Surgeon General Wants Healthier School Food

Amid childhood obesity rates that have doubled to 13% since 1980, Surgeon General David Satcher called on schools to provide healthier foods and limit student access to sugar and fat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture documents that two-year-olds get more added sugar from soda than cookies, ice-cream and candy combined. It also states that teenage males drink, on average, three cans of soda per day, and more than two-thirds of female children ages 14-18 exceed the daily recommendation for total fat and saturated fat intake.

Satcher has already come under attack from the National Soft Drink Association, which says the problem is "lack of exercise" not soda consumption. The National Restaurant Association calls Satcher's concerns over fast food "simplistic".

With 60% of American adults being overweight or obese, parents do not always see overweight as a problem.

Assuring that children eat healthy foods in school rests with both schools and parents. In order to improve the health and well-being of our nation's children, the schools must take the lead in providing nutrition education and healthy foods to children. Additionally parents must make sure that the money their children spend in the cafeteria on sweet treats is limited, and that lunchboxes are filled with nutritious foods.

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