Who Says Healthy Foods Are Yuck
Having browsed the two school lunch menus, one school in the town of Montigny le Bretonneux, just southwest of Paris and the other in Pittsford, New York, I found that French kids eat more interesting meals in a wide range of variety. For example, French menu has got Iceberg lettuce with radishes and vinaigrette, Grilled fish with lemon, Stewed carrots, Emmental cheese, Apple tart. American kids has only got Zweigel’s™ hot dog on a roll with tater tots on their school menu although they are allowed to choose three additional items from the following list: milk, chocolate milk, salad, ‘hot vegetable’, fresh fruit, canned fruit in syrup, crackers. They can also purchase a dessert. What is the message sending through these two school menus?
Today our kids are trained to choose fast food and are fed a monotonous diet of pizza, burgers, chicken parts and meat. Obesity is a very serious health problem in our younger population. Besides, adults only know how to steam vegetables or boil peas. I think not many adults will enjoy dull green peas, let alone kids take them. Kids have already lost the appetite, the ability and the opportunity of tasting healthy and yummy foods. The culture of eating and methods of cooking should be transformed if we really want our kids to enjoy a healthy life. In my previous post, How Do Parents Train Their Toddlers to Eat Healthy Food, the number one thing is to cook good food. Knowing how to cook really good food in various ways is a start.
French Week: On School Lunches [idlewords.com]