Sunday, January 23, 2011

Fruits of Labor

*  A U.S. school teacher (anonymously) documents eating school lunch everyday for an entire year, in order to incite awareness and change.  (came across her site last year when she was in the middle of her project, but it seems like she's finished and is now writing about this issue at large).
Lovely that she acknowledges lunch ladies/men too, and the significant (but often unnoticed) role they play in the kids' lives.

*  Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - awesome show!  The mindset and reaction of administrators, teachers, parents, and students that he encounters, is a wake up call for our generation.  Jamie's cause and fight is really inspiring, and even if it is a bit dramatized to make for 'good' television, his commentary is pretty on point.

Why Hungry Kids Sometimes Still Go Hungry in American Schools
Bettering school food is not an issue that has a simple solutionThe problems are deeply rooted, and spread over a large radius of issues ranging from policy, education on proper nutrition, and lack of continuity & support for the few people that are trying to improve our food culture.
* Article HERE & HERE.  In Japanese public elementary schools, lunch is also a time for learning, AS IT SHOULD BE.  The teacher STAYS WITH THE CLASS and EATS THE SAME LUNCH, "TALKING to the children about nutrition, good eating habits and the food in that day's meal."
- This goes beyond mere physical nutrition.  This is food for the SOUL.
* Unfortunately, this practice may slowly be disappearing due to cost cutting, and adaptation of other school-lunch systems.
What's for School Lunch?  School lunches from around the world

The Child-Driven Education, Sugata Mitra
The Milkman Cometh.  Innovation, entrepreneurship, a twist of new with the old.  Super.
* Raising Healthy Eaters is Counter-Culture
Access to Healthy Foods: part II.  Food poverty and shopping deserts: what are the implications for health promotion policy and practice?  Research, research, research.
"Strawberry color" in cereal bars achieved by: Red No. 40 for American kids, versus Beetroot red for UK kids.  Not to point fingers, but just goes to show that multiple interest groups, and (most importantly) ordinary people are affected by the food/nutrition/health industry, and that each group has their own viewpoint and goals to bring to the table.  Each group has legitimate points, so how do we figure out a system that works?

*  And don't get me started on the trendy 'Green movement'.  Yes - innovation, and more knowledge & options for the lifestyle are now available because 'Green' has gone mainstream.  However, just because a product has an 'organic' sticker slapped on it, does not necessarily mean it is organic, healthy, or the better choice.  And just because something is not labeled organic, doesn't mean it should be put on the blacklist, or that it's going to kill you.  It's all about doing the proper research.

These are exciting times, with much room for change.
Would like to address related issues in future endeavors.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...