I am so frustrated with our schools. How can the institutions we trust with our children make such unhealthy choices for them? I saw two patients today who each loved to buy hot school lunch each day. I explained to each of them that school lunches are beyond unhealthy. My nutrition system divides food into green light (Go!), yellow light (Slow!), and red light (Uh Oh!) categories based on their caloric/nutritive values. Almost every school lunch served contains at least one red light food. Some even count as two or more! Each child gets two red lights to use each week. There is no way to eat school hot lunch each day and lose weight. I advised both patients to bring lunch instead of buying. I also gave them the option of buying other lunch options such as sandwiches or salads. One patient opted to bring lunch each day. The other refused to give in and bought hot lunch each day. Other than that, they both follow the plan. The patient that brought lunch lost about 2 pounds this week. The other patient gained half a pound. The bottom line is that school lunches are not compatible with a healthy diet. It is sad, but true. I tell patients that love school lunch to pick their favorite lunch each week and use it as one of their reds. There is no food that is completely off limits. But school lunch every day is too fattening... I urge you all to consider these thoughts when planning your child's lunches.
By the way- please post comments... I have been hearing that you guys are reading the posts but not writing. Write something and let me know you are out there!
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About Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.
- Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.
- Roslyn, NY, United States
- I am a pediatrician whose practice solely deals with child and adolescent weight management. I grew up in Roslyn, New York and attended Princeton University. I continued my education at NYU School of Medicine and completed my Pediatric Residency training at Columbia Presbyterian's Children's Hospital of New York. I have previously worked as a private practice pediatrician, helping children reach their weight loss goals. I am a Board Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Most important, I am the proud mother of two children, Zachary, age 5 and Danielle, age 2. My husband and I live in Roslyn, New York.
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2 comments:
I am out here, I am reading, and I am also frustrated about school lunch.
As a candidate for NY City Council, a major part of my platform is improving our NYC public schools. Frankly, up until reading your blog- I hadn't thought about reforming the school lunch program- but now I will definitely look into it - so thanks!
I am glad that a politician is taking note of this major problem with the school system. According to sources, there are rules in place regarding the school lunches but there are few, if any, enforcers of the rules. Nobody is checking up on the schools and so the schools are free to serve what they please. It really is shameful what our schools are serving our children. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help this cause.
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