Schools make children more obese, leading doctor says

[Demi]

The Guardian
London, UK
21 February, 2008


Schools make children more obese, leading doctor says

A leading doctor has accused schools of making children more overweight after government figures showed rates of obesity rise through primary school.

Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, called for children to do more PE and be made to play outside during breaks after data showed the proportion of pupils classed as overweight rises by nearly 10% between the first and sixth year of school.

Nearly a quarter (22.9%) of four- or five-year-olds in England are deemed either obese or overweight, with the figure rising to 31.6% by the time they are aged 10 to 11, according to a health department survey. In both age groups, boys were more likely than girls to be obese.

The findings, from the National Child Measurement Programme, which weighed and measured 80% of pupils aged four to 11, will make grim reading for ministers who have pledged to tackle Britain's "obesity time bomb".

Haslam said it was a "scandal" that the rate of children who are overweight or obese rises while at school.

"For our schools to be causing our children to become overweight is pretty terrifying," Haslam said. "It shows that physical exercise has to be more of a priority at school.

"When I was at school you got kicked out at dinner time to play outside, now children are allowed to spend their breaks on computers - that needs to change."

Haslam called for legislation to force fast-food outlets and sweet shops to close at the end of the school day. "Perhaps they should be made to close for half an hour or an hour until around 4.30pm."

Although the proportion of children between four and five and 10 to 11 classed as overweight rose by 1%, the number classified as obese nearly doubled.

The situation is worst in London where 11.3% of four- to five-year-olds and 20.8% of 10- to 11-year-olds are classified as obese.

Last month, the government launched a £372m strategy aimed at cutting obesity in England. It proposed offering cash incentives to encourage obese people to lose weight and suggests schools monitor lunchboxes to ensure children are eating healthily.

A health department spokesman said: "There is a particular focus on children, with an aim to reduce the proportion of those who are overweight and obese back to 2000 levels by 2020."

Kevin Brennan, the children's minister, said 86% of children now enjoyed at least two hours of PE and sport each week.

"We now have plans to increase this to five hours each week by 2011," he said.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/21/health.health

[Demi]

BBC News Online
London, UK
21 February, 2008


Child obesity 'a major problem'

Almost one in four five-year olds and one in three 11-year olds is overweight or obese, according to the national child measurement programme.
In 2006/07, 80% of children in England starting and finishing primary school took part in the weighing scheme, compared with half the previous year.

Rates of obesity are worst in the North East, West Midlands and London, the NHS Information Centre report said.

Campaigners said awareness of what was a "normal weight" needed to improve.

The measurement scheme, which children can opt out of, came under fire in 2005/6 because only 48% of children were weighed.

It meant the figures were unreliable as there was likely to be a higher rate of opt-out among heavier children.

In response the government said, while it did not want to make the scheme compulsory, it would set a target of 80% uptake.

The latest figures from the 876,416 children weighed show 22.9% of those in reception (aged four to five) and 31.6% of those in year six (aged 10-11) are overweight or obese.

In both age groups, boys are more likely than girls to be obese.

The figures are similiar to those reported last year.

Trends

The report said that data was still missing for some children and further analysis suggested that rates of obesity in 11-year olds could be slightly underestimated.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said the figures had come as no surprise, but she was encouraged that a higher proportion of children had been weighed and measured.

"Knowing how many children are overweight or obese and spotting trends is key to ensuring that families, communities, public services, industry and government take the right action in tackling obesity.

"We recently published the £372m obesity strategy, which supports creation of a healthy society for children and adults in all fields - from early years, to schools and food, from sport and physical activity to planning, transport, the health service and other areas."

Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, said if you went into a school playground you would not predict that many children were overweight.

"Our perception of weight has changed. We're looking at overweight children and not seeing them as overweight.

"The reason we have these figures is because being overweight is a health risk - we should be paying more attention."

He welcomed the fact that a higher proportion of children were taking part in the scheme.

"The figures need to be used to put pressure on the government and the food industry and schools themselves.

