What I’m reading this week…
School Food
Miracle worker in the school kitchen — Private school chef in Chicago makes federally reimbursable school lunches for $3 each.
This Week in School Food News (Better DC School Food) — Ed’s summary, which is great and I like how he blames pop for obesity.
Adventures in School Lunch (Wendolia) — A food blogger/mom ate school lunch with her son! Honest and fair critique.
Another great school lunch (Jackie’s School Food Blog) — UK school lunch (as contrast to the above)
School Lunches: Scratch Cooking is Possible (What’s Cooking with Kids) — Video of a chef visiting a central kitchen
Investigation Reveals How Food Industry Rebates Thwart Healthy School Meals (The Slow Cook)
Gardening
Michelle Obama Plants Kitchen Garden For Spring: Boxed Beds, Beets…And A Book (Obama Foodorama)
Families Turn Out for a School Garden Raising (The Slow Cook)
How to build My 50 Dollar Greenhouse (The Door Garden) — I totally want to do this now!
Food and Politics
Farm Bill 2012 (Civil Eats) — This is going to be a big one later this year and the next.
Health Foods Replace Junk Food at the Cash Register (Feed our Families blog) — check out the photo!
Say No to Artificial Food Dyes (Feed our Families blog) — sign the petition!
Economics of Obesity (Obama Foodorama)
Breakfast is Not So Gr-r-reat When Your Only Option is Frosted Flakes (Civil Eats) — regarding the “share your breakfast” promotion with Kellogg’s
Free Our Food (Civil Eats) — genetically modified has not been studied enough.
Random
Crocheted Apple Cozy (Steamy Kitchen) — perfect for my lunch!
Are whole grains making us fat? (The Sweet Beet) — provocative, what do you think?
Hundreds Of NYC Schools Use Dirty, Dangerous Heating Oil (NY1) — Yuck!
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I hope you enjoyed reading Free For All. Please vote for your selection for our next book!
I also read the Sweet Beet article. I really like her blog.
And I agree, there is way too much marketing surrounding whole grains. People think that they are super super healthy. And while they are way better than refined, stripped, bleached grains, even whole wheat isn't as important to our diet as vegetables or some sort of protein source. I kinda think that grains are recreational foods. They are super delicious and I feel better when I eat some (I have more energy), but too many and I feel awful!
The discussion for "Free for All" isn't over, is it? Hardly anyone commented!
I realize that I have not commented on any of the 3 posts about the book, but I was kind of waiting for some actual discussion.
If it's still going on, I promise to answer the next post about it.
Maggie — Yep, no one commented, which led me to believe that no one was reading it. I wish you had commented!
I think that a lot of people had trouble finding the book at the library. It's also a pretty dense read.
I decided that since no one seemed to care about the book, I could end the "discussion" and finish it on my own time.
I know, I should have answered the questions!
It's OK, I've read it, I live with the rules every day…it would have been interesting to "talk" with those who were seeing it with new eyes and new ideas.
It's sad, it really is. There were so many people to say "oh, how awful", but when it came down to understanding the depth of the issue…not so much.
what is sad is that feeding kids real food should be like rocket science. the regs are so deep, the paradigm shift so vast that it's easy to see once you start peeling back the onion why change hasn't happened, and may still not happen for a decade or longer.
personally, as a parent, and child health advocate, nutrition education advocate and volunteer at the local elementary (all unpaid, all extraordinarily time consuming) i know why more parents/community members aren't involved. it's confusing, counter-intuitive, time consuming and frustrating. our efforts are also met with resistance so any initiative that gets approved and implemented was a battle to get off the ground.
i spend about 10 hours a week on average on school food reform/nutrition education in spring branch ISD.
i still have much to learn, before i know even a little!
our efforts here are working, but gains are slow. Raw broccoli consumption is up 80% since the beginning of the school year, but that equates to an additional 52 students or (15% of our student body) who now accept broccoli after six months of nutrition education in the classroom. Fresh fruit consumption is up 14%. see more here: http://tinyurl.com/4j8pemg
editing my first sentence, should read "feeding kids real food should NOT be like rocket science."
I'd posted a few responses, but I was waiting for them to spark a discussion, and sadly they never did.
I've read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and it is a much easier read. From what I hear, so is Fast Food Nation (and if my husband who hates reading can get through, albeit for required reading in college, than it muse be so). I think either one will lend itself to some good discussion. How I've never read Fast Food Nation, I'll never know, so if it gets chosen, it will be a good excuse 🙂
@ Jenna,
Reading the book made me think that for real change to happen, or at least pick up speed, it will have to work at the local school or district level. The Federal level is too bogged down in beuracrcy and cannot account for local and regional issues, opportunities, etc.
Wow, wish I could edit spelling in my previous comment… bureaucracy.
I thought of you when I found these cute containers on stumbleupon.com http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/19ug8g/www.bananaguard.com/
Have you read The New Square Foot Garden by Mel Bartholomew? It's got great kid science sections and lots of great information for growing a garden in a small space. I'm trying my had at it this year. 🙂