Chocolate Milk

Following our discussion in class about foods offered to children in schools, I spoke to my mom about the topic. We discussed the Jamie Oliver presentation and I explained what was said and how much I agreed with it. To my surprise, however, she didn't immediately agree with me and, instead, posed the question, "Where do you really think obesity in children begins? At school or at home?"

I tried arguing for Jamie Oliver's perspective but soon realized that schools are not the only place where obesity is developing in children in today's society. True, many students get their breakfast and lunches from schools today, but they learn about what foods they eat and how big of a portion size is deemed as "acceptable" from their experiences at home. Although I appreciate Jamie Oliver's move to reform schools and their lunches, I also agree with my mom in that it all truly begins at home. I agree with his stance that because children simply are not knowledgable about some foods and, therefore, will not eat them, we need to teach kids about these foods and let them know that it's alright to try something they may not have seen or tasted before! In addition to this, strides need to be made to teach parents in addition to their children. An ideal situation is a dual program that teaches families as a whole at a school district about the types of foods they are giving their students so that the family can change their lifestyle at home and not just rely on schools to make those changes for them.