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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 23 October 2007 07:43 am |
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Do teens really have it hard when it comes to eating healthy?
My first debate topic on caloriesperhour. What do you think about the way teenagers eat today? Y'know, each day in the cafeteria, I am forced to look at the millions of food choices they offer us. Want to know what delicious and oh-so nutritious things are available? Pizza, fries, cereal bars, power bars, MnMs, Snickers, Slushies and the newly added Cappacinos. Healthy eating is nearly impossible at my school or virtually any school.
I found only 3 healthy items out of at least 40 offered in the cafeteria: water, the optional lunch salad, and a lonely bowl of fruit hiding below the tower of potato chips.
People wonder why we, typically us teens, seem to be increasing in weight so severely, well just check the cafeteria.
This topic is again, open for debate so shoot!
P.S, In case you're wondering, I bring my lunch. A fruit salad consisting of 1/2 a small green apple, 1/2 banana, strawberries, a sandwich of whole grain bread lettuce and rice with a little nutrigrain bar.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 23 October 2007 10:38 am |
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I go to college where most of the pupils are teens (16-19). The catering operation apparently changed a year ago and now they're supposed to be offering healthy choices.
Really?
I think a salad is about £1. You get a pityfully small plastic box and you have to carefully navigate around the mayonaise choices etc. You could get a healthy byte but it is interesting how poor value the salad looks compared to the unhealthier cooked food choices.
The only healthy choice is fruit. There is a selection and the price is actually subsidised at 25p per piece of fruit (which they will wash for you, if you like).
I have not spotted anyone going for any healthy choices though.
Most students use the 6 vending machines at every opportunity. Needless to say, I don't think there is a single healthy choice there either.
I bring my own lunch - it is the only realistic option!
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 23 October 2007 04:10 pm |
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Oh, no problem posting, this poll is open for everyone...even for those of you who aren't exactly teenagers anymore . Good thoughts.
P.S, do you go to college just to study, are you a teacher....?
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clarinetgurl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 24 October 2007 12:58 am |
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I think in some ways, yes, we have it harder. If a teen must eat what the family eats, the family is not health conscious, and there is a limited budget involved I can see where that would make it very difficult.
Also, I agree with you on the school cafeteria food. Our school has made some effort to be healthier...fruit is offered every day, there is a salad bar usually at least three days a week..but the healthy options, honestly, look so unappetizing. Those salad ingredients sit out for probably two hours...do I really want wilting veggies? I don't like to eat "fresh" ingredients that are not "fresh", you know?
And the hot meal bar honestly looks so gross to me. I don't know if it is having seen the same meal options for nearly three and a half years, or if they have always been that unappealing...but the food just does not look good. And I'm sure none of it is actually that healthy anyway...who really knows what's in it?
We actually have a main dish called "Chuckwagon Steak" and one of the kids asked the lunch lady what it was...she said none of them know!? 
I think...it is harder, but it can be done. At least in most people's cases. As long as you really really want it.
CG
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IndecentOpinion
New Member
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Posted: 29 October 2007 06:49 pm |
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First off, it has been a long time since I posted in this forum!
Anyway... I'm glad to be back.
I gained the "freshman 15" during my first semester, and I don't think it's necessarily because of the poor food choices we have at school. Of course, they could be improved... but that's another story.
My problem was that most of the healthy lunch choices were just really expensive... Our salads are 7 dollars! So, having little money, I had to choose unhealthier options just because they were cheaper. I'm sure this isn't every teenager's reasoning for gaining weight... I'm just sharing my experience with what happened to me.
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 29 October 2007 07:38 pm |
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Freshmen 15? I've never heard about that before. Oh lord, I hope I don't gain 15 pounds! I don't even want 1!!! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Well that's my dramatic comment for the day...lol! In all seriousness I hope I don't gain anything but I probably shouldn't. Though I can afford the healthy lunches (that are really unapealing) even better than I can the not-so-healthy ones, I still prefer to bring my own...that's the best solution. That way I actually have some idea as to where on Earth it's been and making my lunch all week will save me a lot of money.
