Who remembers those lovely green rectangle lunch trays? You know, the ones that were filled with small compartments for each of the food groups. Meatloaf in the large one, potatoes, green beans and a square of cake or Jell-o with the hard dollop of cream topping, and then of course the spot just for your milk or if you were really lucky chocolate milk.
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to travel back in time a bit while reading Lunch Wars by Amy Kalafa. What an eye opener.
Working in the medical field (pediatrics) I consistently see overweight and undernourished children. My thought process has been, why do parents give their children so much junk food, fast food and soda? Well, this book written by the producer/director of ‘Two angry Moms’ has given me more to think about than to just look at the parents/family.
The rise of weight issues, ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Behavioral Disorders, and the like in our children is alarming. While reading Lunch Wars I was forced to look beyond circumstances and delve deep into pesticides, chemicals, hormones, and additives. It is no wonder we are a society with so much illness.
Amy has put much thought and research into this project and I commend her for doing so. It is imperative that we begin to truly look into what is being consumed by our young people. If you care at all about the health of the young people in your life, reading Lunch Wars will not only bring back memories, it will also help you to create a healthy environment around you.
Unfortunately, habits begun at an early age are difficult to break, as I am full aware due to my own upbringing. After reviewing Lunch Wars I am going to commit to work on changes in my own eating habits, by reading more labels and eating at home more often, as well as paying attention to what is given to the children in my life and how we communicate healthy choices to the patients we see daily.
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"This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own."
oh, you are so right! this was good Cindy - praying for you!
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