Unfit To Serve...Mission Report states 75% of 17-24 yr olds too fat to join military

[javismom]

This article really caught my eye this morning in the newspaper. My son struggled to lose 20 pounds in the last couple of months to be able to join the Navy. Over the weekend I read about a boy in a nearby town that died one year ago trying to lose 14lbs in one week in order to make the required weight to join the Marines. The article says this can be a potential threat to our nation's future national security with so many young people not meeting the requirements to serve our country. Mission: Readiness | Military Leaders for Kids released a report yesterday on their findings. I didn't know that the military has to pay into the millions to train replacements for those discharged for weight problems. Retired officers are advocating better, healthier school lunches to help cope with this problem. The article also mentions that the last time the military got involved in school lunches was after WWII when they had the opposite problem of today. Back then many recruits were unable to join because of stunted growth and inadequate nutrition. Congress was pushed to create a national school lunch program to encourage healthier children. I thought this was real interesting.

 Read article http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100420/A_NEWS...

Link to Mission: Readiness report and video  www.missionreadiness.org

[Fleur de lis Mom]

I hate to see that school lunch program take the blame. There are so many factors that make up why kids are over weight. My kids hated the school lunch and took their own or did not eat.

School lunch is only 1/3 of the meals that kids eat each day and they also have snacks. I wonder what is the number of overweight children at age 5 when they enter school? School may be the only place many kids get a balanced meal.

[javismom]

It is funny that school lunches seem to be the "scape goat" here. You're right, my daughter has never liked school lunch and actually takes her own lunch or mostly skips lunch (which is in itself worse). My boys have no problem with lunch at school and actually our district has a wonderful array of choices, most of which I see in the garbage cans but that's another topic.

Yes, school is sometimes the provider. Our schools serve breakfast and lunch and the breakfast I think is the most important! If we are running late at home, I can make sure my boys eat at school.

I've learned a lot about nutrition these last few months helping my son lose the weight the right way. Most importantly is a good breakfast to break the night fast and quickly start up your metabolism and healthy snacks (100 cal) every 3 hours. I've implemented this into our family (it made it easier for Javi to stay on the right track) and I've seen a difference in energy and less binge eating at the end of the day. But the #1 change was definetly staying away from fast food -- restaurant AND store bought (Hot Pockets, frozen pizza, waffles, Hamburger helper, etc).

I think the best solution is to maybe have schools teach nutrition basics along with the regular subjects. Although I know this will just add to the list of things teachers are already weighed down with. Yikes, it seems hard to decide!

[Fleur de lis Mom]

The elem school my girls attended did not serve breakfast, but lunch was alway good. They did eat there sometimes and one of the cooks(a guy) would always give seconds. The teachers always made sure that there was food for kids who forgot their lunch - it may just have been peanutbutter crackers/sandwich, but there was something. For a while there was a salad bar and the kids loved it. Each year the parent council made changes.

Their HS served breakfast & lunch. There was also a coffee shop before school that was run as a fundraiser.

It's hard to get the kids to eat fresh fruit, but it is one of the best ways to lose weight. I bought an apple slicer to make it easier for me to eat fruit.

[kk]

That is kinda funny. The evil school lunch being the cause of such things. Personally, I grew up on school lunches. I even bought doubles on some days. I would blame t.v. over school lunches. You sit in front of it, snacking usually, watching commercial after commercial about food, getting hungrier. How can you help but eat. Very interesting about after WWII, though. We have gone from stunted to plump, interesting how things change.

[javismom]

kk, you know, here in elementary schools, kids can't have seconds (only if they wait until the whole school has eaten and then they can eat what is left over) or they have to purchase the meal at full price. Our school offers 5 different main meal options plus the salad bar (with two types of lettuce). As I said earlier, I see more than half in the garbage can. See, if I had to point the blame finger, I would say we over process our food and not enough natural food is eaten. Another article I read said that if your grandmother doesn't recognize it, don't eat it. That sort of makes sense.

