Child Nutrition Bill

I do not know all the details about this bill-like where all the money will come from-but I do like the idea of healthier school lunches. I just can't say I support the new legislation because I don't know enough about it. The hot dog my son ate the last time I was there for lunch was drenched in grease and every student automatically asked for chocolate milk. My son rarely drinks chocolate milk at home. I asked him why he got chocolate and he said, "Oh, I can get white milk. I just have to ask for it." Um, shouldn't it be the other way around? And do we really need to be offering chocolate milk at school? I wonder if that will change. And I REALLY hope the manufacturers of those chicken nuggets and other pre-made foods are forced to cut back on the sodium. These kids are eating enough salt for a month in a couple of days time.

FROM CNN: Long under the microscope in the battle against childhood obesity, school lunches are about to get healthier. That's thanks to an overhaul of federal nutrition standards, signed into law today by President Obama. More fruits and vegetables in school lunches and healthier snack choices in vending machines.

That's the new federal mandate signed into law by President Obama Monday. "Not only am I very proud, if I didn't get this bill passed, I'd be sleeping on the couch."

Mom-in-chief Michelle Obama was a strong advocate of the legislation, part of the first lady's ongoing efforts to combat childhood obesity. "When school meals sometimes are the main source of nourishment for so many kids, we have an obligation ot make sure that those meals are as nutritious as possible."

The new law comes with a 4.5 billion dollar price tag and would also subsidize meals for lower-income children, crucial, as studies continue to highlight the importance of three meals daily, including breakfast. A new Yale University study found kids enjoy sugary cereals but also healthier cereals with less sugar, especially when combined with fruits.

But the study also found they will eat more of the less nutritious sugary cereals than the healthy choices. Further proof, that having healthy options, helps youngsters now, and in the future. Doctors are now starting to see conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type II Diabetes in children. These are things that they only used to see in adults. This bill is about reversing that trend and giving our kids the healthy futures that they deserve.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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