Oooo...apifany! (I totally spelled that wrong, I know)
Maybe teenagers have more control than they think...after all, is it really so much to ask for 15 minutes out of a night to prepare a decent lunch?
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clarinetgurl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 29 October 2007 11:17 pm |
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"Epiphany" 
Freshmen fifteen, eww. I better not gain the freshman fifteen.
I thought it was the freshmen forty now? 
Indecent Opinion! Long time no see! Is college keeping you that busy?
1seekspie: For some people it may not be a matter of time, but $$, mightn't it?
CG
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jenny85
New Member
| Joined: | 26 October 2007 |
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| Posts: | 45 |
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Posted: 30 October 2007 06:07 am |
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Oh yes.. I can remember quite well what was in our high school cafeteria.
- Taco Bell Burritos
- Personal Pizza hut pepperoni pizzas
- The 'Colassal Burger' (1,000+ calories)
- Greasy french fries
- Huge sub sandwhiches from a local deli
- Otis spunkmeyer cookies!
- Large m&m cookies that are 900 calories each (I remember the day I actually looked at the nutrition info on these!)
Yet at the same time, Elementry schools are banning kids from bringing cupcakes to school for birthday parties........the school board is a bunch of hypocrites!
I remember fondly feeling proud of myself at lunch for ignoring all the delicious food all my friends were eating.... BUT.. I do not think it's the students fault when there is not a variety of healthy foods available. There was really nothing healthy being offered at my school except water! Kids didn't even have the CHOICE to be healthy if they didn't bring their lunch.
Such a shame!
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 30 October 2007 04:29 pm |
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Okay - I think I have this covered from both sides, since I have been a teen and now am not, as I recently had pointed out to me! (hi, clarinetgirl  ).
The argument about family meals doesn't really stand up, because the poor choices would apply to the whole family - and teens have more opportunities to be active.
It's difficult, when you're a teen (well, it was for me) to imagine that you're not, in fact, immortal - or at least that you have plenty of time to put right anything that you get wrong. Unfortunately, a predisposition to gain fat isn't put right that easily. Once you have the fat cells, they don't go away - they just shrink.
I worked recently in a foreign country, where the food choices at work were dire. This was solved by taking along cheap and nutritious meals and snacks that I could store in my desk. Would I have done this when I was a teen? Doubt it! It was a bit of a pain, having to pre-plan and shop etc. - but I've experienced the alternative. Making good choices is much easier than losing weight after years of making bad choices.
My but I'm waffling on. So, do I think things are harder for teens? In the final analysis, I suppose I do, but mainly because they've not had that much experience of making hard choices in life.
If the education system were better at communicating easily-understood information (and decent school meals, for that matter)... But that will take generations to bring into effect.
One thing today's teens have that wasn't available to me is a great website like this one that has so much pertinent information. I'd have killed (slight exaggeration) for access to this sort of stuff back when I was making the wrong choices.
Which I suppose means that I'm still wavering about my vote in this poll...
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 30 October 2007 07:35 pm |
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Interestingly, the more choice that young people are given regarding food items, the less healthy foods they eat (according to the latest white paper released, there's a link to it in Nirs diary I think, if not, PM me and I'll direct you in the right direction). This indicates that people tend to eat junk food if they can and have to be guided towards healthier choices. If the guidance (pretty firm guidance) isn't there, they won't eat the healthy choices and the high fat influence gains a firm hold.
Interesting, so this would appear to confirm the idea that we should make our children eat their greens (in order for them to develop a taste for such items as they would otherwise avoid). This flies in the face of a lot of child rearing theory.
B
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clarinetgurl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 30 October 2007 11:20 pm |
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My point with the family meals thing was this: Jack and Jill are both overweight. They both want to become healthy.
