Speaking of dairy...

And school lunches...


The last time I let my son buy a hot lunch at school I had to send him with his own drink.  His school only offers milk (white, chocolate, or strawberry) as a beverage option.  In fact, this is not unique, as the USDA mandates that milk be apart of each child's lunch.  According to Jean Daniel, USDA's public affairs director for food and nutrition, "Milk must be served with school lunch, according to USDA regulations.  If not, it's not considered a reimbursable meal."

Kim Tarhan, registered dietitian for a D.C. area school district, said, "We serve four kinds of cow milk, and if a student brings a doctor's note, they get calcium-fortified orange juice."

It takes a note from your family doctor to allow your child to NOT drink cow's milk at school!  Your or your child's personal preference holds no weight, regardless of your reasoning, be it ethical, for your child's health, or even simply a dislike of milk.

My son's teacher told him that kids need milk to build strong bones. That is a common misconception that the dairy industry has pushed on our children for years.  What our children need is CALCIUM to build strong bones, which is abundant in plant-based foods.  (Refer to my previous post for some examples.)

According to a recent article on Yahoo News, "Calcium from non-dairy food was tied to a reduced risk of non-advanced prostate cancer."

And as for dairy sources of calcium (i.e. milk), Amy Lanou, Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine said, "Besides prostate cancer, milk has been linked to asthma, anemia, juvenile-onset diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and ovarian and breast cancer."

But in the school systems, our children's health is being dictated by federal funding which is dictated by USDA policies.  If we expect our children to be healthy, we have to be proactive, either by packing them healthy lunches or by becoming activists on their behalf.  Check back to my blog regularly for healthy cold lunch suggestions.  Check out Healthy School Lunches and Two Angry Moms for suggestions on how to become activists for school hot lunches.