"It's a serious and major problem."

Professor Paul Gately, director of Carnegie Weight Management at Leeds Metropolitan University said the results reinforced childhood obesity as a "key issue".

"Whilst prevention is fundamental, the findings expose the need for treatment for the vast number of children who are already overweight and obese and from this data will allow services to targeted appropriately and effectively."

Stuart Barber, head of policy and public affairs for the British Heart Foundation, said the figures were "distressing".

"How can our children be expected to make informed food choices if healthy food messages are constantly drowned out by a tidal wave of junk food marketing."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7256342.stm

[oakdryad]

"How can our children be expected to make informed food choices if healthy food messages are constantly drowned out by a tidal wave of junk food marketing."

And, Mr. Barber, how can we expect our children to make informed food choices if the majority of the soi-disant nutrition experts wouldn't know a healthy food choice if it came up and bit them on the ass?


http://emoticons4u.com/mad/1106.gif

[Demi]

The Telegraph
London, UK
22 February, 2008


Britain's childhood obesity crisis revealed

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor

The scale of the childhood obesity crisis was disclosed yesterday by figures showing that a quarter of five-year-olds and more than a third of 10-year-olds are too fat.

The data could even underestimate the true picture, officials said, because the Government’s weighing programme in primary schools is voluntary, so the heaviest children could have opted out. More than 800,000 children were weighed and measured.

The scheme is aimed at pupils aged 10 to 11 in year six and those aged four to five in reception classes in England. Eighty per cent were checked.

Across England almost 23 per cent of children aged four to five were overweight or obese, rising to over 31 per cent at age ten to 11.

Boys were fatter than girls at both ages with almost one in four overweight or obese in the reception year, increasing to one in three by at age ten to 11.

Amongst girls, one in five were overweight or obese in the reception year increasing to three in ten by year six.

Six-year-olds were heaviest in the North East while the largest proportion of fat 10-year-olds were in London.

The data was released by The NHS Information Centre from the National Child Measurement Programme (http://www.ncmp.ic.nhs.uk/) (NCMP) instigated by Government to measure the extent of the childhood obesity problem.

The programme is in its second year but comparison with 2005/6 is impossible as less than half of children were measured.

The NHS Information Centre's chief executive Tim Straughan said: "The study shows the extent of the obesity problem facing an entire generation of our children.

"It is of huge concern that one in three children in Year 6 is overweight or obese. It is even more worrying since the figures presented in our report are, if anything, likely to be an under-estimate. This is because participation in the programme is voluntary and overweight or obese children may be more likely not to take part."

Last year the Government launched a £372 million obesity strategy pushing back the target to stop the rise in childhood obesity by 2010 to a new aim of reducing the proportion of youngsters who are overweight or obese by 2020.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Whilst these figures come as no surprise, it is encouraging that 80 per cent of children in years one and six have been weighed and measured.

"Knowing how many children are overweight or obese and spotting trends is key to ensuring that families, communities, public services, industry and government take the right action in tackling obesity.

"We're not going to stem the tide overnight but through measures such as providing the right information and support to parents to ensure a healthy diet and regular exercise for children and increasing participation in sport and healthy eating, we hope to support families to lead healthier lives."

Kevin Brennan, Children's Minister said: "We have already taken considerable steps to tackle obesity in children and young people. Not only have we banned junk food from vending machines in schools, we have also brought in robust nutritional guidelines so all children can benefit from healthy and balanced school meals."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2008/02/21/nfat121big.gif

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/21/nfat121.xml

[ojoj]

For the life of me, I dont understand why anyone is surprised at this. Look at what we feed our kids these days! You only have to look at adverts on the tv or supermarket aisles to see the overload of sugary drinks, snacks, crisps, junk food.... Todays kids are constantly eating. We've become a society that are constantly giving in to our kids demands for treats and goodies, either as a bribe to keep em quiet or cos we just cant say no. Most children and babies you see out and about usually have a sugary drink or snack in their hands. If we start em off this young on carb addiction, what on earth do we think will happen???