Jack's family is well off, and while they may or may not be health conscious, they are fine with buying "special foods" that Jack requests (whole grains, fresh veggies, fruits, etc), regardlessof whether the rest of the family wants it or not.
Jill's family is on a limited budget. Her parents decide what groceries to buy each week. Jill can make suggestions, but if it's not something the rest of the family wants to eat, then Jill is out of luck. And Jill's family like greasy, fatty, calorific...
In this circumstance, does not Jack have the advantage over Jill?
CG
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 31 October 2007 01:04 am |
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Great thoughts everyone! On one hand we've got people saying teens have little control over their diets but on the other we've got people saying that they have all the control. In fact, most people are saying BOTH!
But the question is...is it 50/50...teens fault and everyone elses fault...or is it 51/49 one way or the other? Keep up the thoughts...here's my input:
Exhibit A for the argument that it's the teens fault: Each week my dance teacher talks to us girls about how we can sucessfully lose weight and stay in shape. She knows what we all want and she tells us the best exercises, how long we should do them for and how to maintain a good diet. It's not like we're short on advice...if we ignore it...it's our own problem!
Exhibit B for the argument that it's extremely hard for a teenager to eat well: Parents control what goes into the grocery cart. Unless a kid wants to work for and or steal money to buy his/her own healthy food (difficult!) he or she is pretty much stuck with the parents' decisions. It shows too. Has anyone ever seen those awful Maury Povich shows with the obese 2-5 year olds? I've caught glimpses of them while channel surfing on the one-in-a-blue-moon weekday off school. Dispicable, right? My point is take a look at the moms of the children...not to be mean but they don't exactly appear fit either. In fact you don't even have to watch a Maury show...just pay attention to the world around you. You see an overweight child it's likely the parent(s) is to! Coincidence? I don't think so.
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 31 October 2007 08:02 am |
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Thought provoking 1SP, however, I think the really big battle faced by a teenager losing, or trying to lose weight is the battle against what they are used to. If you have never or rarely eaten "healthy food" then your taste buds will be used to high fat, high sugar and high salt tastes. In this situation, it must be exceptionally difficult for you to quickly "teach yourself" to appreciate less highly flavoured foods. Many teenagers, like other young people (and many adults) tend to be naturally conservative and therefore prefer, if they can, to stick to the foods they know and are familiar with. I think that it is probably half the battle to be able to truly and genuinely prefer "a piece of fruit" to a "chocolate topped muffin".
It is difficult when you don't have control over the grocery budget, but if you do a bit of research for yourself, perhaps offer the main grocery shopper a helping hand with the grocery shopping and food preparation, you can suggest a few lower calorie, healthier alternatives ("Mum, can we get the apples rather than the chocolate biscuits? You know the doctor told Dad that he needed to watch his cholesterol" type of thing).
Also, if you can help with the grocery shopping then you can make suggestions for lower calorie, lower fat, lower salt, lower sugar meals or food items which require preparation (while you are actually going around the supermarket. Making things yourself is often cheaper and if you offer to do the donkey work (making or preparing the item) your Mum will probably be delighted at saving money and effort.
Lastly, and this is a bit sneaky, if you are right about family eating habits being a learned thing (and this is a very prevalent view - except with Prader-Willi) then the chances are that if you are overweight, other female members of your family are also likely to be so. Try appealing to your Mum's vanity. If you manage to convince her that she needs to lose, and offer to help to prepare delicious healthy foods which are going to save her time (because you will do the preparation work) and money you must be onto a winner, surely?
My mother was fat. I was fat. I had a very strange relationship with my mother. She was fat before I was born, and when I showed signs of being a skinny child she literally force fed me- literally. Soon she didn't need to do so and I developed into an overweight child. I yoyoed backwards and forwards between overweight/obesity and underweight right through my teens until I was married and had children, since when I have been morbidly obese most of the time. She wasn't able to cope with the idea of another female being thin when she was so fat. Because of this she didn't see either of my sisters voluntarily after they left home as teenagers and any meetings were fraught with tension and family arguments.
