Sometimes the government forces us to do the right thing. That is what happened with the new regulations covering school lunches.
Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture issued its first major overhaul of nutrition requirements for school meals in 15 years. It was long overdue.
The new rules are sure to prompt outcry. From parents: How can the government tell me what my kid should eat in school? From schools: Why are we being hit with onerous regulations that will cost us more money?
The United States provides funding for free and reduced-price lunches, so, like it or not, the feds have a say in what is served. We should all be grateful that the government has decided to address an issue that is impacting its budget in a dramatic way: the health of this nation's children.
We have developed a junk-food generation, with the occasional TV dinner of the 1950s now replaced by fast-food restaurants, takeout, processed food and additive-laden frozen dinners that make up a good portion of the weekly menu for many families.
Combine that with limited exercise, and it's easy to see why the United States faces an childhood obesity epidemic, with all the accompanying drains on the national health-care system.
Most people, if asked, would say they want to eat healthier and would like their kids to do the same. But they worry they don't have the time, money or taste buds to deal with a more wholesome lineup of food choices.
One of the best places to start is with kids. If they grow up on wheat bread, veggies, fruit and lower sodium food, that is all they will know — and it will be just as yummy to them as the greasy pizza and salty fries they stuff themselves with now.
The government can't make Mom and Dad serve healthier food at home, but it does have control of what gets placed on cafeteria trays. If it's a wheat-crust pizza with low-fat cheese and peppers instead of pepperoni, the kids might balk at first, but they will be gobbling it up in no time.
Under pressure from nutritionists, parent groups and other advocates, the food industry is finally making moves toward healthier offerings. You see far more low-sodium and low-fat and high-fiber and whole-grain products touted on supermarket shelves. Fast-food restaurants are reducing fat and salt and adding fruit and veggies as sides.
School lunches are an even more direct root to tackle problems like childhood obesity. Many food-service programs in local schools are already taking steps toward healthier choices. They are working smart choices into their menus — low-fat milk, turkey tacos, wheat-crust pizza and veggie sticks.
The new rules — based on 2009 recommendations from the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine — will force any schools who haven't upgraded their menus to do so.
And that can only be good for area children.
