When I was in Vancouver, Canada last month, a Canadian friend looked me square in the eye and told me flat-out: "That's the real problem with your country, Steve: industries, corporations, and other special interests with enough money and lobbyists call the shots about what is "good" for the American people."
After hearing this infuriating story on NPR the other day (Congress Pushes Back On Healthier School Lunches), I couldn't hep but think hard about what my Canadian friend had said to me.
Don't have enough time to read the NPR story? Let me help you with a few excerpts:
A spending bill released last Monday would unravel school lunch standards the Agriculture Department proposed earlier this year ... limiting the use of potatoes on the lunch line, putting new restrictions on sodium and boosting the use of whole grains.
The legislation would block or delay all of those efforts.
Food companies that produce frozen pizzas for schools, the salt industry and potato growers requested the changes and lobbied Congress.
"It's unfortunate that some members of Congress continue to put special interests ahead of the health of America's children," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.Some have pointed out that the congressional caving in to special interests on this issue harms not only America's schoolchildren, but all Americans, since unhealthy food habits formed in childhood can last a lifetime. Some go so far as to say it imperils our military. In the article, a group of retired generals called Mission: Readiness calls poor nutrition in school lunches a national security issue because obesity is the leading medical disqualifier for military service.
Well, Americans, do not fear. The GreenTech Geek has found a little technological gizmo that can stem the tide of brain-dead Members of Congress putting the kabush on desperately needed, healthier school lunches:
Find out what it is after the jump!
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Meet the Jawbone UP, a little wrist band that communicates with a free app on your smartphone and prods you to not only eat better but also sleep better, exercise better and, in short, live better.
Selling for just $99 online and at some retailers, the Jawbone UP is bound to be a hot gift item this season ... and certainly perfect to pair with any number of typical New Years resolutions. Here's a quick look at the Jawbone UP:
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| Until next Monday ... |
9 comments/sarcastic remarks:
I am a school nutrition director and also a registered dietitian. For the record, I want to point out that under current rules, technically, if there are two tablespoons of tomato paste on a pizza, we can count this as a vegetable contribution. However, speaking for most school nutrition professionals, at least in the state I operate in, we wouldn't even consider doing it. Our programs are abundant in fresh fruit and vegetables and thankfully, we do not have to rely on counting tablespoons of tomato paste on pizzas as a source of vegetables. For more information on all the positive things that are happening in school nutrition across the nation, check out School Meals That Rock:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SchoolMealsThatRock
I am an enthusiastic eater and also a registered glutton. For the record, I want to point out that if there are two tablespoons of tomato paste on a school pizza then those kids are spoiled and enjoying a savory, nutrition packed treat that should be counted as a serving of vegetables.
I remember school pizza looking all dried out and raggedy, like this..
http://www.944.com/data/top9/233/1.jpg
If there is one teaspoon of tomato paste on that pizza its very well hidden.
This is the same governmennt that once listed "butter and fortified margarine" as one of the basic 7 things you needed to eat each day for health (http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/food/21406-l.jpg if you don't believe me)... but trying to educate anybody to eat vegetables these days will get you labeled un-American.
Exactly YoMamma, so it's nice to see the Agriculture Department at least TRYING to right some wrongs from a more ignorant era. But it kind of sucks when their efforts to do so are thwarted by the power of money over public good infecting our political system.
The only way that Jawbone UP could help me achieve a healthier lifestyle is if it actually sent an electrical shock up my arm when I tried to put a cupcake in my mouth.
Otherwise, why not just save $99 and set alarms on your cell phone telling you when to sleep, eat, and exercise?
Marja, I will be learning more about the Jawbone UP, but I believe a feature that makes it more than just reminders on your cell phone is that its associated app compiles the data it gathers about your health habits and can make recommendations based on that data, triggering the wrist band to help you stick to those recommended actions.
Marja, your middle name wouldn't be Pavlov would it? ;)
Good gosh, this is truly depressing news on the school lunch front. What happens then is that it further drives kids away from eating in a healthy fashion. Our daughter is in the third grade, and already a good 30% of the kids in her class would be considered overweight or obese. Sad.
Green Investing, you're so right on. If more concerned parents like you got together to insist on changes in school lunches, maybe good change could happen.
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