Imagine you're in line at a cafeteria and have a couple of meal choices in front of you.
One tray features cheese pizza with whole-wheat crust, baked sweet potato fries, applesauce and grape tomatoes with ranch dip.
It sounds a lot more appealing than the mystery meat on the second tray, doesn't it?
Maybe. That's if you're an adult who is conscious of your own impending mortality, which, as you're well aware, could be expedited by poor dietary habits. But apparently thousands, if not millions, of the nation's youth don't feel the same way, according to a recent Associated Press report.
Federal officials said they're receiving isolated reports of schools turning down membership in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program.
Without the program, which reimburses schools for portions of meals served, many schools would be unable to offer their students affordable lunches.
But in some more affluent districts, where schools don't have large populations of students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals, officials are caving in to picky children and ditching the national program.
To be fair, some of the tailor-made lunches in those districts don't sound terribly unhealthy - one New York school served pasta with chicken and mushrooms and paninis with chicken, red peppers and cheese - but we feel a bit conflicted about abandoning a well intentioned, taxpayer-subsidized program just because a bunch of children didn't feel like eating a salad or a type of fruit they've never even tasted before.
Smaller portion sizes are apparently another issue.
It's one thing if a student-athlete, who spends his or her after-school time being active, needs to take in some additional calories before practice. But the same shouldn't necessarily be said of a student who goes home and sits in front of a computer or television for hours on end.
Maybe we're a little old-fashioned, but what happened to children (those who have no dietary restrictions) being told to eat what they're served?
We feel for the educators and nutrition staff who have to deal with this. The problem begins at home. It's ultimately the responsibility of parents to instill in their children a set of healthy eating habits and an appreciation for the nutritious food they do receive.
Not everyone is so lucky.
