We know that U.S. children are increasingly becoming overweight and obese. And, as LuAnn Heinen notes in a recent message to the National Business Group on Health, the problem has been identified: adults.
It’s tempting to make kids happy with the foods they love. But as parents, grandparents and mentors, we have a responsibility to make them healthy with the foods they need. And one of the biggest problems is school lunches.
A recent New York Times article spotlighted the fact that many school don’t have the resources to provide consistently healthy meals. Ms. Heinen suggests that parents find out what types of lunches their kids are receiving at school and, if those lunches don’t make the grade, pack a lunch instead.
If you do pack a lunch, the National Business Group on Health offers some tips, adapted from a tipsheet developed by the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation. You can download the tipsheet yourself at http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/docs/lunchforkids_childhoodobesity.doc
It offers practical ways to create lunches your kids will actually enjoy – without the extra fat, sugar and calories they don’t need.
It may take a little more of your time to ensure your kids are eating right at school, but isn’t a lifetime of better health worth it?
Dr Mike