[Songwriter]

Yes, but the general public sees the problem as twofold: too little activity and too much fat. They'll probably reduce fat even further, which will make it worse.

I am pretty sure there are schools in the US or maybe all of them that quit selling soft drinks but replaced them with juices. Which is about that same thing, right?

[LAwoman75]

Since low-carbing, I've been slowly transitioning my two sons over to a healthier diet. The food that is served at public schools is horrid and then the snack and drink machines that they have access to only makes it worse, not to mention the numerous bake sales. They also have pizza parties and other parties full of cakes and chips. It becomes hard as a parent to teach the kids that these things are bad for you because they spend so much time at school. I pack their lunch each morning so atleast they are not eating cafeteria junk food which is all pre-frozen carbs. My 12 year old was a bit overweight last year and has sense lost about 15 lbs. and is a much healthier weight. I asked him last night if he denim shorts from last summer still fit (thinking they may be too small as he is a growing boy). He said no, they were too big and he had to wear a belt to hold them on. Wow! My 8 year old is very thin and loves junk food. It's more of a struggle to get him to eat healthier. The neighbors are constantly offering him brownies and other junk when he's outside playing.

[KarenJ]

Since low-carbing, I've been slowly transitioning my two sons over to a healthier diet. The food that is served at public schools is horrid and then the snack and drink machines that they have access to only makes it worse, not to mention the numerous bake sales. They also have pizza parties and other parties full of cakes and chips. It becomes hard as a parent to teach the kids that these things are bad for you because they spend so much time at school. I pack their lunch each morning so atleast they are not eating cafeteria junk food which is all pre-frozen carbs. My 12 year old was a bit overweight last year and has sense lost about 15 lbs. and is a much healthier weight. I asked him last night if he denim shorts from last summer still fit (thinking they may be too small as he is a growing boy). He said no, they were too big and he had to wear a belt to hold them on. Wow! My 8 year old is very thin and loves junk food. It's more of a struggle to get him to eat healthier. The neighbors are constantly offering him brownies and other junk when he's outside playing.


This is a huge problem for us as well. You can control what they eat at home, but when they're out in the "real" world they discover that it is made of carbs. It is truly scary. The junk is everywhere. So not only are the kids victims of relentless marketing, they are also experiencing the peer pressure from other unsuspecting victims.
My 5yo came home from a play date yesterday, and told me the food was fantastic. When I asked him what he had to eat, he said "macaroni & cheese, carrots, applesauce, rice, and broccoli. Their food is so much better than ours!".

:(

[OregonRose]

Haslam said it was a "scandal" that the rate of children who are overweight or obese rises while at school.
And I say it's a scandal that I've become more overweight while at work! Why, I'll sue!

Wait a minute...no...I've got it: I've gotten fatter while married. I'll divorce!

Although, come to think of it, I've gained weight while breathing. I'll stop!

Dr. Haslam needs to go to the blackboard and write start writing, "I will not confuse correlation with causality. I will not confuse correlation with causality. I will not confuse..."

[Wifezilla]

Haslam called for legislation to force fast-food outlets and sweet shops to close at the end of the school day.

Yeah! Because we all know obesity is caused by a lack of laws! Oh..wait...errrr....

I do agree with him that schools do have some responsibility, but you will never get ANYONE to admit it is because they push carbs.

[tom sawyer]

Here our school lunches are required to have no more than 35% calories from fat. The head dietician for the system told me point blank that when she is close, she can always add Jello to make up needed calories without boosting fat. And they receive something like 60 cases of corn free from the USDA, so of course the kids have corn for a vegetable every other day.

The school district had to convene a nutrition advisory panel last year, I joined and there were a couple of others who advocated for low carb. Another woman (a pediatrician) was stuck on the "Mediterranean diet". But it is a losing battle because the fat limit is a state mandate. We even tried to get the regular soda removed from machines and they were very hesitant to do anything about that. And yes juice is about as high in sugar as soda.

