For sale: junk food at school
School lunches and drinks aren't the only causes for concern when it comes to childhood obesity: snacks matter too.
For sale: junk food at school
Beth Wallace
by Beth Wallace
When it comes to the obesity crisis in this country, it seems like every month there is a new plan of action to combat a different source of concern. Recently the targets have been changing what is available in school lunches, and then limiting the size of soft drinks sold. Last week, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new information about another school related concern: The snack table.
Laws that limit schools sales of junk foods as snacks and in vending machines were reviewed to determine if there was a relationship between stricter laws and decreased rates of weight gained by students. The study results showed that the children in schools with stricter regulations gained less weight over the three years. On average, children with the most limitations gained 2.2 pounds less than students in schools with more lenient rules. In addition, the children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) trend, or weight for height ratio trend, was improved within that same group.
More importantly, the study found that the longer the regulations were in place (i.e. from grade school to high school), the better kids’ overall weight and BMI trends were. This brings up the important point that healthier habits that start early and are reinforced throughout adolescence are more likely to provide a benefit than severe changes as a reaction to weight gain.
No one can blame one person, one institution, or find one reason that our children’s waistlines are growing faster than we can handle. It is a myriad of complex societal factors and influences that can’t be changed all at once. What this study shows us is that improving the food environment in schools and at home can only help.
What should you do as a parent?
At school: Ask your child what options they have for snacks at school. If the answers don’t include some healthy options, you may need to discuss the importance for change with school officials
- Encourage your child’s school to adopt healthier practices beginning in elementary schools and all the way through middle and high school.
At home: Make certain that you are creating an environment where healthy eating is easy for kids. Put the best options at eye level, and keep the higher-fat, higher-sugar, higher-calorie treats out of sight and out of mind
- Include children in decisions about healthy snacks before heading to the grocery store. That way you won’t waste money on healthy foods they’re not going to eat.
Beth Wallace, a registered dietitian at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has more than six years of experience in providing nutrition care for children and adolescents.
Is junk food for sale as snacks or in vending machines at your child’s school? Do you think it should be - or that schools should limit or ban it?
My students come to school loaded with chips/ hot nacho chips, soda, cheese steaks, candy and neon colored drinks that they buy at the corner store on their way to school. This is what they eat for breakfast instead of the free, healthier meal provided by the school district.— I Teach in Philly- Beth, I find your suggestion that one cannot find the reason for the growing wasteline in children to be very surprising and incredibly disappointing- especially as a RD. The world we live in is one in which children consume almost 60-75% of caloric intake as empty-calories (devoid of micronutrients, fiber etc). This consists of sugar, process sugars, foods, and a high intake of oil (including olive oil which is NOT heart healthy).
Too much data (thousands of research reports) exists to validate what I've written above. Why haven't you, as a professional, read them. If you did, you wouldn't have suggested that a cause is unknown. It is known and so to is the solution. What Americans are unwilling to do, is eat differently...way differently consuming a plant based whole foods diet.— Keith S. - "wasteline" ? — ekw555
- I agree that the poor quality of food is part of the reason, but it's much more complicated than just food. The change in family structures, limited physical activity, parents working long hours and not many people having family dinners, and all the other societal factors do play a huge role in why we eat the way we do. Fast life, lack of education, etc... "green" food chains are beginning to pop up. Slow steady change and internal motivation. Most people don't see the consequences. Stopping eating these foods also has a somewhat withdrawal effect(think simply about people quitting coffee and having physical symptoms from not having it). People seek these foods out. Very complicated situation for lots of people. — jsmith1
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