I attended a meeting tonight to talk about positive changes we could propose to the food service director of our school district. From what I hear he isn’t exactly the most open person when it comes to promoting healthy changes. We have to speak in a language he is familiar with – the bottom dollar. I get that, I really do, but there are ways to start making some changes that wouldn’t even cost any money and are really quite easy. For one, a parent present at the meeting commented on the wonderful homemade macaroni and cheese on the menu – wonderful until you saw the chunks of unnecessary and unhealthy ham that were mixed in. Here’s an idea, if you want to add some color or extra pep to your macaroni and cheese, stir in a vegetable (like broccoli). Doesn’t cheesy mac and broccoli sound yummy? Well, I haven’t had dinner yet so it sounds really delicious to me!
Some other changes I hope to see in the future are:
- more local products (or at least products from with in our own state)
- way less to no processed foods
- focus on educating parents on healthy options for feeding their families at home
- a food service director who actually gets excited about providing healthy lunches for his students
- growing relationships with local farmers (we have so many wonderful ones in our area)
Honestly, it starts with simply wanting to make the changes. We all have to care about the kids and what they put into their bodies – healthy foods improve behavior and their ability to learn – that’s a simple fact.
Even if you don’t feel like you have the tools to make a change, recognizing that there’s a problem and asking for help is a huge step for the future of the children in our country!
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