A lunch lead to follow

We want our schools to serve lunches that are affordable, nutritious, delicious to hundreds, if not thousands, of picky little eaters and to do it every day, without fail. Is that so much to ask?

I know it is. Heck, it's hard enough to pull that off for the one or two little mouths under your own roof.

Lunch isn't the only thing schools have on their plates. In a time when we're asking educators to take on responsibility for everything from the three Rs to netiquitte, the school lunch fight can feel a little like asking Atlas to help carry the groceries (“Well, couldn't you shift the weight of the world a little and free up one hand, at least?”).

But schools are the most logical place for us to take the battle against childhood obesity and the lifelong health care problems (and costs) associated with our rotten health habits.

Earlier this year, we learned that almost 40 percent of Iowa's 18- to 24-year-olds are too fat to fight in the country's armed forces.

State health experts say that already by third grade, three of 10 Iowa kids are overweight or obese. If schools don't step up, those kids may well be headed for a lifetime of hurt.

A lot of schools are taking up the challenge - sneaking whole-grain pasta and lower-fat milk into the menu, cutting the fried food and incorporating more vegetables and fruits. But there's more to do. Like participate in the state Farm to School program, which links schools with local producers to bring more fresh fruits and vegetables to students' plates.

The program includes nutrition education and hands-on lessons about growing and cooking healthful foods. A few weeks ago, the Iowa City school district announced that it would participate.

More local schools should follow their lead.

I know it can be difficult, and more expensive, to line up local producers for fresh, nutritious foods. Schools don't always have the staff or equipment they need to prepare it. And even once all that's arranged, there's no guarantee that the kids will eat it - it's hard for a local apple or green bean to compete with a chicken nugget.

Schools in this country serve up 5.5 billion school lunches and nearly 2 billion breakfasts each year.

By the time they graduate high school, today's kindergartner is likely to have eaten more than 4,000 school meals. Many kids consume more of their day's calories at school than they do at home.

It's one more thing to put on schools already-full plate, I know.

But it's important if we want our kids to grow up healthy.

Comments: (319) 339-3154;

jennifer.hemmingsen@sourcemedia.net