I oscillate between wanting to get out and do education at the grass roots level, and just letting things go to He77 and taking care to educate my own family. The nutrition establishment is ever-so-slowly ratcheting towards LC, although they have done such a good job of villifying fat that I think it will take a few generations for that poor advice to go out of favor with the masses.

[southbel]

Yes, my daughter was gaining weight at an alarming weight and I couldn't figure out why. I thought, at first, it was a growth period, as kids are bound to go through. However, it never evened out even when she grew taller. So, I investigated the school lunch she was eating since we eat LC here at the house. She eats LC for breakfast and dinner with our family.

Let's just say I was SHOCKED! First, the amount of sugar in her lunch was astronomical. Since she has started middle school, it seems that they were happy to add more sugar right along with it. Oh the chocolate milk or juice option is one of my favorites. Veggies are either baked beans, corn, honeyed carrots, or peas and carrots. The entree is generally pizza, corn dogs, hamburgers, breaded chicken sandwich, chicken nuggets, or hot dogs. THEN, they HAVE to add another carb as well. This is usually french fries, mashed potatoes, or macaroni and cheese. Also, she gets a small dessert with this, such as ice cream, brownie, or applesauce. Of course, all of these are low fat, but HIGH sugar.

Besides the fact that this lunch is absolutely PACKED with sugar, it also is high calorie, as I found out. Her lunch amounted for about 1600 calories. Now, personally, I thought this was a bit high for an 11 year old. Yet, they talk about how healthy the school lunches are because they are low fat. Humph. Once I discovered this information, I promptly began packing her lunch, which my daughter actually likes better now anyway. She said it tastes better. AND she has started to slim down quite nicely.

I feel absolutely confident that her weight gain this year was due SOLELY to the school lunches since she is very active, eats LC at home, and since I changed her lunch to LC, she is now slimming down. It's amazing what impact even one meal can have on a child.

[LAwoman75]

southbel, that's interesting, I never realized how high calorie school lunches were. My kids (ages 8 and 12) will never eat in the school cafeteria again. Knowing what I know now, it's shocking that this crap food that is served to them is actually considered healthy. And then the country wonders why childhood obesity is at an all time high and growing fast.

[deirdra]

Not to mention that they are bouncing off the walls and then semi-comatose in class post sugar-feedings.

[ReginaW]

I just included this in my blog - it's from Dr. Jamie Bailes, a pediatrician in West Virginia (state with highest obesity levels I think):

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/02/21/5658.html

Obesity in the United States is increasing in epidemic proportions. This is true in children as well as adults. It's estimated that the healthcare costs associated with obesity and its related complications will exceed $130 billion this year.

If something is not done to stem this burgeoning tide of obesity, then the healthcare system that we know will soon crumble.

Why are we seeing this dramatic increase in childhood obesity?

It is certainly true that children are not as active as they were 30 or 40 years ago. Television, video games and computers can entertain kids 24 hours a day. Parents are often relying on technology to babysit their children and are not spending as much time outdoors with them exercising or just playing.

Is this the only reason for the surge in obesity? As a pediatrician who specializes in childhood obesity, I see many children who are very active but they are also massively overweight. What about these children? I believe many of these children are victims of what I like to call the "fat-free fallacy."

Scapegoating Fat Backfires

In 1977 the U.S. Department of Public Health issued a statement encouraging Americans to eat less fat. In 1988 the U.S. Surgeon General recommended that we restrict our consumption of dietary fat. The assumption was that as we eat less fat the thinner we would become. The multi-billion-dollar food industry was quick to jump on the bandwagon. The race was on to produce fat-free everything. If food didn't have fat then it was OK to eat as much as you wanted.
Americans consumed more fat-free foods in the 90's than the previous three decades combined. This fat-free philosophy is exactly why we are becoming so obese as a society. Obviously if fat were the problem, then obesity would have decreased during this time. Instead, obesity did not decrease but skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.