Perhaps if I had tried the strategies I have laid out above I would have managed to crack the nut - but the way it appeared to me, Mum was only ever happy with what made me unhappy. She wanted to see me covered in rolls of fat - so, because I had no importance or influence wether inside or outside the family, I had no choice but to do what she wanted. Anything for a quiet life. Soon it became a habit and then a "compulsion". Yes, she changed my eating habits and I am still paying the price now.
I went to boarding school, away from my mother for 9 months out of 12, but by then the damage was done and I added secret eating (in fear of discovery of my fellow boarders) to my bad eating habits. I grew up ashamed, lonely and fat. I was powerless: a small child with no influence and no control. It has taken me nearly 40 years to decide to take control.
I'm going to post this before I change my mind.
Becci
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 31 October 2007 10:59 pm |
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I liked your "what teenagers are used to" argument. That's why it makes it hard for them to lose weight and the food they ate is what got them to be overweight in the first place. Yes...we teens grow up doing things a certain way we aren't going to be too happy about changing! I just spent the last 3 years slowly putting a stop to all my bad habbits and introducing better ones. These bad habbits included poor grades, eating badly, dressing in the WORST outfits, not making friends well, and having the sheer unwillingness to participate in out-of-school clubs and activities. It's was so hard to change all of that...I didn't want to but I realized that if I ever wanted to make a decent life for myself, I would have to change sometime.
I also think you're right about teens having power of persuasion/suggestion on their side. And yes...it is possible for teenagers to somehow get the right foods stocked in their home. Still...it all depends on moms and some moms are just more stubborn than others.
By the way, my heart really goes out to you for what you had to put up with, with your mother . My own mother had to put up with similar cruelty. Though she was never forced to over-eat...she was forced to wear horrible dresses, forced out of the house for going on a date with a boy, and finally, forced to call the police when her mother wouldn't give her the clothes she needed (when she decided to run away with her boyfriend for good).
My life hasn't been 100% perfect and I have had my own weight struggles but I know that my mom will always be there for me. You, like my mom went through a lot, but based on your posts, I can tell you grew up to be a wonderful person and mother!
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 1 November 2007 11:00 am |
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Yes, I think the philosophy of "what doesn't kill me makes me strong" is definitely one that I endorse.
B
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 1 November 2007 02:13 pm |
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Surely, the 'what they're used to' argument doesn't apply just to teens. I know from my own observation that most yo-yo dieters are in the same position.
You may have made a conscious decision that you're going to eat healthily, but that doesn't mean your unconscious mind (very selfish, and not at all health-oriented) is going to agree.
Thing is, I grew up eating the same food (pretty much) as my parents. I was overweight and they weren't. Difference? They worked for a living and had worries and stresses I couldn't begin to imagine (back then).
Plus (and it's a big plus) I was allowed to eat between meals (large meals at that) so my calorie consumption more than made up for my relatively active sports regime.
I was miserable about being overweight, but my parents didn't have the knowledge to understand why that was - and I certainly didn't have a clue.
Like I posted earlier, I wish that info such as CPH.com had been available to me then. I was a voracious reader and I'd have studied every word!
Last edited on 1 November 2007 02:16 pm by nevd
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 1 November 2007 06:58 pm |
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Yes...I, and many others are very lucky to have found CPH.
Anyway, you're right about an unconcious mind being very selfish and not health oriented! Mine was last night! DARN YOU MIND! I don't know what happened. All my self-control went out the door and I forgot all I'd learned over the years with reguards to health. I ate so much junk food (I mean I wasn't woofing it down but I ate a moderate amount over the course of a few hours) and next thing I know...it's 2 in the morning at my friend's sleep-over and I have to go throw up! Oh lordy, it was AWFUL! It was liked time stopped dead in its tracks leaving me and my sore stomach. When I was done (or so I thought) my friend said to eat a piece of bread and drink sips of soda. I reluctantly took the soda but the bread---forget about it! The candy and the popcorn were still out there and the mere sight of them made me want to explode! I'll spare you all the details but this morning I vowed to stay away from all the candy I collected last night. I almost pitched it but my mom likes to sift through it and have the occasional piece. You'll be happy to know my breakfast was a bananna, some orange juice, and a glass of milk. I didn't even touch the pancakes my friend's mom made. Nothing but healthy stuff today...sweet, sweet healthy stuff.
