Feeling Full vs Eating Healthy?

Currently, Schools battles controversy regarding nutritional school lunch with total calorie amount.
New school lunch regulations have parents concerned that students aren't getting enough calories to fill their stomachs.

School lunch regulations, in 2012, only required a minimum calorie count.  The new USDA school lunch regulations require that school lunch contain 550 to 850 calories, depending on their age, with no more than 30% of total calories come from fats.  In order for lunch to fall within guidelines, the portions have gotten smaller and junk food has either been eliminated, or substituted for a healthier version.  Schools have changed, even the cookies, to smaller, healthier versions, completely altering their flavor into something tasteless.

Image Credit: "20111019-FNS-RBN-1744 - Flickr - USDAgov" by U.S. Department of Agriculture - 20111019-FNS-RBN-1744. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20111019-FNS-RBN-1744_-_Flickr_-_USDAgov.jpg#mediaviewer/File:20111019-FNS-RBN-1744_-_Flickr_-_USDAgov.jpg

The Elkhart Truth discusses some of the parents concerns that the school nutrition regulations are resulting in hungry students.  Many students are throwing away their fruits and vegetables, sometimes even the junk food, resulting in calorie deficient, unsatisfied students.  Hungry students can become distracted, irritable, and uncooperative, all competing against their attempt to learn.

Are 850 calories enough for an average student?  For an active, growing teen?

 As an athlete in High School, I remember eating pizza, cookies and chips somedays, and chicken tenders with salad other days.  To this day, I remember, my favorite lunch was the spicy chicken tenders.  I enjoyed lunchtime because there was such a variety of choices.

A new movement in the midwest has added a salad bar to Elkhart County Schools attempting to encourage students to eat more vegetables.  A salad bar allows students to create their own variety of toppings, everyday, instead of pre made salads a couple days a week.

What were some of your favorite school lunches?  Do you think it is important to only serve healthy food?  Or should they incorporate more variety?  Share your thoughts here and take my poll to see how others feel about the subject.

Rethink your Drink

image credit: stock image

Sugar intake in the modern American diet is growing!!  Americans sugar intake has increased dramatically over the last 40 years, along with portion size of sugary drinks.  Two out of three adults, and one out of three children, in the United States are considered obese.  Is it by coincidence that obesity rates are growing in the United States concurrently with portion size of sugary drinks in the U.S?

An average 20 oz. soda contains 15 - 18 teaspoons of sugar.  However, 20 oz's wasn't always an average size soda.  Before the 1950's, an average soda was sold in a 6.5 oz glass bottle.  In 1950, the 12 oz can was introduced.  This became widely available, and the average size until the 1990s, when the 20 oz plastic bottle became the norm.  Today, soda can be purchased in up to 2-liters.  

Think about your fast food soda.  McDonalds' large soda is 32 oz.  7-11 Big Gulp is 40 oz of soda.  That is double the average 20 oz bottle of soda.  

The link between sugary drinks and obesity is becoming more and more prevalent.

Sugary drinks do not only include soda, but sweetened iced-tea, sports drinks, and energy drinks.  An average 20 oz Powerade includes 9 teaspoons of sugar.  Red Bull energy drink contains 39g of sugar. That Vitamin water that we thought was a healthy drink choice includes 10g of sugar.  And Starbucks? Oh Starbucks… my favorite white chocolate mocha include 59g of sugar!!!

Many of us have no idea the amount of sugar we consume in our drinks everyday.  I believe the recommended daily sugar intake is 6 teaspoons, or 25g.  Try to track your sugar intake OF YOUR DRINKS for ONE day.  Post a comment here with your results.  How did you do?  Better or worse than you expected?  

Remember… that was just your drinks…. 

About this Blog

I chose this topic because the Standard American Diet, the SAD diet, is setting Americans up for obesity.   Along with obesity, comes many health issues and diseases, many of which are completely preventable by simply adjusting your diet.  After the birth of my son, I had trouble dropping the weight and extra belly fat.  I began to work with a personal trainer and nutritionist to target my problem.  Come to find out, the primary issue was sugar intake, and I wasn’t even aware.  I am concerned about my health for my son’s sake.  I would like to be healthy and energized in order to set a good example for him and encourage healthy habits for him early on. 

Image credit: fuelingstrong.com

This blog is for anyone that is struggling to lose fat and/or anyone who is interested in a healthier diet.  In this blog, I hope to inform people of the hidden ingredients in the food we consume daily.  Along with promoting awareness, I would like to provide some helpful tips to be healthier and lose fat.  I hope that readers will contribute with their success stories and healthy tips to inspire others.