[Arwen]

I don't see how they can blame school lunches when we have so many other factors, including 400-calorie coffee drinks, "energy" drinks, instant foods, kids drinking soda by the case, PE and recess being severely reduced or even phased-out of schools, the explosion of video games and television, and a massive increase in overprotective parents who won't let their kids out to play the way we did when we were kids.

School lunches taking the blame? This is scary, because, sadly enough, for many kids their school lunch (and breakfast) is still the only decent meal they get.

[javismom]

You know, here at our high school, the school board decided a couple of years ago to do away with the sales of soft drinks on all campuses (including elementary/middle schools, they are now only in the teachers' lounge). The irony of it is that guess what is allowed on the high school campus and locker rooms? Energy drinks!!! To me this is so ridiculous. I would rather my kid drink a pepsi than a Rock Star any day! Not that I want that, but I can't see the reasoning in this decision. Crazy!

[Arwen]

This isn't just your school. The three major companies (Pepsi, Coke and 7-Up/Dr Pepper Company) signed an agreement to cease providing soda to schools by 2011. However, they are allowed to sell juices, athletic drinks and energy drinks, which are not categorized as "soft drinks."

Our schools allow fruit juices in the machines in the hallway and cafeteria, and athletic drinks near the gym, but that's it.

But all of this doesn't stop them from students (and parents!) from purchasing them at the grocery store on the way to school and storing them in their backpacks or lockers, or drinking them at home.

The last district we were in banned candy sales at the cafeterias and in machines at school, so enterprising kids set up candy stores in their lockers. They were making more money than the school drug dealers! They go to Costco or Sams, buy in bulk, then sell a single candy bar for $1 or more. In fact, there was a story in the local paper about one kid who suddenly had way more money than he should have. Like in the thousands of dollars. When his parents confronted him, fearing the worst, they discovered his illicit candy dealings. When candy is outlawed, only outlaws will have candy!

[javismom]

Incredible! I had to laugh because as with all things forbidden to kids, they find a way, candy or worse. Yes, I've heard of parents who actually buy the sodas and candy in bulk like you said to sell. One parent recently told me her son takes kids home and barbeques hot dogs and sells meals to kids during the lunch hour (they live next to the high school). There's a fine line here I think between "breaking laws" and entrepenuerism (spelling?). Bottom line is I think instead of forbidding foods, teach them how to take care of themselves and to set limits when eating.

Thanks for your views Arwen, I really enjoy reading them : )

[Arwen]

The students weren't breaking any rules or law. The district decided that the *school* could not sell candy from the snack shack or vending machines. There was no rule whatsoever about students selling the candy. As far as I knew they never closed-up that loophole.

I think they were trying to not get in the way of sports fund-raising sales and Girl Scout Cookies.

[kk]

Fruit juices have a lot of sugar too. I can not drink them because they make my triglycerides go way too high. Sugars turn to fat in my body. We used to just have water fountains in my school. I think sugared drinks like fruit juices and soda are way underrated in their ability to turn to fat in the body. Drinking fountains are the answer. Should never have put drink machines into the schools. Ya gotta feed the kids. They need food, but do not need sugary drinks of any kind. Even chocolate and strawberry milks. As far as kids leaving the school campus to go to Mrs. Smith's house for a hot dog lunch, I think that is a horrible idea. Hot dogs are horrendous for you at any price, unless you are the one selling them. Of course the walk there and back would at least get the kids some exercise.

[Arwen]

That's another thing, walking to school. I walked (or biked) about a mile to my high school, and about a half-mile to my elementary, almost every day, unless the weather was absolutely horrendous. Even then I sometimes had to walk. (Of course I also walked up-hill both ways, through a flood, beaten down by the burning sun ;~D )

We now live 3 blocks from the schools (we have all 3 level schools on a single city block) yet our neighbors drive their children to school every morning, and pick them up the afternoon. When do they ever get any exercise???