Well that was my halloween horror-story. I hope it doesn't seem too off-topic...I think it basically proves that if flung in the face with candy, junk food, what have you enough time...people (teenagers especially) will eventually give in-----and pay the price! Like me with my candy hangover! Ug, I still feel crummy.
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 1 November 2007 09:49 pm |
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Surely, the 'what they're used to' argument doesn't apply just to teens. I know from my own observation that most yo-yo dieters are in the same position.
Absolutely, that argument is n ot just limited to teens, NevD. It is an argument which is very widely applicable, but it is just as relevant to teens as to adults, and so therefore I thought it might be salient to post it in this thread where newcomer teens might see it, attracted by the title of the thread which specifically states the thread is about "teens" having a hard time because they don't have 100% control over the family eating resources.
B
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joanne81
New Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 05:51 am |
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In New Zealand unhealthy food/drink have been banned from school cafe's. The cafe at my highschool has quite a variety of healthy menu options...generally quite low fat. There is no greasy food. A piece of fruit is free with your purchase.
Although there is still abit of junk lurking but the main "lunch" items tend to be decent. The burgers aren't greasy, there are no pastry items, chips only come as seasoned wedges, wraps and paninis, sushi, low fat muffins and scones for example...
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 09:14 am |
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In New Zealand unhealthy food/drink have been banned from school cafe's. The cafe at my highschool has quite a variety of healthy menu options...generally quite low fat. There is no greasy food. A piece of fruit is free with your purchase.
Although there is still abit of junk lurking but the main "lunch" items tend to be decent. The burgers aren't greasy, there are no pastry items, chips only come as seasoned wedges, wraps and paninis, sushi, low fat muffins and scones for example...
Thanks to Jamie Oliver, the same is supposed to be true in the UK - and yet my teenage daughter, who is in a mainstream state high school, tells me that although chips are largely unavailable, the only food you can buy in her school is high sugar and high fat, albeit unappetising and unappealing to teenagers (as well as anyone else).
As most of you will know, I work in HE, and to be honest, the only healthy choice available anywhere on our City Campus is fruit or bottles of water. Everything else is either high fat (e.g. flapjacks, chocolate, crisps, chips), high sugar (e.g. flapjacks, chocolate, cakes, cereal bars), huge portions (e.g. the chips, baps and rolls availabe on campus)and incredibly high prices.
I have no choice but to take a lunchbox prepared at home, otherwise I would never lose an ounce - and the struggle against the smorgasboard of delightful distracting delicacies is a daily one (which I sometimes lose).
But then again, if there was nothing but healthy choices available, I suppose both the school kids and uni kids would probably vote with their feet and go across the road/town to buy food that they want to eat (be it fast food or cheesy options, as in nelly's school).
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 05:38 pm |
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That sounds great! It's nice to see some nations and areas taking the initiative to make school lunches healthier. The exact opposite seems to be happening at my school  .
They just introduced the slushie machine, chocolate cereal bars (yes the ultra-high in sugar ones), and these "instant breakfast chocolate shakes." Of course, my peers are rushing in line behind the snack bars to get some of these things! They also introduced something even I can bearly resist: cappacinos. On that note, however, I think that the school really only hurt itself by doing so. Think about it...high-sugar, high caffeine drinks being handed out to us (already hyper) teenagers? And right before we go to class?