But fat is not bad for you. Being fat is. The two are not related! Fat actually helps to satisfy our appetites and keeps us from eating too much or too often. Fat is also an important flavoring for food.

I, too, was a victim of this fat-free fallacy. I had been taught (brainwashed) that in order to lose weight we must eat less fat. I was a huge proponent of cutting back fat intake and watching total calories. I recommended at least 30 to 45 minutes of vigorous exercise daily.

I knew that it was very hard to lose weight. I didn't push overweight children to lose weight, thinking that if they could just maintain their current weight as they grew that would be significant progress. I felt like I was doing a good job. I believed whole-heartedly that I was explaining to these children the correct way to lose weight.

An Eye-Opening Study

In the late 1990's, a first-year pediatric resident physician at Marshall University did a required research project in which he looked at about 100 children whom I had counseled about weight loss. The results were astonishing to me. Not only did these children not lose weight or even slow down their weight gain, most gained weight at the same rate and some even faster.
The results did not lie. All of this time and energy that I had been spending to help children lose weight had been a waste of time. It just didn't work. A low-fat diet only worked for about one out of every 25 patients. Was this the best we could do?

I was determined to succeed. I began to look at other ways to lose weight. A third-year medical student at the time asked me about using a high-protein, carbohydrate-restricted diet for weight loss. At the time I knew very little about approach. This was not something that was taught in medical school. I couldn't believe that this would be successful or that it could be good for you, so I was very skeptical. How could eating high-fat foods not be bad for you? This is what I learned in textbooks from professors in medical school.

However, I still could not ignore the facts. We had cut back our fat intake and yet we were becoming fatter as a nation.

Low Carbs Make a Case

I researched and relearned the physiology and biochemistry behind low-carb diets. As I began to take a closer look, my findings were not what I expected. It all came back to insulin. Insulin is what causes fat storage. Insulin is what drives weight gain. Insulin is what is secreted when we eat carbohydrates. Insulin is one of the most powerful and efficient substances that our body uses to control the use, distribution and storage of energy. Insulin is essential for life. Without insulin, we would quickly waste away and perish. Just ask the teenager with type I diabetes who has been hospitalized for diabetic ketoacidosis because of not taking his or her insulin.

Let's look at what happens after a meal that is high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are broken down into thousands of molecules of glucose that are quickly absorbed through our small intestines into our bloodstream. Our body has the ability to monitor this rapid rise in blood sugar and quickly secretes insulin to counterbalance this. This is true if we do not have diabetes. Our nervous system keeps our blood glucose levels very steady no matter what we eat. These values almost never get above 120 or less then 70mg/dl. This is true whether we eat a meal that consists of pure sugar, a meal loaded with complex carbohydrates, a meal consisting of only protein or fat, or when we have fasted for two or three days. Almost all of our cells use glucose for energy.

Our bodies are extremely efficient energy machines. Only a small part of what we eat is actually used or needed by the muscles or other cells for energy. If these energy-using cells do not need any extra energy what happens to the majority of the glucose that we ingest? Insulin converts a portion of that glucose to another starch, called glycogen. Glycogen is stored in the liver and can maintain our blood sugar levels in the normal range for several hours after a meal. This is why we do not have to eat continuously. Glycogen can quickly be converted to glucose whenever glucose is not readily available in the bloodstream.

Why Low-Fat Diets Don't Work

What about the rest of the glucose? Where does it go after a meal? Herein lies the answer to why most low-fat diets do not work. The extra glucose is converted to fat. Fat is our main storage area for energy. Let me say this again: insulin promotes the production and storage of fat. That's right, even without eating fat our body produces fat from sugar.

Insulin is an extremely efficient hormone. It is the master hormone of our metabolic system. Its most important function may be the control and maintenance of our blood sugar, but insulin performs a myriad of other activities. In the appropriate amount, insulin keeps the metabolic system running smoothly and everything in balance.

