<p>I want to encourage kids to healthier eating and more exercise too. But this? And in a state where maple syrup is a staple. (Not being from Vermont, I’d never seen maple syrup baked beans for breakfast, maple syrup dipping sauce for a sandwich at lunch and maple syrup salad dressing or maple syrup marinade for meat for dinner, until I visited that state. ) </p>
<p>Back in my day, we still had cooked school lunches made by the school cooks on the premises. The fried chicken was my favorite along with the fresh baked rolls with yes, butter. We had cookies and milk time before recess. And yet, obesity rates were much lower than today. </p>
<p>But back then we had two recesses and PE class. And we walked or rode or bicycles to and from school. </p>
<p>I suspect this draconian school lunch policy is a big reason why the number of students participating in the school lunch program has dropped. Do kids really prefer kale to chocolate? </p>
<p>I think it’s fine - healthy bodies, healthy minds. Kids will still get the treats - at home, a friends, out to eat - whatever. Breakfast might have been a pop tart and dinner might be a hot dog and fries - why not healthier eating in between??? </p>
<p>If we didn’t get ourselves (America) in these positions, we wouldn’t have to have these “drastic” measures. But we did, so we are. </p>
<p>Add in some recess or mid day walks around the school building outside and kids will exercise their bodies and be more ready to exercise their minds. </p>
<p>Parents ran book groups at my younger daughters school, and I often walked with them around the building if I thought my group was too squirrelly to concentrate.</p>
<p>Kids need to be consuming desserts at school for what reason?</p>
<p>I’m all for more exercise, but I also see no logic to giving them desserts with lunch, particularly when kids often throw out the healthier parts of their lunch and eat the empty calories.</p>
<p>As to the syrup thing, were you in a tourist area? I have a home in Vermont, and except for during a maple festival or in places catering specifically to tourists at sugaring time I’ve never seen the things you describe.</p>
<p>No, I was just in regular towns in Vermont for a family thing. Yup, my ham and swiss sandwich came with a maple syrup dipping sauce. Breakfast (in NH) offered maple syrup baked beans. And the salad at dinner came with maple syrup dressing. </p>
<p>Rather than make brownies and other desserts forbidden fruit (pardon the pun), wouldn’t it be better to just teach moderation in eating. </p>
<p>I was so surprised when my kids began K-12 and recess seemed to be a rarity. No wonder hyper kids couldn’t sit still…they needed to burn off that energy. </p>
<p>When I was in school, we had a morning recess and an after-lunch recess. I don’t remember how long the morning recess was, but we had enough time to play on the monkey bars, swings, etc…so probably 15-20 mins? </p>
<p>Back in the day, our lunches were about an hour long, so if you ate quickly, you had a nice long recess of about 45 minutes (I think we HAD to sit/eat for 15 mins)</p>
<p>Also…if you got to school early, you got to play then as well. Then the “freeze bell” would ring, and then we would have to line up, say the pledge,etc,and then go into class.</p>
<p>I wasn’t aware that recess had disappeared from U.S. schools. What was the reason? Here, the schools have two breaks a day, which are called ‘nutrition breaks’, so kids get to eat either a snack or their lunch, and then get a long outside playtime. They actually have the same amount of time as they did when there was morning and afternoon recess periods in addition to lunch. We also have QDF, which is quality daily fitness, which is an additional 15-20 minute period when the whole school does some sort of exercises together. </p>
<p>At our school, no food was allowed to be wasted. The elementary school principal came around to each table and no one was dismissed from that table for recess until everyone had cleaned his or her plate. Now the amount of food that is dumped is sinful.</p>
<p>When I was in elementary school in the early '60’s, not only did we walk to school and back, but we also walked home for lunch - and I lived almost a mile from school. We also had recess.</p>
<p>As for dessert with lunch, I don’t even serve dessert with dinner - unless I am having company. Never with lunch. </p>
<p>Does anyone here order dessert when you go out to lunch? I can count on one hand the number of times in my whole life I did that. </p>
<p>IMO, it’s also “sinful” to make someone clean their plate. Portion control is the key so that no one has to stuff themselves or waste. But also agree, dessert at lunch is a bad habit in itself!</p>