Research: Lunch Lessons

Lunch Lessons by Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes was a great place to start my research into the world of organics and children's diets. I am fairly certain that if my strength holds up to the consumer markets that we live in, my children will NOT be eating school lunch! Here is some interesting information from the book:

• “More than 35 percent of our nation’s children are overweight, 25 percent are obese, and 14 percent have type 2 diabetes, a condition previously seen primarily in adults. Processed foods…not only contribute to obesity, they also contain additives and preservatives and are tainted with herbicide and pesticide residues that are believed to cause a variety of illnesses, including cancer. In fact, current research shows that 40 percent of all cancers are attributed to diet.” P. XIV

• “Doctors learn almost nothing about nutrition during their many years of education: In 2003 a nutrition course was required at only 40 percent of medical schools.” P.2

• “More than 2.5 million children have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and an additional 15 percent of children have borderline hyperactivity or behavioral issues. During our research we discovered nearly 100 studies validating the hypothesis that food dyes and additives are a factor in attention and behavioral disorders and can increase the incidence of ADHD. In one of those studies 73 percent of children placed on a diet free from chemical additives, dyes, and artificial sweetners showed a reduction in hyperactivity and an increase in attention.” P. 7

• “U.S. agriculture uses 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides each year—roughly 5 pounds for every American.” P. 18

• “Most Americans have traces of a half dozen pesticides in their urine.” P.37

• Precautionary Principle: better safe than sorry “when an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.” P. 90

• “Research shows that 80 percent of all cancer can be prevented through healthful diet and exercise.” 90

• “In less that 200 years we have gone from being a nation of farmers (more than 95 percent) to a nation which less than 2 percent of the population grows our food.” P. 102

• “Strawberries are the most pesticide-laden food of all. Because they are small and not easy to wash, choose organic ones to keep your family safe.” 151

• “Harvard Medical School nutritionists report that ‘by our most conservative estimate, replacement of partially hydrogenated fat in the US diet with natural unhydrogenated vegetable oil would prevent between 30,000 and 100,000 premature deaths a year.” p. 177

• “Today Americans spend 90 percent of their budgets on processed foods.” P. 181

• “A chicken McNugget is mushed-up little bits of dozens of chickens, plus over 50 chemicals and additives.” P.186

• “The direct and indirect medical costs of obesity now consume more than 10 percent of the U.S. Health care budget.” P. 201

These are some scary facts and I am sure that they will provide good fodder for my paper! Just thought I would share some interesting info for those out there that are curious too!