However, in great excess it becomes a dangerous hormone wreaking havoc through the body. Mountains of scientific evidence implicate insulin as the primary cause or significant risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease, arteriosclerosis and high cholesterol. It may also have a causative role in type 2 diabetes.

With type 2 diabetes our body needs extra insulin to help to maintain our blood sugar. The insulin that is available just does not work as well and we become resistant to its effects.
With type 1 diabetes we have a little different story. Our body can no longer make the insulin that we need therefore we have to take manufactured insulin to maintain our blood sugar. More carbs equals more insulin.

Teenage girls with diabetes know that insulin causes them to gain weight. Many recent studies have shown that in order to keep from gaining weight a very high percentage of teenagers with diabetes omit their insulin. We cannot continue to allow this to happen. This leads to uncontrolled diabetes and horrible long-term complications.

More Protein = Greater Insulin Control

So, how can we control our insulin requirements? The key to good blood sugar control, the key to weight loss and the key to lowering our insulin secretion is very simple. Eat fewer carbohydrates and eat more protein.

Protein keeps us from being hungry. A meal high in protein stays with us a lot longer than a meal high in carbohydrate content, which is quickly absorbed and does not satisfy our appetite as long. When we eat protein our body does not need as much insulin. Our blood sugar values are much steadier and we do not have the wide fluctuations that we see with high carbohydrate foods. This dietary approach works whether you have diabetes or not. It is perfect for anyone who is overweight or has type 2 diabetes. Type 1 people with diabetes can benefit by improved blood sugar values and lower insulin requirements.

I have seen hundreds of children actually lose weight with our plan. Eight and nine year old kids have lost 40 to 50 pounds. Obviously, the health benefits are tremendous, but the greatest improvement is what we see with self-esteem. Children's energy and blood pressure improve, and their lipid profiles universally improve. Before-and-after pictures of these successful children can be viewed on our website http://www.nomorefatkids.com/.

In general, the fewer carbohydrates we eat the better. However, we should get a minimum of 30 grams of carbohydrates per day. The standard approach of 60 to 75 grams of carbohydrates per meal and 30 grams per snack is way too much. If you do not want to restrict carbs to 30 grams per day, then somewhere between 60 to 100 grams per day will still allow for weight loss if it is combined with exercise.

Remember: Eat all the protein you desire. Do not worry about where the protein comes from or how it is prepared. People who eat more protein end up eating fewer total calories. Protein keeps us from being hungry and satisfies our appetite more than any other macronutrient. This is the key for successful weight loss. It is hard to lose weight if you are hungry all the time.

[tom sawyer]

They justify the high caloric content by pointing out that for some poor kids, this may be their biggest source of calories. Its hard to argue about that, but they do have a school breakfast program now so I would imagine they don't have to pack so much food into the lunch meal.

You can't really blame the schools, they are only following guidelines. And with limited funds, it is little wonder that they are serving a lot of starches.

Then you have the frequent celebrations that inevitably involve a bunch of junk food brought in by well-meaning parents. I think one of our big problems is that people have become accustomed to demonstrating love by offering sugary treats. I call this birthday cake syndrome, what was once a treat now extends to an almost daily routine.

[southbel]

Then you have the frequent celebrations that inevitably involve a bunch of junk food brought in by well-meaning parents. I think one of our big problems is that people have become accustomed to demonstrating love by offering sugary treats. I call this birthday cake syndrome, what was once a treat now extends to an almost daily routine.
They used to do this ALL the time when my daughter was in elementary school and you're right, it is an almost daily occurence. In fact, the teachers even started asking the parents to send in food for the kiddies. The good thing is that when my daughter started middle school, the middle school has a policy of absolutely no food in class.

For some reason, lots of adults think that kids need to eat 25 times a day and I don't know why they think this! But I guess if you are feeding them sugary snacks, you have to keep them on a constant "high". When my daughter was in elementary school, that was the teacher's justification. They needed snacks for the morning and afternoon!! I thought that was a bit excessive. Of course these "snacks" were always junk!

