School bans ALL processed foods in packed lunches

Yeah, but it has less vitamins and is less filling. You'll spend more getting full from processed food than you will from unprocessed food.

Hummus sandwich, etc. or, why must it be a sandwich? How about just some fruits & vegetables.

 

No. Again, read the book.

And the protien goes where?

 

I think it's a bit much BUT being a charter school no child is REQUIRED to go there, it is public, but it an option you CHOOSE (over your 'normal' public school which you are 'assigned' to based on where you live)

But, kids can have allergies to healthy things. My son is allergic to red dye, so if I see a story on food allergies or ADHD I always watch. (as the red dye makes him act just like a typical ADHD kid)

One story I saw showed a kid allergic to corn! Like fresh, right off the cob corn.

Peanuts are healthy-big allergen. Strawberries. Coconut.

I think it's a bit much to inspect the lunches (not to mention kinda degrading to the parents and teachers) but that's just me....

 

How exactly do they define "processed"? All food is processed. When you grind the wheat to make the whole wheat bread it is processing the wheat. I would bet that every piece of whole wheat bread to ever show up at that school is made with processed and prepackaged yeast.
The peanut butter on the sandwiches is most definately processed, even if it is organic with no added sugars or hydrogenated oils. Where is the line drawn?

I really do think that limiting junk food at lunch is a good idea, even more so now that I have discovered that my daughters ADHD tendencies are directly related to consumption of artificial coloring, but there needs to be a very clear definition of what is allowed and what is not.

 

Hummus is chock full of protein. So is cheese. And nuts. And beans. I frequently send chef's salads - loaded with chicken and chopped veggies and cheese and sunflower seeds, and whatever else is around - to school. No sandwich. My hypoglycemic son does better without it.

And actually unprocessed foods such as fruits and veggies and whole grains do keep you feeling fuller, longer. They take longer to break down in your digestive system. That's why almost everyone loses at least a little weight when they cut out the junk.

But really it just comes down to the fact that you've signed up for a specialty school with a particular nutritional philosophy. If you don't like it, send your child somewhere else.

To my mind, it's like sending your child to a nut-free school and then complaining that banning peanut butter infringes on your rights as a parent.

Feed them the junk after school, if you must.

 

My kids have gotten into the habbit of chopping up veggies and left-over chicken rolled into a tortilla, with a touch of Ranch dressing. Not sure how they picked that up, but it works for them!

 

The school I just pulled my kids out of is a "Nut-free zone", they are so concerned about nut allergies they forget there are other allergies out there. There was a discrepency in my son's lunch account and they gave him a cheese sandwich. He is lactose intolerant, which they are aware of...but they gave him one anyway. Needless to say he went hungry

 

^ this.

One book vs tons of things that show that processed foods are made to make you hungry again quickly so that you will buy more. Anyway, all the books in the world aren't going to change my personal experience.

 

I personally know that your diet can alter your behavior. If my son gets too much refined sugar (in cookies, pies, candy) he will absolutely become hyperactive. But, if we keep him on track with natural sugars (fruits, veggies, even canned fruits), most of that diminishes.

As for the school, if they are a charter school than I have no problem with that. As has been said, if you want to send your child there, fine. If not, go elsewhere.
However, if it starts creeping into public schools there is a huge problem. I actually can agree that candy should not be allowed. Sugary drinks should not be allowed. No doubt these things can affect a lot of people, even if it doesn't effect everyone. I think the teachers have a hard enough job without adding kids bouncing off the walls or having sugar level swings that can affect their mood/behavior. If they were to make this a rule though, I would not expect the school to offer drinks and candy at the snack bar during lunch hour either, which they certainly did when I was in school.
I think there is a certain amount of control that we must give the schools when we send our children there. If they can't control them, how can they teach them?
This is why I homeschool.

 

while processed foods of different types may alter behavior for one child in a bad way, it may not have that reaction to every child. The school has no business telling parents what to feed their kids. Now if a particular child is having behavior issues, I think it would be permissible for the school/parent to meet and bring up diet issues as a possible culprit.
But punishing all parents/kids by infringing on their rights, is wrong.
But to me this is similar to requiring uniforms. It all goes the same route mentally. Eat the same, dress the same, read the same book, ride the big yellow bus, and here are the strict rules that we make no exceptions to. BLAH! that is why my kids are homeschooled