generation? A White House task force led by First Lady Michelle Obama says 'yes' and has come up with a battle plan. Michelle Obama: "No one gets off the hook on this one -- from governments to schools, corporations to nonprofits, all the way down to families sitting around their dinner table."

The report ordered by President Obama outlines dozens of steps: At home: better food more exercise less time in front the tube. In neighborhoods: eradicating so-called food deserts -where supermarkets and healthy food are hard to find. and at school: healthier menus-which won't be cheap. Diane Pratt-Heavner : School Nutrition Association: "Fruits, vegetables, whole grains are more expensive - and schools need those additional funds to make those improvements."

The president is asking congress for a billion dollars to expand school breakfast and lunch programs. A cause that drew celebrity chef Rachel Ray to Washington. Rachael Ray:Celebrity Chef "You know if the summer comes and goes, and we don't get this done, it's a whole other year our kids have to wait." From Washington, a call to action for this nation's future. While fixing the problem will take some serious investments, the White House estimates obesity related health care costs this country 150 billion dollars a year.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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