school snack question

carol/KR wrote:
This whole thread on healthy snacks for kids really makes me feel good
about what I've started at my school. I have a "Happy Feet, Healthy
Food Kids' Club". We meet after school. The club starts again in two
weeks. When I first started the club I thought I'd get 15 kids. But
over 100 signed up. I had to split it into two groups and have a
waiting list. You can see it he
http://www.kidsrunning.com/krpublish.html

Sounds like an awesome program! I would much rather my child
participate in something voluntary like that than to have a school
district (public, no less) dictate to me the kinds of things my child
is "allowed" to bring to school.

-L.

enigma wrote:
[snip]
The very bottom thing in the ingredient list was sucralose
and some other artificial sweetener.
I'm NOT Worried about that...I'd rather have her have 5
calories worth of water with a tiny bit of artificial
sweetner and a splash of juice than 8oz of juice with like
140 calories.


because kids really need to watch those calories...

sorry, i'm not a juice fan either (especially apple juice),
but i'm one of those genetic types that gets a really horrible
aftertaste from artificial sweeteners, even the ones that
swear they taste 'just like sugar' (sucralose). it most
certainly does not! it's vile. i also don't think kids need
much of anything artificial in thier diets. artificial
colorings, flavorings & now sweeteners are just not healthy.
[snip]

I'm with Lee, I can taste artificial sweeterner in drinks, and
they taste vile.

It seems that many people's definition of "healthy foods" is one where
certain naturally occuring substances are taken out and manufactured
non-nutritional chemicals are added in.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three

"user" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 10 Sep 2006 01:29:11 GMT, Jeff wrote:

"user" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 09 Sep 2006 14:51:45 GMT, Tracey wrote:

"L." wrote in message
ps.com...
Why the hell is the school dictating what your kid brings to school to
eat, anyway? Is this a private school? I *somewhat* understand "no
peanuts" (although I don't support it) for safety reasons, but this
sounds utterly ridiculous.

Public school, and while I think that trying to teach healthy habits
and
nutrition is a good thing, I agree that they should not be dictating
what
the kids bring to school to eat. It is just plain crazy.


We've just started running into this with DS, who started Kindergarten
last week.

The "approved list" for NYS schools is at
http://www.nyschoolnutrition.org .

Who "approved" it? Apparently, a trade group for school cafeteria
managers.
It is not approved by the biggest school district in New York State (NYC
DOE) or apparently any of the other districts.


Upon further investigation, it looks like you're correct - it's
essentially
a marketing group.

One which our school district has chosen as the arbitrator of what
constitutes
"healthy snacks" for our schools.

- Rich


You might ask whoever is in charge of the program who determined that this
should be the list and how?

Even their guidelines for the number of grams allowed seemed higher than
ideal, at least for health. Might be necessary for marketing.

Jeff


--
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum
immane mittam.

"toypup" wrote in message
t...

"StephanieTheGoofy" wrote in message
newstGMg.84$SQ1.21@trndny09...

So re-enter the school. Jonny has oreo cookies. Jack has a banana. Jack
wants an oreo. A discussion about sharing oreas ensues. Does the teacher
allow the sharing of oreos? Does the teacher, starting in K and preK,
want
to fight with the kids about why Jonny gets to have oreos and Jack has
to
have bananas?

Some schools have a no sharing policy, which takes care of that problem.


I would prefer that. And it seems a whole lot easier to administer.


The kids would have to ask their mom for the unhealthy food and she can
explain why Jonny gets Oreos. We don't have a no share policy that I'm
aware of at DS's school, but there is a no share policy at DD's school.

"L." wrote in message
oups.com...

Tracey wrote:
Okay, my DD school is trying to enforce 'healthy snacks'. Nevermind my
feelings about the school trying to enforce what I should be feeding my
child, but I have a question about what you all think. They have this
program they call 'snack attack' Every couple of days, during
snacktime,
the teacher tells them that it is a snack attack day, and checks
everyones
snack. If 100% of the class has healthy snacks as opposed to non
healthy
snacks, the class gets a star. The classes with the most stars at the
end
of the month or whatever get a special treat (actually, its an extra gym
class, I think).

We have been told to send 'a health snack, no junk food' for snacktime.
Fine, I'm all for that, but ultimately *I* should be deciding what food
to
give my kid, not some teacher. Today I sent my daughter to school with
carrots, ranch dressing, and a drink: Minute Maid Fruit Falls flavored
water in a bag (like Capri Suns come in). It is 3% juice, 97% water.
There
is *NO SUGAR ADDED*, no corn syrup, nothing like that. Water and a
splash
of juice. My daughter likes to drink these (I don't like them, but hey,
I'd
rather drink plain water).

She came home from school today telling me that she was thirsty all
morning
because her teacher wouldn't let her drink her flavored water during
snack
time. Why not? Because it isn't "100% juice".

Huh? Its got no sugar. If she brought in a cup of water with a slice
of
lemon in it, the teacher wouldn't complain about that, but this is the
same
thing. In my mind, its better for the kid to be drinking water with a
splash of juice (2 carb grams per serving, sugars less than 1g per
serving,
and 5 calories) than a serving of 100% juice with a lot more grams of
sugar
and calories.

