Eat-In to draw attention to school food

With child obesity on the rise, parents need to be the strongest advocates of their children's health.

To be an advocate for someone else, you must first be an advocate for yourself. You are your child's first and foremost role model.

Take a look at your eating habits. Do you head to the drive-thru more often than heading to your own kitchen?

Take a look at your kitchen. Are your refrigerator and pantry full of food high in sugar, fat and calories?

If so, it's time to do some back-to-school cleaning. On this page there are recipes for healthy, easy-to-make snacks for breakfast or after school.

Setting an example at home is a good start. If your children are used to eating healthy and keeping active at home, there's a good chance they will continue these habits when not under your watchful eye.

But what if these healthy options are not available at school?

Earlier this summer Slow Food USA launched Time for Lunch, a national campaign to tell legislators to provide children with real food at school and to allocate more funding to the Child Nutrition Act, a federal law that comes up for reauthorization in Congress the end of September.

The Time for Lunch campaign is planning more than 260 “Eat-Ins” across the country Monday - Labor Day - to draw attention for the need for healthy food in schools.

Slow Food Iowa City is hosting an Eat-In from

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday at shelter 12 in Lower City Park, 200 E. Park Rd., Iowa City. It's a potluck, so bring a dish made from local foods, as well as plates and silverware.

Co-organizer Kurt Friese, who sits on Slow Food's national board of directors, says the event aims to raise awareness of the importance of what is served to children at school.

“You can't expect to learn well, if you don't eat well,” he says.

All local, state and federal politicians have been invited to the Eat-In. Although a few legislators have already said they can't attend, but Friese says Rep. Dave Loebsack might attend.

As the health care reform debate continues, Friese says preventing children from becoming obese or developing diabetes is the first, and most important, step.

“Feeding them healthy food is much cheaper than feeding them insulin for the next 50 years,” Friese says.

To RSVP for Monday's Eat-In, send an e-mail to rachelhornerbrackett@gmail.com

For more information or to sign a petition, go to http://slowfoodiowa.org/ 

To become a fan on Facebook, search “Time for Lunch Iowa City.”