Students mocking Michelle Obama lunch mandate

[Sbane]

Wait a second now, how many schools are banning kids from bringing their own lunch? And what if you don't qualify for free meals, are you still banned from bringing your own lunch? I am going to have to assume this is just a bunch of crap unless I see some proof this is being forced on schools nationwide, as opposed to some random school district doing it.

Of course the calorie limit is nationwide, and perfectly rational. Sure, an exception for athletes can be made but the rest of the kids should not be eating more than 800 calories for lunch! I don't get how this is controversial. If they still feel hungry after 800 calories, they need help! I'm serious here. One of the first signs of type 2 diabetes is polyphagia. They should go see a doctor rather than eat more food.

While you guys are so epically concerned about entering a 1984 like state, America is going through an actual crisis rather than an imagined one. That crisis is childhood obesity. Do you understand what will happen to those kids if they develop hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol while in high school? Do you guys understand the consequences of that on the nation?

[Sbane]

Wait... telling kids they should eat healthy... and they object to it?!?!

Wait, I need to alert the authorities.... just wait right there...

Typical right-wing paranoia... 'omg, suggesting that kids shouldn't eat lard coated lard is an attack on our freedoms to give our kids heart disease and obesity!!!'... Besides, the rules would be applied by local school boards... you want to make a pathetic display... go harass them.

Only in America would adults support kids acting like...well, kids, rather than telling them to tough it out and eat their veggies. Probably a bunch of fat fukcs themselves.

[Sbane]

I have no sympathy for the fatties.  They should amend the rules to allow multiple servings for athletes, however, which seem to be a lot of the complaints.

Kids who walk to school also deserve an exemption.

Serious question - by dismissing the personal freedoms-based concerns as frivolous and politically-motivated - and ignoring the issue - are we overlooking a legitimate concern about child hunger?

If the child is getting most of their nutrition from that one meal, then yes it is a concern. Otherwise 850 calories are way more than enough if you are leading the lifestyle that the vast majority of kids are. Childhood obesity is a much, much bigger problem in America than childhood hunger. I won't minimize the latter problem but let's keep things in perspective.

[Sbane]

Don't they get food stamps though?

[Sbane]

The first part of your post amuses me. So you want an excess of salt and saturated fats on your food? That's the problem dude! I can't vouch for the quality of the ingrediets (probably the same sh**tty quality as ever) but baking French fries is the right move. And you said they were chewy...that means its full of fiber, something else Americans don't eat enough of. Eating healthy food is never going to be an enjoyable experience. Our brains just aren't wired that way. We want quick calories, fats, refined sugars etc because that would help us survive in the wild. We don't live in the wild anymore, we live in a society of excess.

I completely agree about the comparison with tobacco. But still selling unhealthy food in the cafeteria while telling kids to eat healthy is akin to stocking vending machines with cigarettes on campus while giving DARE speeches on how bad cigarettes are.

[Sbane]

The first part of your post amuses me. So you want an excess of salt and saturated fats on your food? That's the problem dude! I can't vouch for the quality of the ingrediets (probably the same sh**tty quality as ever) but baking French fries is the right move. And you said they were chewy...that means its full of fiber, something else Americans don't eat enough of. Eating healthy food is never going to be an enjoyable experience. Our brains just aren't wired that way. We want quick calories, fats, refined sugars etc because that would help us survive in the wild. We don't live in the wild anymore, we live in a society of excess.

You have yet to make a case for why this should be a collective standard and not something that you can practice individually. Besides this, you are again missing the point - do you believe it's better for kids to eat nothing because they can't stomach the healthy options at school than to have less healthy options that they would enjoy eating?

Furthermore, you sunk your own argument here.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You are advocating that people fight what their body craves naturally in order for them to be more aesthetically pleasing or cheaper on the Medicare/ER bill. You don't care what makes people, individuals happy, you seem to believe it is a secondary concern so long as our nation has a respectable mean BMI. That is fascism, plain and simple.

Even taking money out of the equation, I would still support this wholeheartedly. We do need to eat better as a nation and exercise more. It is hard to do but must be encouraged at all steps of the way. I wouldn't force anyone though. I think your school is wrong in not letting people go outside for lunch. It it is right in having a healthy menu. Life requires sacrifice, hopefully something you kids will learn soon.

[Sbane]

I just read the rest of the thread (I was really busy this morning) and the point raised about portion sizes is an excellent one. Not only do we new to stop eating crappy food, we really need to stop eating so much of it. And speaking of restaurants, putting a crap ton of salt in everything is the new thing to do. It gets people hypertensive rather than fat, so they don't care, and the food still tastes good to our brain wired for a life in the wild.

[Sbane]

Eat whatever you want. I'll dispense your lisinopril, metformin and simvastatin when you need it.

[Sbane]

I just read the rest of the thread (I was really busy this morning) and the point raised about portion sizes is an excellent one. Not only do we new to stop eating crappy food, we really need to stop eating so much of it. And speaking of restaurants, putting a crap ton of salt in everything is the new thing to do. It gets people hypertensive rather than fat, so they don't care, and the food still tastes good to our brain wired for a life in the wild.

See, I think that's part of the problem. This drive to stop people from eating "crappy food". When it's not really the healthiness of the food that's the main problem. All this guiltfest that tries to get people to eat food that they don't actually want to eat just causes people to tune the whole thing out.

Also, I never found American food to be that heavy in salt. Even with the extra salt they throw into things. Just because Americans don't seem to be very heavy on pickled/fermented foods and other delicious sources of sodium.

Ugh, I guess I should elaborate. I'm not saying that a steak is crappy food, I'm talking about wisconsin style buttery hamburgers and fries doused with salt. And even then if you make it at home, it's likely to be more healthy than if you buy it at a restaurant. I don't blame the restaurants, they are just trying to get more business. It just pisses me off more because of my personal situation I suppose. I just don't have time to cook at home and there are basically no healthy options out there. Everything either has too little fiber, too much fat or too much salt. Your best option is just to pick something that does not complete the trifecta.

So kids complaining because they have healthy options just strikes me as being silly and well...childish.