The school board really needs to step up and gain more control over what is supplied in the cafeteria because what's going in there now is only harming our health and our learning environment. Still, we are the ones who are buying these things. Fortunately, most of my peers seem to maintain a good physique even with all they eat...mostly because of their high metabolisms and their sports obsessions.
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clarinetgurl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 06:10 pm |
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They took out all the vending and soda machines from our middle school, and the snack bar. But there are still...let me see...four coke machines and...I think like seven vending machines at our high school. I can stay away from the vending machine most of the time, maybe some chips occasionally. They also added a yogurt/milk/juice machine, which is pretty cool...
CG
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 07:43 pm |
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I think I am correct in stating that vending machines for fizzy drinks are completely banned in schools in the Uk,and have been for some years now. I think snacks on sale have to fall within certain low fat and low sugar parameters too. Even kids who take in a packed lunch from home can have items confiscated if they items don't fall within the parameters set by the school. That last one is a bit beyond the pale, in my opinion.
For example, my son is 18. He is not allowed to have salt on his chips. They only have chips once a fortnight at his school. Would it really hurt him so much to have salt, just that once? And how far do we go when it comes to controlling people. He's 18. In law, he is a man. Yes, he has a number of disabilities. Yes, he is still in education, but I feel that he has the right to make choices now. Gordon Brown wants kids to stay on in education. Good idea - but making it impossible for them to eat anything they like is not the way to go. Martin enjoys healthy choices - but at 18 he wants the rights to be able to make a choice once in a while - just like any other legal adult.
B
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 4 November 2007 08:20 pm |
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I'm in a 16+ further education college. Fizzy drinks (diet and regular) are available from vending machines, chips is served every day, salt and pepper are available every day.
So if what you say is correct, I guess it applies to schools but not to colleges ?
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 08:50 pm |
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That would definitely appear to be the case. I guess that must be because the user groups of schools are not legal adults (excpe for a few finishing the second year of their A levels) while FE colleges have a significant proportion of adult returners doing Access courses and other courses (like yourself). I suppose the Govt can't justify telling full grown adults what they can and can't eat, but they get away with controlling kids, because there is no come back and they can claim to have the children's best interests at heart.
Officially, my son's "school" is an FE college, but they all have disabilities, and are therefore relatively voiceless. I've advised Martin to stand up for himself, but he isn't that type of person - and yet I don't feel that this is a situation where he would relish his Mum standing up for him - whcih is probably why they are getting away with it. Heavy sigh.
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 4 November 2007 09:41 pm |
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Yes, that is why the issue at hand is contreversial.
Teachers and students and everyone else for that matter need to find a middleground concerning what we eat and what is provided. I don't think anyone is against us eating healthier foods, but the schools (knowingly or unknowingly) make it a challenge...at least ones like mine.
Though the schools like you've mentioned, Ohm, seem to not only be encouraging healthy eating but doing all they can to ensure it. So much so that in fact they're controlling it (and seem to be going a little overboard with it).
The best solution would be for schools to provide mainly healthy dishes (and not pre-packaged "healthy things" either) in which the cafeteria workers actually prepare themselves. What ever happened to the school "cooks" actually cooking? Is it really that hard to make something like a fresh salad dish? There are all sorts of healthy recipes out there with little preparation.
Then again...if the schools do decide to make healthier choices available and cut out a lot of junkfood...they still need to let teens be teens and if they want to bring in some MnMs of chips...confiscating them is not the answer as teens need to be able to make their own choices. If they want to be really unhealthy...it's their decision and they become accountable.
I'm not up to speed on what schools are doing internationally or even nationally. I'm poorly traveled and the news rarely shows anything beyond violence so you'll all have to keep me updated on goings on with schools and stuff.
