Karen Barnabay wants to save our kids!

[annanstee]

What I want to do is start with a small study group of parents and children. Once they understand the relationship between food --> mood --> overall well-being, they'll be the ones championing the cause. The program has to grow slowly to be effective.

I not only want to save your kids, I want to save you too.

Karen

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Can I volunteer?

Edited November 28, 2005 by annanstee (log)

[300rwhp]

So if I understand correctly this whole discussion began off the comments of KAB in the news about how she wanted to save our kids from crap school food. Noble of course, but how is this not publicity when the problem is not at school but at home? If as you have stated the problem is in educating parents and children why do you begin your campaign against school provided lunches? Especially when the vast population of elementary school children are fed from home. Sure there have been comments about high school cafeterias and vending machines, but this is a question of choice, best not to attack there. Of course we have all seen the food pyramid and it is still taught and progress could be made there, but attacking the school system is laying the blame falsely. If you begin on poor ground you discredit your attempts.

Kab reconizes that this will be long and ardous, and more importantly be a partnership with children and parents. As such I still do not see how this could be about the food provided by schools.

Edited November 28, 2005 by 300rwhp (log)

[Zucchini Mama]

What I want to do is start with a small study group of parents and children. Once they understand the relationship between food --> mood --> overall well-being, they'll be the ones championing the cause. The program has to grow slowly to be effective.

I not only want to save your kids, I want to save you too. 

Karen

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Can I volunteer?

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Hallelujah sister, I need to be saved!

But seriously, if you are looking for test subjects, I would love to be a part of this group. My son would be a very challenging test subject. He recently gave up the only vegetable he likes (carrots) because he thinks they taste like cheese. I am driven crazy by trying to think up new ideas for healthy snacks for a child who is a grazer and only likes a very narrow group of food items. Help!

I am also intrigued by your take on the "lower carb" approach for the whole family. An affordable workshop on these issues would be really appreciated. A cookbook would inevitably be canonized.

Zuke

Edited November 28, 2005 by Zucchini Mama (log)

[annanstee]

What I want to do is start with a small study group of parents and children. Once they understand the relationship between food --> mood --> overall well-being, they'll be the ones championing the cause. The program has to grow slowly to be effective.

I not only want to save your kids, I want to save you too. 

Karen

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Can I volunteer?

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Hallelujah sister, I need to be saved!

But seriously

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Actually,

I wasn't kidding. Having a 4.5 year old about to enter the school system, I am scrambling, I feel, to get his palate to a point where he will at least sometimes make healthy choices. My palate could be making healthy choices more often too.

  I still do not see how this could be about the food provided by schools.

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I think this is indeed about the school system. Sure, kids bring their own lunch, but there are fundraising events, from what I've heard, just about every other day, and they always feature hotdogs, doughnuts, cookies etc. Then kids hit highschool and ditch their home lunch for fries and gravy- I did and I am sure it is worse now.

They need to be educated at home, sure, but why can't the schools back us up?

Edited November 28, 2005 by annanstee (log)

[300rwhp]

the reason schools shouldnt back you up is a it costs money for one and more importantly that is not their job! be a good parent, if you care about your kids do something stop their obesity, and stop shifting responsibility.

Edited November 28, 2005 by 300rwhp (log)

[annanstee]

Well, I don't think it is their "job" to make exclusivity deals with corporations to sell their products to my kid. The last time I checked, my myriad friends who are teachers feel that it is their job to EDUCATE.

If children learn about nutrition in school (and they do), but the schools sell nothing but crap, what message does that send? That the bottom line is more important then their health?

I do not shift responsibility to the school system, but I don't want them subverting what I teach at home-or their own cirriculum for that matter.

[300rwhp]

http://health.telegraph.co.uk/health/main..../28/hfood28.xml

i think this link will add those who have kids or know those who do.

[*Deborah*]

the reason schools shouldnt back you up is a it costs money for one and more importantly that is not their job! be a good parent, if you care about your kids do something stop their obesity, and stop shifting responsibility.

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Let the schools do what they will, food-wise and economy-wise, and all the kids will be offered will be Doritos and Pepsi and crackers with processed cheese product.

If there is a way to help kids away from junk food, it is in all our interest to do it. Even discounting the value of a healthier and happier populace: cheaper school lunch costs now will result in higher medical costs later, which we will all bear. And if some of these kids are eating crummy food because they're poor and their families can't/don't know how to make ends meet, I don't think it's shifting responsibility: I think it's part of our Canadian social contract to lend a hand to those who need it, the same contract that says that little old ladies shouldn't have to live on cat food or choose medicine over food or vice-versa.

IMHO

[Daddy-A]

[host]

We need to bring this thread back to a local focus. That means discussion of ...

