Especially after the New Year, it seems like there is a stir of new diet fads, pills, and ways to lose weight- the “easy” way. But it seems that the more these items are pushed on the market, the more we Americans forget that the two easiest, cheapest ways to lose weight. Exercise and consuming less trans fat may be harder than taking a diet pill four times a day but looking fit and being fit are two totally different things. The Virginia senate has figured this out and implemented a system for public schools in the state. Although there is no stated dead line for schools but lawmakers would follow the bill to weed out as many artery-clogging trans fats in the cafeteria.

Senator John Edwards, who backed the bill said, “So much of the food children eat is from the school system, so the system ought to be providing nutritious and trans fat-free food.”

Edwards has a great point. The average student is in school for seven hours a day, guaranteeing that at least one meal will be consumed at school. We’ve all gone to the cafeteria in high school and instead of choosing the smart meal of salad and water we went for the greasy pizza and cookie mainly because it looked better than something healthy. But then you go to class, lethargic, and find it hard to pay attention. These foods aren’t just bad for the body but also for the mind.

According to the article, trans fats are concerning to the nutrition experts because “they contribute to artery problems and heart disease. Overweight children are developing signs of heart disease and diabetes at earlier ages, experts say. Trans fats, which can negatively affect cholesterol levels, are often found in margarine and many vegetable shortenings, cookies, chips and fried foods.”

We’re literally killing our children by allowing them to eat this food. We all know that childhood obesity rates have risen and I believe that this has become such a terrifying issue that many states have begun to take action on the problem. It’s not only school systems that are trying to limit trans fats but also several restaurants. But where to set the limit, because surely you cannot eliminate all trans fats from food, and I don’t think you necessarily need to. For example, if there is a choice of a school hamburger or lightly-breaded turkey strips, the strips would be a smarter decision. Most set the rate at in a given week, not more than 10% calories should be of trans fats.

Register dietitian and director of food and nutrition services for the Fairfax County, VA public schools, Penny McConnell, isn’t just eliminating food from the menu and leaving the students with just a few measly choices. She searches for healthier alternatives for those foods, like baked lays instead of the regular.

“It’s the right thing to do,” McConnell said. She hoped the measure would expand to cover other providers, such as hospitals or colleges, “but this is a good starting point.”

Like I’ve stressed in the last two posts, the more that people start to solve this problem, the more it will catch on. Some students may be upset now that Doritos, cookies, and that empty calorie snack of fries are being replaced- but later will be thankful that they aren’t suffering from a heart condition.

“Va. Senate Backs Phaseout of Trans Fats in School Food”
By Sandhya Somashekhar and Annie Gowen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 30, 2008; Page B01 Viewed: 1/30/08

First, I would like to address the feeds that I had forgot to talk about in my first post. In my google reader, BBC news, NPR, NYT, and google news all send me subscriptions to “nutrition in schools” or some thing along those lines- that being my topic of choice. So far, I have found it extremely beneficial for this project, if nothing else, I feel like for once I know a little something that is going on in the world, even if the topic isn’t so “serious” like that of war or politics. There are a few other sites that I want to add along with some blogs that I think may be useful, which I’m planning on doing soon.

So getting back to the topic at hand, I read an article today about Senator Boone from West Virginia and his fight against an unhealthy school snacking system. Boone makes many of the same claims that I talked about in my first post but goes a little further with vending machines.

According to the Register-Herald Boone said, “I think they’re going to buy whatever is in the vending machines and the school system then is not going to get harmed too much financially.”

I concur on Boone’s thinking. Schools stress so much about losing that extra, useful money they attain from keeping vending machines, but the truth is that if a student is hungry enough to spend the little spare change they have clinking around in their pocket, it’s most likely that they will buy whatever is available. Which it’d be great if their only option was good for them, Boone stated that things like high fiber snacks, low fat foods and 100 percent fruit juices would be terrific alternatives to pop and chips. So what brought this to his and other West Virginians attention? Their dental heath which is near the bottom in quality. Which most dentists will tell you, having bad oral health should be a sign that smacks you in the head telling you that other health problems are to come.

Later Boone said, “We have to look out for the kids’ health rather than a few dollars.”

Even though the article ended more with a look at oral health than physical, it is all connected. A teen with bad health will develop strong self-esteem issues that have a pretty good chance of carrying on throughout the rest of their life. Being overweight, bad teeth, and other problems will only make it harder to find a job, relationship, and happiness. I know it sounds a little shallow but putting that aside, thats the way that America functions. I wish that it wasn’t but on the bright side, being healthy is better than nothing. It’s refreshing to see Boone take a real concern into these students. If one state changes that others will surely follow, hopefully soon enough so that the majority of students have a chance at change.

Boone senator declares war on sugary school snacks in W.Va.

Published: January 20, 2008 11:23 pm by The Register-Herald

By: Mannix Porterfield

http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_020232336.html

After taking a while to examine and carefully choose a fabulous topic, I believe I will work on nutrition in schools. I have always felt that being healthy is more than just working out, it includes your daily diet. I have heard of different studies of how different “healthier” foods impact the way you feel, your stamina, thinking process, and how you look. It seems that now a days there is all this pressure of looking thin or being in shape, so teens will starve themselves or skip out on meals when in all reality, eating three well rounded meals a day is much better for you then skipping out. Most high schools have the worst food they could supply to students. I understand how it could be beneficial for schools to make a deal with Coke or Pepsi to get some extra fundage but is this at the expense of the students? Certainly a vending machine with granola bars and “baked lays” would be a better choice than one with snickers and mini donuts. I want to look at how better nutrition in schools will positively affect students along with taking a look at how bad nutrition is hindering how students preform in school and if there is a long lasting detrimental effect. There has been a lot of talk of how kids are becoming obese at such a young age- and high school is hard enough without having to be teased about the way you look. I believe that many valuable things will come if schools simply switch to healthier food.