[cartersg1]

When I read the school lunch menu each month, I'm just nauseous. It's really awful. It IS all that breaded, high-carb stuff with a sugary dessert. Sugary snacks are a post-war (that's WWII, folks) invention - a concession to a modern lifestyle that, through advertisement, perpetuated what that lifestyle meant. Frozen foods, only truly popular after the war (same war still), became a mainstay in American households. "TV dinners" were meant to be eaten in front of the TV on TV trays - you didn't want to miss your favorite show. Back when TV was live, if you wanted to watch it, that's what you did. AND the television set has invaded the dining room, living room, bedrooms and even the bathroom!

Kids get gadgets instead of attention. I watch kids toddle along behind parents, playing PSPs or whatever. They don't even look up, just bounce off people like a pinball. They don't interact and we wonder why civilization has become less civil. We need bigger thrills, bigger highs, bigger and more "stuff". You're just not cool if you don't have it and in high school, the kiss of death is not be cool. So not only do we not interact with each other, we grab our meals through a window and consume in the isolation of our cars. How awful is that???

The worst thing you can buy is a video game system. AND let them have it in their room. Get up and get out. And check out what they are eating at school and you may want to pack their lunches. My daughter requested a salad for today but I have no more salad fixings (and I have strep throat AND the flu at the moment) but I told her I would make up a couple of them for next week when I'm out of town. She loves veggies and fruit. Sometimes, yes, she'll get a Little Debbie. I'm not such a food nazi to forbid all of it all the time. But I want her to make those better choices, too - choices that will allow her a better quality of life because she is healthier.

No video game or TV show trumps her encounter with pit toilets on the Al-Can or baby icebergs at Mendenhall Glacier last year. Nothing beats her sheer joy at meeting Cinderella on her 5th birthday last March! No "beige" food in my household and no "beige" experiences in life. If life was meant to be bland, then we wouldn't have colors and spices and beauty. Cheers!

[rightnow]

I've been feeding my kid low carb since around October -- though I've sucked at doing so well the last month, alas -- but sometimes I feel like I'm hitting a wall.

If I keep her carbs low, when she is away from school, she ends up low on energy eventually, rather like when we go low-carb and our body has not yet shifted to ketogenic.

But she's never going to shift there because she constantly eats carbs at school.

At school she can have the typical... breaded chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, canned corn, syrupy canned fruit salad, a bread roll, some kind of dessert, and a juice. And if she or any of her friends have money (she's in middle school now) they can buy one of those ice cream between two cookies things after.

I still don't really feel confident that I can pack her a lunch worth eating though. There is no microwave. There is no refrigerator. Personally I have a hard time really grokking a good list of what to feed myself in that instance, let alone a kid, who is already mortified at the idea of bringing a lunch because her friends don't and at age 11, if someone cool is not doing it, you cannot do it or you will just want to die, that is apparently the rule. I think it might be the health kick of the century to pay the parents of the cheerleaders and best looking kids to make them take a healthy lunch to school. Then it would be cool, LOL!

PJ

[Bandito]

I pack my son a lunch every day.

His lunches typically include a mix of the following:

Sandwich on LC or the sara lee 45 calorie 9gm (per sandwich)
Either lunch meat with cheese mayo and mustard, egg salad, tuna salad, or pb and SF jelly (smuckers) We also mix it up and have the sandwich in wrap form on a lc tortilla.

Two selections of the below:

Light and fit yogurt, no sugar added apple sauce, carrots and ranch dip, apple slices and peanut butter, baggie of pistachios/nuts/seeds, pickles, olives, sugar snap peas, little salad, or whatever else is left over in the fridge and healthier than what they are serving.

Water, or hood lc milk. Actually he gets milk every other day. He saves his water bottle and I put milk in it the next day.


The only trouble Irun into is the crappy free breakfast they serve EVERYONE. And the crappy free snack. He likes his lunches, but he does still want to eat what his friends are eating too. It is a struggle. At least I am not paying for the crappy food........