1. whether or not schools can/should be responsible for our children's diet
   
2. whether or not schools can/should raise funds through junk food sales
   
3. what foods our kids like/dislike
   
4. etc etc etc
   

... while all valid discussion points, do not belong in this forum. There are numerous threads in General Food Topics for these more generic topics.

Thanks

A.

[/host]

[nwyles]

I remember having lunch at school when I was a kid ( in Vancouver ) . I went to an Inner City School , single mother, three kids, so perhaps that was part of it. I recall having lots of soups and sandwiches, not so much burgers and fries.

It is certainly an uphill climb getting kids to make the healthy choices when the adults make such unhealthy ones. On top of that, they are bombarded by advertising. My son would go nuts for McDonalds before he had ever eaten there. Once he had the fries, he was hooked. I would imagine that McDonald's fries were his first encounter with salt on a large scale hence the attraction.

I know that there is "Pizza" day at my son's school , proceeds going to trips etc. It is a shame that the education of that we hold dearest seems to fall short in the funding dept but that is a whole different story.

I am trying to change the way I eat but do not have a systematic appraoch to it. The quick fix is always present either on the line in front of me or at home. Given the choice, I will always chomp down a pizza and collapse on the couch than take the time to make myself a salad or something that I know is better for me. This is me, the adult, the one who knows better so how could I expect the kid to make the healthy choice given the popular alternatives.

Karen, I applaud you for your passion in this and would love to hear how it goes, good or bad.

Edited November 29, 2005 by nwyles (log)

[KAB]

Karen, I applaud you for your passion in this and would love to hear how it goes, good or bad.

I'll let you know Neil.

I'm going to be doing some volunteer work with Cooking Fun for Families - I already do projects with Community Kitchens - and see where that leads to. It will be a gauge of receptivity to what I'm proposing.

Karen

[stovetop]

If you combine a teaching program with the lunch program and cafeteria- where you have kids that are learning what it would be like to be a cook- It could also be the basic skills of life like how to cook food for your self; cooking is a basic life skill that is truly missed in the system. This way there is less costs and products that are made in class could be served in the cafeteria.

Having a big name chef involved brings exposure to the situation; I am sure if some no name person was going to do this it would have not even been on the radar. This issue is about media exposure and in this day and age it is all about media. (bling-bling)

Also I do not agree that it has to be expensive, there is a side of cooking that people learn when they do not have a lot of money and they become very creative- a lot of classical French cuisine came out of the situation after world war two, they did not have a lot of money and utilized every scarp of food and turned things into workable food dishes.

You can create a very nice food environment that does not cost the school board a lot of money and kids and the community could come together and provide a learning environment where kids could get good healthy food and a varied diet and not have to really on brands and big corporation like Sysco to get a affordable food program in the schools. Chefs like Karen and others would love to help and give their name and time to bring this issue to the forefront and make a program like this work.

It is a win win to all involved.

[300rwhp]

Hey Karen,

Hopefully you are still around, and can put this to good use.

http://www.sustainabletable.org/features/backtoschool/

It does demonstrate the success made just south of the border in washington st regarding school food problems. Of course it also glosses over how the economics of such a project are not there, organically speaking of course.

Noble cause and good luck,

[Matt R.]

Also I do not agree that it has to be expensive, there is a side of cooking that people learn when they do not have a lot of money and they become very creative- a lot of classical French cuisine came out of the situation after world war two, they did not have a lot of money and utilized every scarp of food and turned things into workable food dishes.

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Man, we have all these anchovies around, no one wants those. This stale bread isn't good for much, and these eggs are getting old. What are all these cheese scraps doing in my larder? Now it seems the farmer grew all these silly heads of romaine. Really, how useless of a lettuce is romaine? I know! We'll throw some capers and oil in and see what happens!

Really, though, when I was in high school, kids in grade 11 were rebuilding cars, while the home ec class was making pizza dough with baking powder. Is this why mechanics charge so much? Truly, Stovetop, this is a lifeskill that kids must learn. Call in slow food, call it organic, call it 40 square feet in your backyard, whatever. The point is that people have to be able to cook for themselves if they are going to stop living on restaurant food, which in the worst case is loaded with fat, salt and sugar, and in the best case is loaded with fat and salt. You can skip the sugar at the better places.

I saw a bit of CityFood last week where they showed a high school in Van with a big organic garden outside. I recall they said 3000 square feet, but I may be mistaken. Is this type of activity more productive in the long run than, say, another football/soccer field?

For more info on this subject, read (or listen to) Morgan Spurlock's 'Dont Eat This Book'.

I applaud high-profile chefs for giving a damn, and applaud low-profile parents even more.

-- Matt.