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Are School Lunches a National Security Threat?

Catz Part Deux

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Are school lunches a national security threat? - Yahoo! News

A new report being released Tuesday says more than 9 million young adults, or 27 percent of all Americans ages 17 to 24, are too overweight to join the military. Now, the officers are advocating for passage of a wide-ranging nutrition bill that aims to make the nation's school lunches healthier.

The officers' group, Mission: Readiness, was appearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday with Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The military group acknowledges that other things keep young adults out of the armed services, such as a criminal record or the lack of a high school diploma. But weight problems that have worsened over the past 15 years are now the leading medical reason that recruits are rejected.

I have to agree with this one. School lunches used to be home-cooked and worth eating. Now, they are disgusting and full of fat in most places that use heavily processed food.
 
Making healthy, decent tasting, affordable school lunches is really not an impossible task. However, the schools and cafeteria companies are more interested in gouging a captive audience than giving kids good food. For example, the dining commons at UC Merced imports produce from Mexico and sells it at inflated prices, despite having the same produce with higher quality and lower costs literally within walking distance.
 
It's probably due to cost. You can have a donut for much cheaper than a salad. Why go to the grocery store, deal with the hassle, and buy all that food to take home and spend time to cook when you can peruse the dollar menu at the nearest fast-food joint.

I know I personally don't eat healthy because it's too damn expensive. Beef and pork are dirt cheap, but chicken and fish are expensive (although chicken has come down a lot). Why buy a head of lettuce for 2 bucks or tomatoes for 1.79 a pound when you can get a package of Little Debbie snack cakes for the same amount?

Make fresh, healthy, vitamin-packed foods cheaper and more available and you'll see a slimmer populace.
 
It's probably due to cost. You can have a donut for much cheaper than a salad. Why go to the grocery store, deal with the hassle, and buy all that food to take home and spend time to cook when you can peruse the dollar menu at the nearest fast-food joint.

I know I personally don't eat healthy because it's too damn expensive. Beef and pork are dirt cheap, but chicken and fish are expensive (although chicken has come down a lot). Why buy a head of lettuce for 2 bucks or tomatoes for 1.79 a pound when you can get a package of Little Debbie snack cakes for the same amount?

Make fresh, healthy, vitamin-packed foods cheaper and more available and you'll see a slimmer populace.
Sounds great. Why don't you go for it. You could help your country become healthier and make a mint for yourself at the same time. ;)

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I don't think school lunches are solely to blame. I would say the majority of it has to do with a sedentary lifestyle among kids along with eating unhealthily at home. Portion size also contributes to it, kids seem to be eating more and moving less. Having healthy or low calorie school lunches won't solve the obesity crisis.
 
TOJ said:
Sounds great. Why don't you go for it. You could help your country become healthier and make a mint for yourself at the same time.

Would if I could. Just give me a shotgun and every politician who supports agricultural subsidies insofar as paying farmers not to grow on their farms, and I'll get you a dollar-twenty-five salad. I'll even make my secret dressing. It's great. You'll love it.
 
Are school lunches a national security threat? - Yahoo! News



I have to agree with this one. School lunches used to be home-cooked and worth eating. Now, they are disgusting and full of fat in most places that use heavily processed food.

When was that? I grew up in the 1960s and they were always highly processed garbage.

I do agree that school lunches need to be improved. Also, school need to start adding mandatory, daily phys ed back into the curriculum. And, parents need to stop being so overprotective and fearful that they don't let their kids outside.
 
Are school lunches a national security threat? - Yahoo! News



I have to agree with this one. School lunches used to be home-cooked and worth eating. Now, they are disgusting and full of fat in most places that use heavily processed food.

I agree. The choices in my step-daughter's school are horrible. There were 32 items of questionable/junk food status and TWO healthy items.

With my kids, I'll start making their lunches while they're young. Then they won't know enough to complain. :mrgreen:
 
With my kids, I'll start making their lunches while they're young. Then they won't know enough to complain.

Cool kids buy their lunch.
 
Would if I could. Just give me a shotgun and every politician who supports agricultural subsidies insofar as paying farmers not to grow on their farms, and I'll get you a dollar-twenty-five salad. I'll even make my secret dressing. It's great. You'll love it.
Really? What is the subsidy on lettuce and carrots?

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Unfortunately nothing. Hence the problem.
If there are no subsidies for not growing lettuce and carrots, how are subsidies causing a problem with their pricing? Gipper (I think) said he wanted to shoot all the politicians that supported subsidies for not planting. :confused:

.
 
Why did you not listen to Jamie Oliver?
 
It's probably due to cost. You can have a donut for much cheaper than a salad. Why go to the grocery store, deal with the hassle, and buy all that food to take home and spend time to cook when you can peruse the dollar menu at the nearest fast-food joint.

I know I personally don't eat healthy because it's too damn expensive. Beef and pork are dirt cheap, but chicken and fish are expensive (although chicken has come down a lot). Why buy a head of lettuce for 2 bucks or tomatoes for 1.79 a pound when you can get a package of Little Debbie snack cakes for the same amount?

Make fresh, healthy, vitamin-packed foods cheaper and more available and you'll see a slimmer populace.

That is simply false. A burger without absurd amounts of phosphates is no cheaper than regular ground beef. The large amounts of salt and grease in fast food is about taste not cost. Replacing some portion of meat with beans as a source of protein is quite a bit cheaper. Fresh vegetable are slightly more expensive, but canned ones are just as healthy and plenty cheap. Unhealthy eating is a choice, not a budgetary constraint. I ate healthier on a low income because I couldn't afford meat and cheese.
 
That is simply false. A burger without absurd amounts of phosphates is no cheaper than regular ground beef. The large amounts of salt and grease in fast food is about taste not cost. Replacing some portion of meat with beans as a source of protein is quite a bit cheaper. Fresh vegetable are slightly more expensive, but canned ones are just as healthy and plenty cheap. Unhealthy eating is a choice, not a budgetary constraint. I ate healthier on a low income because I couldn't afford meat and cheese.

When I went to High School in Nova Scotia Canada, half way through my grade 11 the school went the "Healthy Lunch" Route. What ended up happening was they bought the "Healthiest" yet cheapest "Healthiest" crap they could buy. I have to admit, it was probably better for us then the last stuff they had, But it was more expensive and it tasted like the devils ass.

I can't speak to how that may change with future programs if it happens, but that was my experience.
 
If there are no subsidies for not growing lettuce and carrots, how are subsidies causing a problem with their pricing? Gipper (I think) said he wanted to shoot all the politicians that supported subsidies for not planting. :confused:

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There are a lot of subsidies. For the type of food that gets turned into garbage. Corn, wheat and soybeans. There's a couple more grains, but those are the big ones.
 
That is simply false. A burger without absurd amounts of phosphates is no cheaper than regular ground beef. The large amounts of salt and grease in fast food is about taste not cost. Replacing some portion of meat with beans as a source of protein is quite a bit cheaper. Fresh vegetable are slightly more expensive, but canned ones are just as healthy and plenty cheap. Unhealthy eating is a choice, not a budgetary constraint. I ate healthier on a low income because I couldn't afford meat and cheese.

:shock: Canned veggies are NOT as healthy as fresh. Yuck.
 
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