The United States Department of Agriculture unveiled new child nutrition reforms for school meals this week that include many reforms pushed through Congress last year by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-Mineola.
“A healthy student is a successful student – kids can’t do well in school when they’re hungry and tired,” said McCarthy. “I’m so glad and proud that the USDA is going to be implementing many of the reforms that I championed in my committee recently; hopefully we can reduce childhood obesity and improve grades across the nation thanks to these reforms.”
According to the USDA, the reforms include:
- Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
- Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods;
- Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;
- Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and
- Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.
As chairwoman of the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, McCarthy worked to implement child nutrition reform, including efforts to reduce childhood obesity by promoting lower calorie, less fattening, more nutritious foods like vegetables and fruits.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which McCarthy helped pass into law in 2010, contains provisions from legislation that she previously introduced to promote nutrition and wellness in schools and child care settings. Also during the 111th Congress, McCarthy introduced five pieces of legislation aimed at reducing childhood obesity and she was an original co-sponsor of the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act.
The Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee was eliminated from Congress when Republicans took control of the House in 2011.
Charlie
4:57 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
Can Ms. McCarthy explain how her congress now classifies pizza as a vegetable for purposes of school nutritional guidelines??
paul
5:40 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
Almost everyone in politics seems to always want to put the blame on the school lunches, fast food and snacking.
They are all OK for everyone in moderation.
The phrase childhood obesity bothers me.
We have become a soft society.(and I dont mean in the belly)
In school they should make gym mandatory for all ages.
Gym is not just about shooting hoops or a game of volley ball.
I remember stretching, bending, flexing, jumping jacks, sit-ups etc.
Why did some schools stop this?
Toughen up, bring back dodge ball and take that ping like we did years ago.
Never hurt anybody. You can get a broken nose from a basketball....
Where are the exercise programs in schools during gym class?
How about blaming the parents too.
I think some parents need some parenting skills.
They think that it is ok to sit and text, talk, chat, email, face book when not in school.
Stop buying all those items your kids ask for..
They only lie to you about its usage..
Shut off the electronic gadgets and take a walk with your kids and friends.
Start a walking club or regimen with other people in your neighborhood.
I will end how I started, politicians want to blame the schools and fast-food establishments.
Don't be afraid to blame the parents a little and the ones who forced us into a sensitive society by complaining about a little workout in school.
GCRes1
8:16 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
Can't local school boards make these decisions without the Federal government creating new burdensome regulations? A prediction: school boards start firing teachers so they can afford "Federal food efficacy coordinators" that can supervise the school's compliance with these new regulations. So dumb.
Anna Cash
11:50 pm on Saturday, January 28, 2012
To the comment above. I am an involved parent in my child's elementary school. I started a Wellness committee where we address issues like eating healthy fruits and vegetables, exercising, and school lunch reform. Believe me when I say that without legislation school lunches rarely change. It's easier not to change. With subsidies so cheap a lot of lunch rooms are using these and not blinking an eye. It takes a lot of committed parents to make the change with major support from the admin and teachers.
Paul Brandel
9:48 am on Sunday, January 29, 2012
United States of America - the land of the free????
Mary Grace Roach
3:09 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
Since Obama's reforms with regards to child nutrition, it is a fact that most elementary schools in the Tri-State area and beyond are now in the red since the amount of children actually BUYING the lunch has dropped off dramatically. The deficits amount to hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In theory, of course I agree with good nutrition, but if the school lunch is the only place in the children's lives where these healthy foods are offered, it is destined to fail. PARENTS need to be on board and the large majority of them ARE NOT!!
Marc
9:53 am on Monday, January 30, 2012
TOTALITARIANISM:
The political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority.
Washington Ave.
11:56 am on Monday, January 30, 2012
How vague can you be? "Increasing the focus" and "substantially increasing" seems like more political BS to me. She wants credit for what, "increasing"? Nothing will get done, but it looks good in a campaign pamphlet or ad on the radio that she was in a committee that said a bunch of important sounding things about our kids.
the big kahuna
1:35 pm on Monday, January 30, 2012
carolyn mccarthy is useless. By far the worst in congress.
Rob
10:56 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Forget McCarthy and the politics. Focus on the kids and their habits. A lot of great points were made in these comments. As far as I know Gym is already mandatory and there are actually physical fitness tests that regulary track improvement. But a single gym class once a week is not enough to make a marked improvement. Keep them moving when they get home. Let them play but limit the computer and video games. Encourage them to go outside and/or join a sport. Heck, even a routine set of daily chores helps with exercise and responsibility.
Lunch programs only work if the kids buy and eat the lunches. I can tell you from experience that most kids only eat the part they like. Others bring lunch from home that I can only assume they made for themselves. Try finding things that are healthy and they enjoy. It's not an easy task but it's better than wasting your money on a partially eaten lunch or your child eating a self-packed pixie stick and gummy bear special.
Oh and while we're talking about lunches...if they have a retainer, please, please,please remind them to put it in the case it came in rather than a napkin. Thanks.
Tom Garrett
2:42 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
All good points especially on keeping them moving, Sports is a must it’s beneficial in more ways than one. There is an activity for everyone you just have to find it, Got to keep them moving and away from the Computers/Video Games.
The majority of food consumption is not done in schools it is done at home. Childhood obesity is an issue for certain that needs to be handled and corrected at home. It is a parent’s responsibility to raise their children not the Schools or the States. The Schools have enough to do trying to educate our kids and keep up with the busy work passed down from either the Federal or State Government. I don’t think they need anything else to juggle. I would re-think ones desire to have something done by any branch of the government…..
http://www.nccivitas.org/2012/state-inspectors-searching-childrens-lunch-boxes-this-isnt-china-is-it/
Howdy
12:10 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
agreed Rob. great points. i am no fan of the nanny state either but we cannot just keep ignoring reaity. too many kids are obese and they are setting themselves up for a lifetime of health problems. it took us long enough to wake up to the evils of smoking and what that does. why does insanity have to keep repeating itself. it all starts with the family. people need to make exercise and nutrition a priority!
Bill Sweeney
12:00 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
Anyone see the story about the 4 yr old that had their lunch taken away and given the school's food (nuggets, I believe) b/c the lunch they took from home was not healhy enough? This country is out of hand.
Jack O'Niel
9:41 am on Friday, February 17, 2012
You are right Bill. This cradle to grave third parent needs to take a step back and get out of our day-to-day lives.
Bill Sweeney
12:50 am on Saturday, February 18, 2012
Yes, Jack. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? It's a real shame what's happening. It's always someone else's fault. There's always someone holding you down. Now, on top of that, the grand old government knows all. We are so incompetent, we can't even feed ourselves, shelter ourselves, keep ourselves warm, gain medical care, or mobilize ourselves (and so many other things the gov't is trying to control) without gov't intervention. Wake up, people. Don't let the gov't take over. If they do, all the way, there's no turning back!