No Roots, No Shoots

This is excellent article on the evolving state of school lunches (thanks Sonya!):

Ann Cooper, a chef and author who works as a consultant to help districts revamp their school lunches, says it’s time to put nutrition education on par with other academic subjects.

Cooper, who calls herself a renegade lunch lady, says healthy diets are just as important as good instruction. You wouldn’t let a 12-year-old decide that he doesn’t need to take math and English, she says. Nor should you allow the same child to decide he won’t eat any vegetables.

“If you are dying of a food-related disease,” Cooper says, “geometry means nothing.”

Grand County is ready for better school lunches. We simply need to demand it, both as a moral and fiscal priority.

I've heard the argument that kids who aren't getting healthy meals at home won't eat "home-cooked" meals at school, and I don't buy it. They are the ones who need it the most, and if some parents don't have the wherewithal or desire to feed their kids well, then we as a community must take on that responsibility. It's in our own best interests.

To me, it's as basic as having clean air to breathe, or a dry, secure place to sleep - a couple of days in smoggy air, or a few nights of damp and cold won't kill you, but a lifetime (or childhood) of them will absolutely take their toll.