Whole Kids Project

Reinventing the School Lunch

Via Ted.com:

Ann Cooper has a frontline view of the daily battle to keep kids healthy -- and of the enemy, the processed-foods industries that, it sometimes seems, want to wrap every single thing that children eat in a fried coating and then a plastic bag. As the director of nutrition services for the Berkeley (California) Unified School District, she's an outspoken activist for serving fresh, sustainable food to kids. Her lively website, LunchLessons.org, rounds up recipes, links, and resources for food activism.

Cooper's influential program in Berkeley involves kids in every stage of the food they eat, from growing to disposing of it. And along the way, eating some delicious cafeteria lunches.

She's the author of several books, including Bitter Harvest, an examination of the food chain, and her latest, Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children.

FTC Falls Short in Protecting Kids From Junk Food Marketers

Michele Simon has a thoughtful post on the FTC and junk food marketers over at the Daily Kos:

Most importantly, the FTC should be calling on the food industry to stop marketing to children, period. If a child under the age of 8 does not have the cognitive capacity to understand that she is being targeted commercially, then how can any marketing to young children be ethical? Even older kids, while they can understand "persuasive intent," are still unable to resist the power of marketing. It's entirely possible that the FTC recommendations, if followed, could result in more, not less food marketing to kids. The agency is essentially encouraging the nation's most aggressive food marketers to keep it up, as long as it's for the "right" foods, however that gets defined.

Kids should not be taught to eat carrots and oranges because SpongeBob or even Elmo says so. Rather, they should eat when they are hungry, just as adults should. We cannot depend on marketers to make kids eat right. If the food industry just stopped targeting kids with billions of dollars worth of sophisticated unhealthy food messages, parents’ jobs would get a whole lot easier.

Hat tip to The Corporate Babysitter!

Calorie Packed Kids' Meals

From USA Today- some kids' meals pack an entire day's worth of calories into a SINGLE meal:

The first comprehensive report on kids' meals at popular fast-food and chain restaurants finds the servings are far too high in calories for a single meal.

In fact, some of meals contain more 1,000 calories, which is almost as many calories as some elementary-school children need for the entire day, according to the analysis from Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group.

The report shows, for instance, that:

• Chili's country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk has 1,020 calories.

• KFC's popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, Teddy Grahams and fruit punch, has 940 calories.

• Sonic's Wacky Pack with grilled cheese, fries and a slushie, has 830 calories.

Overall, the findings reveal that 93% of the kids' meals at McDonald's and Wendy's contain more than 430 calories, the average number of calories that children ages 4 to 8 should get at a single meal. The comparable numbers are 92% at Burger King; 89% at Dairy Queen; 69% at Arby's; 60% at Denny's. The latter's kids' meals don't include drinks.

On the healthful side, about 67% of the kids' meals at Subway have fewer than 430 calories.

Here's the stat that caught my attention:

The average child, under 18, eats 167 restaurant meals in a year, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm.

C'mon- most menu choices for adults are hideous.  Portions are way too large- and the nutritional content (expecially fast-food) is questionable. Unless you really think about what you are ordering, and practice some self-control, it's very easy to make bad choices.

As long as parents are shoveling this junk into their bodies- does anyone think the kids will do any differently?

Study: Kids Eat More When The TV Is On

Via MSNBC:

Studying childhood obesity, University of Toronto nutritionist Harvey Anderson found that kids who watched TV while eating lunch took in 228 extra calories than those who ate without the television on.

"One of Anderson's conclusions is that eating while watching television overrides our ability to know when to stop eating," the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, which funded the study, said on Tuesday.

"In effect, mindless television watching produces mindless eating. ... Anderson has some immediate advice for parents — turn the television off during mealtime."

Let's say it again: "Turn off the TV during mealtime".

Friday Nite Video: Helping Kids Understand Food Ads

This video clip from " Buy Me That, Too" helps kids understand how TV ads use tricks to make food look better than it actually is:

Smart School Snacks: A Tough Sell

The Washington Post ran an article about one mother's efforts to introduce healthful snack vending machines in D.C. area schools.

It has been a struggle:

"We've had a really hard time, surprisingly," said McMahan, 30, whose son turns 2 in July.

For years, consumer advocates and nutritionists have said that schools should stock more healthful snacks, but schools and districts have been reluctant to make that change. Advocates say a number of obstacles have slowed efforts to overhaul the nutritional quality of snacks and drinks.

Vending contracts with soft drink companies, for example, support a vigorous microeconomy. Budget-strapped principals have signed lucrative deals with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. For a cut of the sales, schools can buy band uniforms and other must-haves, while the company gets exclusive rights to sell its products on campus. A 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office found that almost 75 percent of high schools had signed exclusive soft drink contracts.

Recent studies have challenged the sentiment that junk food is a necessary evil for schools. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has been campaigning to get junk food out of schools nationwide, found that on average schools raise 33 cents for every dollar that students spend at soft drink machines in a 2006 study of 120 contracts in 16 states.

The commission paid by Smart Snacks is 10 to 15 percent of net profit after $500 in sales.

"We do pay commissions, so I don't know what the problem is," McMahan said. "They tell me, 'We're under contract,' or 'We're not interested.' "

Some changes are on the way. In 2006, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which is helping to fight childhood obesity, reached agreements with representatives of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and the American Beverage Association to limit portion sizes, reduce calories and remove all sugared sodas from schools nationwide by the 2009-10 school year. Campbell Soup, Dannon, Kraft Foods, Mars and Frito Lay have announced their own voluntary nutrition guidelines with the alliance.

