Baked Potato originally uploaded by Igor Schwarzmann
According to this article via NPR, the USDA is looking to limit the number of servings of potatoes children have access to for school lunches. Fearing that when given a choice, school children will generally choose the potato and “so french fries crowd out other vegetables that kids need.” However as soon as this plan was mentioned the Potato Lobby immediately got to work fighting the proposed guidelines with claims that “the new rules would lead to higher costs, more wasted food, and lower participation in the school lunch program.”
From the first article:
HUANG: Walker ascribes to the U.S.D.A.’s assertion that there are healthier vegetables out there for kids to be eating. A Harvard study released last summer shows that potatoes, especially french fries and chips, top the list of foods that contribute to weight gain for Americans. Health advocates acknowledge that potatoes does offer potassium and fiber.
[...]
HUANG: Main (sic) is the nation’s sixth largest potato producer. Senator Susan Collins says a legitimate concern about the over-consumption of french fries is leading people to vilify the simple potato and that will cost schools as they turn to pricier veggies.
Senator SUSAN COLLINS: The department itself estimates that this could add $6.8 billion to the cost of school lunches over the next five years.
However, is $6.8 billion on school lunches that much to pay when the health of American children continues to decline as they are overfed processed foods, starchy vegetables, and fried foods? While the articles do not delve into either, the question remains a good one. They do note that by including options such as baked potato bars in schools, kids are offered the chance “to eat other vegetables and important foods like low fat cheese and broccoli and spinach.” But as mentioned above, with the options available, children will generally choose the least healthy option when given the chance (and most certainly won’t be offered the selection used for the photo heading up this post) so it is unclear if keeping potatoes is really the panacea that the lobby claims.
How often do you feed your family starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn? Do you use them in lieu of or in conjunction with other more healthy vegetables? Do you serve primarily fried potatoes or those made in a less unhealthy manner? Do you think that the government should pay more out to the schools to allow for an array of healthier options at lunch so that we’re paying for it on the front end rather than the back end while dealing with obese children? Does one or two meals a day at school really help when families are feeding children fast-foods for many weekly dinners? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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October 7th, 2011 at 8:24 am
Everything in moderation. It is hard to disagree with the notion that anyone should not eat french fries 5 times per week, though there are a lot of adults that do it anyway.
When our kids were using the school food system we took the occasional peek online to see what we were paying for and gave them a nudge at times when we saw “Big Cookie” 4 days in a row on their purchases. I think that is it easy for kids to make bad decisions without overseeing what they do, but as a parent it is also easy to make a brown bag lunch and cut off the school lunch money if they don’t follow some of our directions regarding chioce.
That said, nothing better than freshly cooked red potatoes mixed into a salad or as a side of a nice healthy meal, especially if they are fresh in the summertime.
October 7th, 2011 at 8:49 am
When we were raising our kids we’d fret over feeding them balanced, nutritional meals – especially at school. When we asked a pediatrician about our concern his (laughing) reply surprised us. “Your mother just visited, didn’t she?” Yes, grandmother had just visited. Then, in all seriousness, he said don’t worry about it. If they eat one item only for a day or two they will eventually come around to get a balanced diet on their own. Just continue to offer them choices.
So, my take on this is, as long as school lunch programs offer choices, the kids will figure it out on their own. If one starchy vegetable a day is offered that’s OK. Even if you pack a lunch for them, they’ll swap food until they get what they want.
And, I also think it’s OK for government to offer guidelines and oversight. That is a legitimate roll for government. Otherwise some bean counter (literally and figuratively) will manage the program based on cost, not nutrition.
October 7th, 2011 at 10:42 am
I don’t count potatoes or corn as a veggie for meals served at home – if I serve those, we always have another vegetable in addition to them.
I’ve noticed the potato-heaviness of school lunches, but have also noticed that it has been getting less so over the past couple of years. My daughter’s school seems to be really pushing a broader variety of veggies and focusing on fresh, local produce when they can.
Sometimes I cringe when I see chicken nuggets, Italian dunkers, mini corn dogs so many times on the menu, but I keep trying to remind myself that I ate school lunches for years and I turned out just fine. And we’re very health-conscious at home, so the kids really are getting balanced meals.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
I tend to find the fretting over the food kids choose at schools to be pointless. Kids choose whatever they feel they want, and sometimes choose based on what their friends want. When I was attending school, I never had a choice. Whatever they put on the plate is what you ate.
Educate children into the pros and the cons of various foods, not sure you can do anything more.
When we were raising kids, potatoes were with most meals, either baked or mashed, or sliced and fried in a pan. Corn, Green Beans, cauliflower, brockley were in addition to potatoes, not instead of.