September 25, 2012 3:40 PM
Queen Michelle's lunches cause outrage
What's going on in your kids' schools? I started sending my kids' lunches long ago. And I have been known to send salads and sides of hummus and crackers, but it's familiar food they've had- and enjoyed - at home.All of my kids are very healthy eaters and I like being responsible for their lunch and knowing that they are eating good food.
That's one way to take back the power - just say no to school lunches and send food in with your kids. It really isn't that much of an effort and will quickly become a habit you enjoy.
Complaints Mount Against Michelle Obama's New Lunch Menu
In Wisconsin, high school athletes are complaining about not getting enough to eat each day, due to the skimpy new school lunch menu mandated by the United States Department of Agriculture and First Lady Michelle Obama.
The story we published earlier this week on that subject is unfortunately not unique. Students across the country are complaining about the new school lunch regulations.
Perhaps the real motive is to starve students into slimming down. Just ask students in Pierre, South Dakota who, too, are in an all-out revolt.
"I know a lot of my friends who are just drinking a jug of milk for their lunch. And they are not getting a proper meal," middle school student Samantha Gortmaker told Keloland.com.
Despite the fact that the new regulations have increased the cost of a lunch 20 to 25 cents per plate, it's not pleasing students.
Some are throwing away their vegetables while others are adapting to the rules by becoming industrious. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, students have created a black market - for chocolate syrup. The kiddie capitalists are smuggling in bottles of it and selling it by the squeeze, according to SouthCoastToday.com.
Nancy Carvalho, director of food services for New Bedford Public Schools, was quoted as saying that hummus and black bean salads have been tough sells in elementary cafeterias. That means even smaller children are going through the day fighting hunger pains, which can never be considered a good thing.
Read more at Townhall
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Comments
Don't get me wrong, I am totally agaisnt the government deciding what our kids should and shouldn't eat, as if parents don't have the wisdom to understand their children's needs and the future of their health depends completely on what they eat at school. However, don't families still have the option to pack a homemade lunch?
I think it's great that people are speaking up and expressing their frustration, but I wonder what would happen if parents also refused to waste money on the skimpy school lunches?
Black market chocolate syrup--that is hilarious. See, kids will always find a way to eat junk, especially if we try to forbid it.
Posted by: Jeanette | September 25, 2012 5:50 PM
I'm certainly not a Michelle Obama fan, but I really don't have any sympathy for those upset about the new school lunches. Parents should be fully responsible for feeding their children and should not expect or allow the government to do it for them. I have always fed all my children 3 healthy meals a day, made from REAL food (fresh veggies, fruit, whole grains, etc) with very little money. I've done this by being a wise steward of our limited financial resources: having a large garden (the White House garden is a JOKE compared to ours!), buying in bulk, using coupons,canning and preserving, and using non-meat sources of protein. Knowing how well I am able to feed my very large family (active teenage boys included) with very little money (we live below the "poverty level" for a family our size) makes me question whether most families who get a free or reduced price lunch at school for their kids really need it. And, in the rare cases when parents really do need financial help, charity should come from the church - NOT the government (as Barbara you so eloquently wrote in your "Brother's Keeper" article!)
Posted by: Sarah | September 26, 2012 10:17 PM
