This is really a no duh point, but I think the childhood obesity problem would be under better control if more kids had an opportunity to try really good, tasty food. Consider:
I had a bunch of near-rotten bananas that I wanted to make into banana bread before they went to waste. I found a recipe from my former employer and made the bread this evening.
Is banana bread the healthiest option for a Sunday night snack? Certainly not. But is it better than bright red processed Cheeto cheez? Yes. A few bites of my banana bread and I my burning desire to tear through a package of Oreos came to an end.
That said, did I mention that my students earned a marble reward for Monday? They wanted a tamale party, but because we’re not allowed to eat homemade food at school, we went with our second place choice: a Hot Cheeto party. I normally don’t allow the snacks into the room because, as my students can tell you:
~They make your classwork greasy.
~The red powder stains everything.
~They get crushed into greasy blobs on the floor.
~They cause drama.
I don’t like any of those things, so I’ll be putting butcher paper on all the carpets in the classroom. I’m also bringing fizzy water, because to add pop to a spicy hot cheeto party would be to induce 25 simultaneous stomachaches.
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I soooooo agree with you!! I had a student eat an entire can of Pringles for his snack several days in a row. (It took me a few days to notice he was in fact bringing a new can every day.) I pointed out to him the amount of calories, fat, and salt in one whole can and he stopped bringing them to my class. We can only do so much, but hopefully I made a positive impact on that poor kid’s diet!