SCHOOL LUNCHES ARE GROSS

Dear Jellybean,

i want to get in better shape and eat better, but at school they don't really serve food that I like that's also good for you. I don't like salad dressing, and I've tried plain salad. EWWW! Never doing that again. Anyway, you are supposed to get protein but all the meat is really gross. We are not allowed to bring our own lunches to school either. I try to do the best I can, but I don't have any options. What can I do?
-Bad School Lunches

Dear Bad School Lunches,

It's time for a revolution! I'm sort of joking, but only sort of. Your school caff serves unhealthy/unappetizing food, and you're not allowed to bring your own (healthy/appetizing) lunches? That's a recipe for unhappy, unhealthy kids!

Menus in most North American school lunch programs are too high in saturated fat and cholesterol and too low in fiber, nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Major changes are needed if we're going to reverse the growing trends of obesity, early-onset diabetes, and hypertension, among other chronic diseases, in children and teens.

Something needs to change at your school, and fast. Adults go on about how obesity and eating disorders are an epidemic in North America, but it is adults who are totally at fault in this situation, by creating school environments such as the one you describe. They should really be ashamed of themselves.

So, I encourage you to make a big stink about this at your school! Create a presentation on healthy alternatives for the lunchroom in class. You might want to talk about the awesome overhaul of the English school cafeteria system, spearheaded by hot young chef Jamie Oliver - get info on that at this webpage. A similar project was recently started in Idaho, which you can read about here.

Be an advocate for healthier food in schools, starting with your own! Educate your friends, teachers and parents about this issue, and why it's a problem that deserves serious attention. You can download great info sheets, presentations and brochures on this subject from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

Write to Congress and demand that the government improve school nutrition programs! You can do this in a snap, by filling in the form at the Take Action website.

I hope that I have inspired you to take action yourself, on something that affects not only you, but every kid at your school, and maybe even your district and state. You could just be the "agent of change" that gets something amazing started. Good luck - and please write to me and let me know what happens.