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Ohm
Senior Member
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Posted: 5 November 2007 09:57 am |
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Ah, yes, I could not agree more. You are so right - but they governments have closed down most of the school kitchens in an effort to save money. For the county in which I live (Northumberland) the schools all get the same food froma central kitchen, bussed around to them in heated vans. So the food, when it arrives, is not piping hot nor appetising - so the kids, (already not very motivated to eat healthy food) are further put off by the unnappetising mess with which they are presented and vote with their feet (that is, they get lunch passes to go home, as does my daughter or they take in a packed lunch and just hope that they don't get inspected - in which case half of their food will be confiscated for not being healthy enough).
Healthy food can be so tasty. My fat free bolognaise is legendary, my stews and stir fries are so tasty I can start drooling just thinking about them, friends beg me to make my pasta bakes for them. Healthy kebabs are incredible - you can even cook curries and pakora without oil and with filo pastry to make them lower in fat. You can't blame kids for turning their noses up at the boring, over cookes, bland and tasteless muck they receive from the central kitchen at inflated prices.
B
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nevd
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 9 November 2007 06:33 pm |
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I noticed when viewing the poll results in this thread that the statistics are obviously controlled by the British Government (that is, they're wildly wrong!)
5 votes in total: 4 for option 1 (given as 100%) and 1 for option 2 (given as 25%).
So, unless I'm semi-comatose (not impossible, as my wife would attest), that's 125% in total. Is the extra 25% perhaps some sort of sales tax?
I think we should be told...
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1seekspie
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 9 November 2007 11:35 pm |
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| Umm....Idk how that happened. I noticed that too...that is kind of weird. This poll is not a cheat, I swear!
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Miiake
New Member
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Posted: 27 December 2007 09:57 pm |
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I go to a private school, and I can say that for the amount of money paid in tuition, they should have a huge variety of food options. I've read a few of the posts here, and it seems like alot of colleges and schools really don't care about what they feed their students. In my school, we have the usual pizza, french fries, and potato chips- but we also get healthier food choices. I don't know if its because our school is just really small (tiny actually, 6 peeps make up the entire sophmore class), but our school cafeteria people will make you a fresh salad if you order in the morning, they sell fruit cups, and Frozefruit icepops (Very healthy compared to Snickers ice cream bars). They also sell different soups every day and will make you sandwiches on wheat bread if you ask them too.
I also visited the public school in my district, and the food there wasn't bad at all. They had 2 cafeteria's, and the one i visited would make you a custom food wrap, with wheat or plain bread, chicken/turkey/ham, veggies, and any condiments you ask for. They also had potato chips and soda and junk food, but it was hidden behind a pile of water bottles. Maybe it just depends where you live, and what the health standards in your state are?
If it comes down to family cooking that causes the problem, that should be easier to fix, imo. If its your family, you should be willing to talk to them about the diet, and see if you can convince them to cook healthier, or even just make you a small bowl of healthy food if the whole family doesn't wanna eat the same as you.
As for budget, I can't really say much there. You don't needa shop at the farmer's market and boy organic/kosher foods. They may have less preservatives than the usual stuff, but that doesnt mean that regular supermarket food is bad either. I can suggest looking for coupons, and buying different foods when theyre on sale, then freezing them til you're ready to cook it.
Anyway, just thought I'd add my opinion to the discussion. Take care all!
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Butterfly_Hourglass
New Member
| Joined: | 5 April 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 283 |
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Posted: 6 April 2008 03:58 am |
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The problem at lunch, at home eating breakfast or dinner, is that teens are WATCHED! Personally I despise it. Say, at breakfast my mom makes me something. I HAVE to eat it unless she’ll be worried I’m not eating at all. Same at lunch time with friends, or with people you aren’t really friends with. If you know people are judging you, and you are a bit thicker and go for the salad I can always hear that s#%@&! behind me of “OHHH She’s finally on a diet,” which of course could make anyone feel like #%@&! and maybe skip lunch. Then we binge at Dinner because we didn’t have enough to eat at lunch, and didn’t have any snacks.
On top of that we have stress, hormones going crazy like a five year old at a parade, and we eat what other people give us, not necessarily what is right.
So, in the end we do have to make more of an effort.
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