By Kate Leo
Childhood obesity has been increasing for years, and the movement for schools to present more healthy options for breakfast and lunch has gained support. Although there have been studies since the late 1900s about the lack of nutrition in these meals, it wasn’t until Michelle Obama’s initiative with the Let’s Move project and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that regulations for these healthier options became universal throughout the country.
The Let’s Move initiative, started by Michelle Obama, was started to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. Our societal norms have changed with technology being a major factor, and expectations surrounding physical activity, snacks, and home-cooked meals have changed significantly. With an increase in snacking and processed foods combined with a lack of exercise, early childhood obesity has become a problem. Obesity is such a large issue because of the health problems that result. Children are more susceptible to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, and discrimination. Once you are obese, it is arguably much harder to revert back to healthy habits.
The Healthy-Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) was an extension of this movement that aimed to provide healthy options for all kids and more strict guidelines for meals offered in schools. Arguably, schools have the opportunity to play a large role in limiting childhood obesity by modeling healthy habits and providing substantial, nutritional meals throughout the day. Some of the main features of the Act was that it set nutritional standards for meals, vending machines, and school stores along. It also provided funding for schools to have healthier options. The new meal guidelines included having more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, low-fat dairy, and less sodium. While there was initial concern on the effects of this new Act and how that would affect involvement in school lunch programs and food waste, studies have proven that this did not end up being a problem. Many have seen that children who are presented with healthy options will choose healthy options.
However, recently, the Trump administration has been pushing back on these regulations. While they still want to enforce some sort of guidelines, they would like to have more options under the fruit and vegetable category. The administration argues that students are in fact throwing too much away and not eating enough; part of the HHFKA was trying to control portion sizes, but there was also significant pushback on that because one would argue that a varsity athlete needs more than an average student to function. In the past couple of years, there have been rules instated that revise the initial regulation. It will be interesting to see how this debate continues with the next presidential election approaching, especially as new studies and arguments are continuously occurring about schools’ impact on reducing obesity.
Sourceshttps://www.fns.usda.gov/pressrelease/2014/009814 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/17/us/politics/michelle-obama-school-nutrition-trump.html https://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/get-active
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