Comments on: A teacher speaks out http://www.chefann.com/blog/archives/1058 Chef Ann Cooper is a renegade lunch lady who works to transform cafeterias into culinary classrooms for students - one school lunch at a time. She brings you information to learn about the importance of changing the way America feeds its children. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:40:32 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anna http://www.chefann.com/blog/archives/1058/comment-page-1#comment-214705 Anna Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:13:54 +0000 http://www.chefann.com/blog/?p=1058#comment-214705 I have a 4th grader in a So California suburban public school, one with high "marks". I can attest to the garbage fed to kids, both from the school lunch program as well as in lunches sent from home (too often they are individually packaged products from membership warehouse bulk purchases). So little of the food kids eat during the day is real food from wholesome whole food ingredients. My son is sent to school with food I prepare in my kitchen from real ingredients, not packaged products. And too much misguided effort is made to cut out the naturally saturated fats (which also contain the important fat soluble vitamins A, D, & K for proper mineral metabolism and growth, as well as nervous system development and growth), but not the excessive unnatural omega 6 fatty acids from plant oils. Even worse, the foods are laden with empty carbs from both simple sugars as well as highly processed "whole grains". So instead of giving kids the essential building blocks for growing and functional bodies and a physiologically better form of of energy (natural fats and adequate high quality protein), we load them up with inflammatory fatty acids and more carbohydrate energy they than will ever need for a day a desk, and then wonder why they have problems in school. And the excuse that the brain only burns glucose is so misinformed. The body works hard to maintain no more than about 1 teaspoon of glucose in the blood at all times, but many if not most kids typically are fed around 75-125 teaspoons of sugar equivalent in carbohydrates a day (including so-called "whole grains" which are not at all essential). If dietary protein is adequate, in a pinch the liver can convert dietary protein to glucose, too. And the brain functions very well (perhaps better) on ketone bodies when it burns fatty acids for energy (NOT the same as diabetic ketoacidosis). So instead of feeding our kids like stable long burning steady hot coal fires that only need a new log or two every few hours, we feed them like high flame kindling fires, that flare up, never really get hot, and burn out fast unless fed a constant dose of kindling. I have a 4th grader in a So California suburban public school, one with high “marks”. I can attest to the garbage fed to kids, both from the school lunch program as well as in lunches sent from home (too often they are individually packaged products from membership warehouse bulk purchases). So little of the food kids eat during the day is real food from wholesome whole food ingredients. My son is sent to school with food I prepare in my kitchen from real ingredients, not packaged products.

And too much misguided effort is made to cut out the naturally saturated fats (which also contain the important fat soluble vitamins A, D, & K for proper mineral metabolism and growth, as well as nervous system development and growth), but not the excessive unnatural omega 6 fatty acids from plant oils. Even worse, the foods are laden with empty carbs from both simple sugars as well as highly processed “whole grains”.

So instead of giving kids the essential building blocks for growing and functional bodies and a physiologically better form of of energy (natural fats and adequate high quality protein), we load them up with inflammatory fatty acids and more carbohydrate energy they than will ever need for a day a desk, and then wonder why they have problems in school.

And the excuse that the brain only burns glucose is so misinformed. The body works hard to maintain no more than about 1 teaspoon of glucose in the blood at all times, but many if not most kids typically are fed around 75-125 teaspoons of sugar equivalent in carbohydrates a day (including so-called “whole grains” which are not at all essential). If dietary protein is adequate, in a pinch the liver can convert dietary protein to glucose, too. And the brain functions very well (perhaps better) on ketone bodies when it burns fatty acids for energy (NOT the same as diabetic ketoacidosis).

So instead of feeding our kids like stable long burning steady hot coal fires that only need a new log or two every few hours, we feed them like high flame kindling fires, that flare up, never really get hot, and burn out fast unless fed a constant dose of kindling.

]]> By: Liz Donnelly http://www.chefann.com/blog/archives/1058/comment-page-1#comment-214636 Liz Donnelly Sun, 07 Dec 2008 02:36:38 +0000 http://www.chefann.com/blog/?p=1058#comment-214636 This is such a touching account of what I fear is happening all across the country. Thanks for sharing this! How can kids learn when the garbage fed to them causes behavior problems? I am more compelled than ever to get the word out through my e-book on achieving family fitness. Ann, thanks again for your excellent interview (I'm just wrapping up that chapter)! -Liz www.familyfitnessguru.com This is such a touching account of what I fear is happening all across the country. Thanks for sharing this!

How can kids learn when the garbage fed to them causes behavior problems?

I am more compelled than ever to get the word out through my e-book on achieving family fitness. Ann, thanks again for your excellent interview (I’m just wrapping up that chapter)!
-Liz
http://www.familyfitnessguru.com

]]> By: Mary Hudson http://www.chefann.com/blog/archives/1058/comment-page-1#comment-214635 Mary Hudson Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:43:02 +0000 http://www.chefann.com/blog/?p=1058#comment-214635 I have just finished my student teaching semester and am working with students in 4th and 5th grade who are in a self-contained classroom because of behavioral and emotional difficulties. Yesterday, one of my students came in late, already having missed a manditory, county-required writing assessment, and the weekly literacy assessment. The only time for him to finish this work was after lunch. For once, he brought in his own lunch from home -- a jelly doughnut and a fast food biscuit, washed down with cafeteria chocolate milk. It was not really a surprise that the work did not get completed. He could not focus on his work at all. Next year, I have to conduct a research project as part of my Master's degree in teaching. I'm hoping to find a way to document food intake and behavior/performance, and then take my findings to the parents, because as bad as school food can be, this child's home food choices demonstrate that even bad school food can be better than what is given to them at home. I have just finished my student teaching semester and am working with students in 4th and 5th grade who are in a self-contained classroom because of behavioral and emotional difficulties. Yesterday, one of my students came in late, already having missed a manditory, county-required writing assessment, and the weekly literacy assessment. The only time for him to finish this work was after lunch. For once, he brought in his own lunch from home — a jelly doughnut and a fast food biscuit, washed down with cafeteria chocolate milk. It was not really a surprise that the work did not get completed. He could not focus on his work at all.

Next year, I have to conduct a research project as part of my Master’s degree in teaching. I’m hoping to find a way to document food intake and behavior/performance, and then take my findings to the parents, because as bad as school food can be, this child’s home food choices demonstrate that even bad school food can be better than what is given to them at home.

]]> By: Dr. Susan Rubin http://www.chefann.com/blog/archives/1058/comment-page-1#comment-214634 Dr. Susan Rubin Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:14:08 +0000 http://www.chefann.com/blog/?p=1058#comment-214634 This is an excellent example of how poor quality school food acts like "second hand smoke" in the classroom. I can understand why many schools are not making childhood obesity a priority- a school's bottom line is test scores. If schools could just connect the dots between junk food & behavior, they would see the importance of cleaning up the cafeterias & the rest of the toxic food environment (fundraisers, candy rewards). This is an excellent example of how poor quality school food acts like “second hand smoke” in the classroom. I can understand why many schools are not making childhood obesity a priority- a school’s bottom line is test scores. If schools could just connect the dots between junk food & behavior, they would see the importance of cleaning up the cafeterias & the rest of the toxic food environment (fundraisers, candy rewards).

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