Kids aren’t getting enough green stuff on their plates. But the fix for that problem won’t be cheap.
That’s according to an Institute of Medicine report released this week that says school lunches need a makeover.
Federal standards are lacking because they don’t restrict the number of calories kids are offered. In fact the standards don’t even meet the government’s own dietary guidelines.
Part of the problem in making the fix is that the federal dollars received by schools aren’t keeping pace with the cost of rising food prices.
Congress is now facing pressure to boost spending on school lunches. We agree, but only if the raise is used to add more fruits and veggies to the menu.
Childhood obesity is a very real problem. One that grows up and becomes adult obesity.
In our view, spending more on helping children eat healthier foods is far less expensive on the money we’ll be spending on health care later on. And, what could be more fundamental to the whole health care issue than that?
The new report also says that there should be a ceiling on the number of calories served. Lunch should be no more than 650 to 850 calories, and breakfast should be no more than 500 to 600 calories, depending on the grade.
It’s hard to stay below those numbers serving up helpings of tater tots and fried chicken tenders.
The evidence keeps mounting that the wrong food has contributed immensely to America’s health crisis.
Certainly one of the most visible features of that is obesity.
Opinion
In Our View: More green for greens
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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