How do I get the real world to listen

Here's my issue:

I know about children's nutrition after working on my paper for a semester now. But I think that ANY parent can understand that fruit loops and donuts are considered to be of poor nutritional value. It should not be a surprise.

Well apparently it is. My children have started a new daycare (we were very sad to leave our old one...) and overall it is really good. But... what are they feeding my children. We have been there for 3 weeks and these are some of the things we have seen. Jay has gotten fruit loops, donuts, canned (HFCS syrup) fruit, and some acceptable cereals. Sophie has also has fruit loops and donuts at least once. For snack Sophie gets crackers in the morning and afternoon. All kinds of crackers (graham, cheese, saltines, etc.) They have beef at least three times a week for lunch.

So I try to talk to the director about it yesterday. I play alittle dumb and say, "We are new, so we are just wondering if their diet is what is typical here" and things like "Are fruit loops an item that we can normally expect to see?" The director says that they have been in business for 20 years and had thousands of parents in and out and no one has ever complained before. (If that is true shame on those other parents....) Also they follow the strict DCFS guidelines (the same guidelines that claim that ketchup and salsa are vegetables). She ACTUALLY defended giving the kids sugar cereal and donuts for breakfast, saying that they get board of the other stuff. Well I can tell you that I haven't yet seen them make a piece of toast, or a bowl of oatmeal. I beleive that there are a number of other options available that are extremely more healthly. Her solution is that I bring in food to subistute the meals I don't agree with.

My problem with this is ten fold:
1. I pay for them to feed my children, I don't want to pay extra to feed them again.
2. If Jay has the choice between a donut and yogurt, it is a toss up on what he will pick. And that is because he is generally a fan of yogurt. But why does he get "punished" for their poor choices?
3. What about the other children that are getting sub-par nutrtition? We wonder why our kids are becoming obsese, well look at what we are feeding them.
4. How are these things allowed by children's services? This problem is systemic...

I am not asking them to go organic, nor am I asking them to dramatically change their ways. But I simply cannot understand DEFENDING FRUIT LOOPS! They are so clearly a terrible choice. I even suggested that they mix the sugar cereals with heart healthy ones and she scoffed at that.

I mentioned a few studies that I had found that says food dyes and sugars in children's diets have been directly linked to hyperactivity. And she said that she has a son with severe ADHD and that her family easts junk food all the time, so they cut it out and it didn't help so they went right back to eating junk food. I get so frustrated with the ignorant arguement "Well we eat junk and I am healthy" Are they actually so short sighted to not see the generations of damage that can build up from a poor diet? Cancer rates are rising, Obsesity, heart diease, ADHD, mental health have all been linked to a lifetime of processed foods. And all I want is for them not to half-ass their way around feeding the children at the center. But to her, "they won't eat the other stuff" OF COURSE THEY WON'T WHEN THE OTHER OPTION IS SUGAR!!!!

In the end she did (begrudgingly) offer to have me come and do an educational session to the teachers, as they are required by law, on childhood nutrition.

To make matters worse after our discussion last evening (and after she mocked me to the other teachers when I went to pick up my children down the hall), they had donuts for breakfast...

HELP, suggestions?

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!