fed up
on the tails of last week’s school lunch inspiration, i came across this blog. “fed up with school lunch” chronicles one (anonymous) mid-western public school teacher’s effort to step into her students shoes by eating school lunch every day, all year long. to me, the photos say it all. the food is as colorless and unappealing as any i’ve ever seen, but it also brings back bad digestive memories. in my first few years of marriage, i taught at a public school and as a “perk” was given free lunches there. being financially strapped (as most newlyweds tend to be), i decided to give it a try. three months later, the results really showed up. despite my starting a new exercise program at a local gym, i had gained 13lbs. 13LBS, PEOPLE!! i hate to blame it all on the school lunches, but it was the only change i had made to my routine and, sure enough, as soon as i started packing my own again, the weight came off with very little effort. so what’s my point? school lunches are made to be calorie dense, not necessarily nutrient dense, so that children who don’t get a chance to eat at home are not lacking. for most children in this country, the school meal is too much. too much fat, salt, cholesterol, calories, etc. until we see a major change in the content of public school lunchtime edibles, packing will be the healthiest way for most of us to go.
