The U.S. if finally putting some strict bans on what schools can sell in their vending machines, and surprisingly, some people are opposed to it.
From The New York Times…
“Some Republicans were critical of the new rules. Representative Lee Terry, a Republican from Nebraska, tweeted his opposition using the hashtag “nannystate” and writing “RIP tater tots.” Schools could probably sell Tater Tots, a hash-brown potato nugget made by Ore-Ida, if they were baked instead of fried.”
Now, I love a good tater tot as much as the next guy, but this kind of response is absolutely shocking. With 1/3 of America’s kids suffering from obesity, the fact that any responsible adult can be opposed to this just blows my mind.
When I was teaching Health in a public high school in the States ten years ago, it was like banging my head against a wall when it came to nutrition. I could spend weeks talking to the kids about what types of foods they needed to fuel their bodies, and then they’d show up to class with a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos. That they bought from school.
And I’m sorry, but we know – scientifically – that kids have very little impulse control. If they could live on Mountain Dew, they probably would… so why even give them the option?
There should absolutely be limits put in place on what schools offer to kids, and if you ask me… this is just a start. If we’re spending time asking the kids what healthy foods they do like, and making sure we have plenty of them around, we won’t have to worry so much about what we’re taking away.
Proper nutrition starts with focusing on the foods we should be eating, not harping on the ones we shouldn’t. Just like with anything else in Health education, if you want good habits to stick, you’ve got to go with the positive.
