Do you let your children smoke cigarettes? Unlikely. Is it because smoking is responsible for upwards of 80 percent of all lung cancers and increases the risk of stroke by 2 to 4 times? Those are some pretty scary statistics, but do you know what is even scarier? Cancer is no longer the leading cause of death in the United States; heart disease is.
But do you monitor what your children eat, and the health implications? An unhealthy diet is linked to an increased risk of heart disease like tobacco consumption is linked to an increased risk of cancer. It's time to look at food with the same wary eye one sets on cigarettes.
Children and adolescents who are overweight and obese are at heightened risk of a multitude of detrimental health conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of obese children has doubled and adolescents tripled in the U.S. the past 30 years. During this same time the nutrient content of foods served in school cafeterias has plummeted.
There are two contributing factors to the deterioration in quality of meals being served to children at public schools. First, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the provider of meals to school cafeterias, bases its menus off of a minimum requirement of nutrients and calories that must be served at each meal. There is no maximum to the calories, fat or sugars that children and adolescents can consume during school lunch hours. Although the program bans "foods of minimal nutrition value" (FMNV) from being served in cafeterias, some items not covered by this list include French fries, ice cream, cookies and chips, as well as other undeniably unhealthy foods.
Competing for shelf space with the NSLP are competitive foods, or foods offered by vendors outside of the school cafeteria, including in vending machines. Such sources are not subject to the same nutrition regulation as the cafeteria itself and can serve FMNV. We are fortunate that Connecticut statutes prohibit the sale of beverages other than milk, fruit/vegetable juice and water in vending machines on school campuses, but the danger of unhealthy snack options still remains.
Unless you are involved with public policy or head of the local PTA, there isn't much you can do about the unhealthy state of cafeteria food. What you can do is make sure your kids are making the right choices. The silver lining of the NSLP's minimum nutrient and calorie standard is that the menu must contain options with certain levels of necessary vitamins and minerals. The job as a parent is to help children pick the healthiest option.
A study conducted in Guilford schools found that elementary school students consumed 115 percent of the daily-recommended amount of Solid Fats Added Sugars (SoFAS, empty calories) at lunch. Middle and high-school students consumed 59 percent to 79 percent during the same meal.
"Empty calories" is a misleading term. They are empty in that they provide no nutrient value, but they are still processed by our bodies and often get stored as fat, trigger fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels, or increase cholesterol, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
If you don't let your children smoke because of the obvious health risks, don't let them eat poorly for the same reasons. Create a healthy food environment in your home; forgo processed snack foods and get fresh fruits and vegetables instead. Encourage your children to eat well when they are home, because at school they will be surrounded by detrimental temptations. Teach them to choose the best of what's offered. In 1946 President Truman said, "no nation is healthier than its children," and children's health is in their parents' hands.