The entire article is worth a read as is an accompanying article that focuses on one area high school.

Here are my take-aways:

• Parents and educators need to stand up together and get the junk food out of schools. Period.
• Healthy snacks must have price points that are competitive (if not less) than less- healthy alternatives in order for them to appeal to kids and teens.
• Nutrition education is woefully lacking- educators and parents need to be more creative in expressing the value of sound nutritional habits in children.

Saturday Morning TV Ads Serve Up Junk

Question: What percentage of food ads on Saturday morning kid's shows are for foods of poor nutritional quality?

A. 20%
B. 40%
C. 75%
D. 91%

According to researchers from the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the University of Minnesota in an article  published on the website Science Daily,

91 percent of food ads were for foods or beverages high in fat, sodium or added sugars or were low in nutrients, according to the study. Forty-nine percent of the 4.08 hours of advertisements shown were for food (281 food ads out of 571 total). The sample, taken from a 2005 review by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, included major broadcast and cable networks that had Saturday morning programming.

The most commonly advertised food categories were ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and cereal bars (27 percent of all ads), restaurants (19 percent) and snack foods (18 percent). Of the 281 food ads, 59 percent were for products that exceeded criteria for added sugars, according to the study. About one in five foods advertised exceeded other guidelines, including total fat, saturated plus trans fat and sodium. The majority of advertised foods (84 percent) met the criteria for vitamins and minerals, often as a result of fortification. None of the 27 beverage ads met the study's nutrition standards.

The researchers conclude: "The findings indicate that the foods that food and nutrition professionals encourage children to eat more of, such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and whole grains, are seldom encouraged in advertisements shown during children's Saturday morning television programming. Instead, most advertisements promote...foods high in fat, sugars or sodium, or low in nutrients."

This research was published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Is there a connection between kid's watching these ads and their consumption of this junk?

Of course there is!  Do you think these marketers would be wasting their dollars on ads that weren't "effective"?

Here are two simple and effective tips to dealing with this problem:

1. Don't allow your kids to watch Saturday morning TV (if you must have the TV on- pop in a video instead).
2. Don't buy junk food.

A hat tip to Lisa at Parents for Ethical Marketing.  Read Lisa's blog, The Corporate Babysitter, for lots of great insights and information on unethical corporate marketing.

Action Alert: Petition to Expel Junkfood From YMCA

The National Action Against Obesity has started a campaign asking the YMCA of the USA to make two commitments:

1- End the YMCA of the USA’s partnership with PepsiCo upon its expiration in 2010. While the YMCA’s “Health Kids Day” and “Activate America” campaigns are worthy initiatives, having one the world’s largest suppliers of soft drinks and foods of low nutritional value fund the events introduces a conflict of interest.

2- Commit to the long-term elimination of “junk food” at all YMCA childcare centers including food offered from on-site kitchens, vending machines and meal programs. Reversing America’s obesity crisis will take a multitude of compromises and new considerations. Of particular emphasis will be America’s youngest children ages 0-5, as their body composition, eating patterns and exercise habits are not yet set. Promoting and serving fried food, refined rather than whole grains and those foods containing substances potentially harmful to health (including partially hydrogenated oil, high concentrations of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, high sodium content, nitrites, MSG, synthetic hormones, antibiotics, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners), undermines the health of the very children entrusted to the YMCA’s care and contradicts the YMCA of the USA’s own mission statement.

You can read the entire petition, and sign online here.

The YMCA is a great organization that has helped generations of families and children through their athletic programs and centers. Now is the time for the YMCA to bring their nutritional practices in-line.

Unfortunate Ad Placement

This ad placement was an "accident":

The same cannot be said about Nationwide Children's Hospital's decision to rename its ER the Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center.

Why would a children's hospital (with a stated mission to care for and protect children) purposely and proactively rename its ER after Abercrombie & Fitch ( a brand built on objectifying and sexualizing children)? Hint.

Let Nationwide Children's Hospital know how you feel about them co-branding with a company that repeatedly sexualizes children- the same children the hospital is supposed to be protecting.

The Healthy Habits Plate

Super Healthy Kids has introduced a cool product that can help parents promote healthy eating habits.

The Healthy Habits Plate:

has been developed to help counteract the dietary temptations children face and entice them to eat healthy. This colorful plate is divided into three sections: Colorful cartoon fruits, vegetables, breads, meats and milk products are arranged in the portions that your child should eat. Making mealtime fun, the Healthy Habits Plate allows your child to measure out his portions by putting enough of each item on his or her plate.

What a great idea!

“Planning to feed our kids well can be difficult,” according to originator Amy Roskelley “but it is possible. If children know what a healthy plate should look like, they can begin to make good choices that will carry them throughout their lives. In addition, the plate encourages a ‘sit down meal’ rather than eating ‘from the box’ or while doing other activities.” This cute, simple plate teaches good nutrition while helping children make good choices. These early habits, once formed, can continue into adulthood.

The Super Healthy Kids site also offers practical advice for teaching kids healthy habits that will become a part of their lifestyle. 

We completely agree with Amy's objective of promoting "good" foods and not banning "bad" foods.  It's far better to educate your kid's about "balance" and to encourage them in making their own healthy choices.

We've added Super Healthy Kids to the Sites We Like.