The nutritional label on this product says this for ingredients:
"Contains
pure filtered water, grape and pear juices from concentrate, less than
0.5%
of: raspberry, blueberrry, and strawberry juices from concentrate,
calcium
citrate (calcium source), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), natural flavors,
citrus
acid (provides tartness), sucralose, acesfulfame potassium."

Am I misinterpreting something, or is the teacher nuts?

BTW, according to the teacher, Goldfish count as a 'healthy snack'
(okay,
they are better than other choices, but if you don't consider WATER with
fruit juice flavoring as healthy, how are goldfish healthy?)

Opinions??????

I'd tell the teacher to mind her own ****ing business and if she ever
kept my daughter from consuming food *I* sent with her, ever again, I'd
sue her sorry ass as far as I could. I'd also tell her where to shove
her ****ing stars.

Since you asked....

-L.



LOL. Tell us how you really feel! But in all seriousness, do you really feel
that that is an actual response that you would make? I certainly understand
your point, and wonder if this is anb expression of your feelings but not
your likely actions. My fear would be that you would not be doing your child
any favors by becoming the verbally abusive wacky lady around town.

"enigma" wrote in message
. ..
"carol/KR" wrote in
oups.com:

I praise good choices which would include of
course the drink you sent in which as you know is better
for your child than 100% juice (lots of sugar).

how are artificial sweeteners better for children than sugar?

I encourage families to have "treat
policies", (got this idea from a Weight Watcher book),
where kids do have a treat (like ice cream, cookies) but
maybe once or twice a day at home or on certain occasions
or certain portions.

sweets once a day, maybe, but certainly not twice &
certainly not both unless it's a special occaision like a
bithday party.


Treats; cookies, ice cream, chips are NOT a daily occurance around here.
More like monthly.

lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

From what I could tell it had you buying the light/low fat versions off all
of these. I see nothing wrong with Gold Fish or with Pretzels or cereal
bars.

Tori
Cheetos are a healthy snack??!!??

The only thing that bugs me about all this is the public service type
announcements in comercials on Nick. and Cartoon Network... Somewhere in the
last 3-4 Months Bonnie has decided eating makes you Fat.. She is a tiny
little thing. Not in anyones definition of overweight even in a growth
spurt. I have to show her pictures of people that eat daily and are nice
and thin before she will eat.. SHE IS 4!!!

Tori
Yes... and maybe no? That is a real question for me. I apologize for the
thread drift. But it is on my mind, and this brought it forwrd.

I am starting to see the other side, as it were, with the daycare. Of the
familes I serve, most are in complete parenting avoidance mode. (Ok I
shoudl
probably stop with the editorials that cloud my point.) Despite having
meals
served here, including breakfast, if they can coax their kids into the car
with treats first thing in the am, they do. I have had kids show up with
lollipops as the first thing to enter their body in the am. Chocolate
drink
in a box (not even chocolate milk, chocolate drink.) Candy. Oreo cookies.

I serve healthy things here. Certainly not sticks and twigs, but healthy.
The parents regularly comment about how do I *get* the kids to eat. I had
one little girl who, at home had a diet of teddy grahams, store brand mac
n
cheese, and hot dogs. That is all she would eat. Strangely when she was
over
my house, she could find enough good food to eat without starving or even
being the slightest bit unhappy.

So re-enter the school. Jonny has oreo cookies. Jack has a banana. Jack
wants an oreo. A discussion about sharing oreas ensues. Does the teacher
allow the sharing of oreos? Does the teacher, starting in K and preK, want
to fight with the kids about why Jonny gets to have oreos and Jack has to
have bananas? And, since obesity is a humongous problem in the USA,
wouldn't
you feel like a bit of a fool teaching letters when the basics are so
ignored? And it seems to me that *some* parents want others to do this
stuff
for them so that they don't have to.

I remember health education in school when I was a kid. It was dental
care,
or learning about the food groups. I doubt very much my parents were ever
ytold what kind of food to send for me. But I can see how it would stretch
to this.

Sorry if this is rambly. Tiring day.

On Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:58:10 -0500, "Tori M"
wrote:

The only thing that bugs me about all this is the public service type
announcements in comercials on Nick. and Cartoon Network... Somewhere in the
last 3-4 Months Bonnie has decided eating makes you Fat.. She is a tiny
little thing. Not in anyones definition of overweight even in a growth
spurt. I have to show her pictures of people that eat daily and are nice
and thin before she will eat.. SHE IS 4!!!

Ack. I get the same from E sometimes. She's 3rd %ile for weight.
She tells me she worries about getting fat! She has not gotten the
idea from me, I can tell you that.

Nan

"user" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 10 Sep 2006 01:29:11 GMT, Jeff wrote:
One which our school district has chosen as the arbitrator of what
constitutes
"healthy snacks" for our schools.\

A marketing group should not be deciding what snacks our children should
eat. Then again, neither should the schools. This is something that should
be up to the PARENTS.