School breakfast

What are we feeding our kids?

AG Articles, Featured, Obesity Leave a Comment

School breakfast

This is an example of the low-nutrition, easy-way-out food your kids are being served in schools.

I don’t know about the lunches that are served in the schools from where you’re located, but the ones I know up close and personal here in my area are eye opening, to say the least.  Do I wish the food was like what I was served way back when, when our grandmothers and their friends led the kitchens?  You bet I do!  What about the amazing smells of fresh baked rolls, or watching with mouth watering anticipation as one of the ladies spooned honest-to-goodness homemade lasagna onto a plate?  Don’t even get me started on the butter cookies or other famous foods that made us WANT to eat in the cafeteria every, single day of school.  The food was, well…REAL FOOD!

What in the wild, wild world of food are we feeding our kids?

School food

It can be much better, with a little bit of effort.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves for some of the foods we try and pass off on our kids.  To scramble an egg takes one to two minutes.  To heat a ready made breakfast sandwich can take upwards of three minutes, depending on the brand.  And, it’s wrapped in plastic!  Washing and pulling fresh, red seedless grapes for a serving for your kindergartner takes about the same amount of time as it does to open a prepackaged cup of fruit floating in high fructose corn syrup.  A sweetener — I might add — that is made from corn starch!  What in the wild, wild world of food are we feeding our kids?  Because of our need for everything to be instant, we have fallen short when it comes to teaching our kids the importance of eating Godsource Foods™.  Just “grab something and go,” is today’s motto.  I get it, but there are some areas of our past that need to be continued in today’s fast-paced lifestyle.  Making sure our kids have REAL food choices placed before them should be one of those areas.


Since food is my passion, I am naturally interested in what is being offered in today’s cafeteria.  I have been in amazing kitchens that any chef would fight to cook in that are not utilized in anyway except to heat and serve.  Beautiful ovens, grills, and flat-tops that are top notch go unused because “it’s just easier. The kids don’t care!”  What?  I was actually told that by an area kitchen manager not too long ago.  Well…I dare to differ.  Kids enjoy the break of lunch during the day and want something that they can get excited about.  For some, the daily school lunch might just be the only “home cooked” meal they receive!  Why not put a tad more effort into it to make it special?  Obesity in the United States, especially childhood obesity, is at an all time high.  According to www.heart.org, “the prevalence of obesity in children more than tripled from 1971 to 2011.  Childhood obesity is today’s No.1 health concern among parents in the United States.”  High blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, are just a few of the health problems that we are seeing in our kids!  These were mostly considered adult problems years ago.  Today though, it is something that sadly, our pediatricians must check for on a daily basis.

Solutions are Not Difficult

So what to do?  For starters, we can set our kids palate from day one with healthy foods.  Believe it or not, our palates are NOT suppose to be set to sweet!  The reason we can taste sour, bland, spicy, and so on is because our palate was suppose to taste different types of food.  Unfortunately, we have become complacent and just throw our hands in the air when “Johnny wants a candy bar over an apple.”  It takes just a tad more effort to slice an apple or peel an orange or pour a glass of milk instead of popping open a soda.  Just a few, mindful decisions can make a huge difference in our kids food knowledge that I promise, will carry them into adulthood.

Healthy Breakfast

A simple, healthy breakfast with the right balance can be a great way for your kids to start the day.

I applaud the outstanding kitchens in some of the schools I’ve visited and am impressed with the choices they offer.  It IS possible because they operate everyday and the kids seem to really enjoy the food.  Don’t be afraid to voice a concern if your school is falling short in the “real food” department.  Remember your days as a kid and your excitement when it was time to go to lunch?  Try bringing just a little of that back to the table for today’s kids.  Goodness knows we turn around and blink and they are driving a car!  Why not take the time to slow down just a bit and make a bigger effort to help our kids grow with the Godsource Foods™ that were created for our enjoyment and health!


Until next time~Enjoy!

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