National School Breakfast Week

Every month has a special day, week or the entire month focused on promoting a cause, event or disease. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that the school breakfast is honored during National Nutrition Month. Since 1989 a week in March (this year it's the week of March 8th) is set aside to raise awareness of the availability of the School Breakfast Program for all school kids.Each year for over 20 years the School Nutrition Association develops a theme, special menus and educational materials to help schools promote not only the importance of eating breakfast, but also healthy eating and being active. After reviewing breakfast and lunch menus for many local schools, we're wondering if the families are as confused as we are by this promotion?Granted the program does provide a much needed meal for many children and we are of the opinion that eating breakfast (no matter what it is) is better than not eating breakfast but how can they call their menus 'healthy'? Many of the programs offer high sugar cereals & juice, toaster pastries and 2% milk (chocolate & strawberry – the preferred flavors). Hot meal choices may be breakfast pizza, pancake & sausage on a stick with syrup and fruit pastries. Fresh fruit, whole grain products and yogurt are rarely offered. With childhood obesity at epidemic levels does it make sense to suggest these are 'healthy' choices?We're not suggesting the School Breakfast Program is responsible for the obesity epidemic but they might want to think about the example they are setting. Children are being told it's important to eat healthy but the only things on the menu are highly processed, high fat, high sugar foods. So why are we so surprised when kids make poor food choices. They're just following our lead – they learn more by what we do, not what we say.So perhaps it's time to back up 'healthy eating' promotions with real 'healthy' food choices. There wouldn't be any confusion if the breakfast menu consisted of whole grain, low sugar cereals or oatmeal, unflavored skim or 1% milk, fresh fruit, low fat yogurt, scrambled eggs, and whole wheat toast. It might take a little time but studies suggest that kids will adjust and accept the changes (especially if that's the only choice). And in response to those that say we can't afford the changes – with childhood obesity costing us billions of dollars (and shortening the life expectancy of our next generation) how can we not afford to make the changes?.