I started brazenly documenting student food consumption habit today, and they are going to make this day a landslide in favor of the snacks. I haven't done the math yet, but it's looking pretty grim. Here's a rundown:
Snacks
Kellogg's Fruit Snacks: 200cal x 2packs= 400calories
Rold Gold pretzels: 110 calories
Nestle chocolate milk: 340 calories
Propel: 25cal x 4bottles = 100 calories
Handi Snacks Dunk'ems: 90 calories
Minutemaid Pomegranate Lemonade: 110cal x .5bottle (3.5 servings) = 395 calories
Students also consumed an unspecified number of Starburst and mini-Snickers. I couldn't track the consumption.
So, from what I saw, students stuffed 1,435 unhealthy snack calories down their throats.
Exercise
Swim 30 mins: 331.8 calories burned
Barefoot run 30 mins: 294 calories burned
That totals a measly 625.8 calories.
Verdict
Maybe I should be less vigilant of what students are eating. I got crushed today, 1,435 to 625. I'm 1-1, but unless students start eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed snacks, I'm in deep trouble.
I'd like to point out that this is list is a little off, seeing as the writer can't possibly see everything his students are eating and/or chooses to list only the unhealthy choices students make. Last time I checked half of a Clif Bar (250cal/2= 175cal + lots of vitamins, fiber, and protein) and peppermint tea (I couldn't find any nutritional info on it, other than it's made from 100% Oregon peppermint) was a healthy choice.
ReplyDeleteZabder - check out the subtitle of the blog at the top of the page, "a daily battle against the calories of junk consumed in a classroom." The author is tracking what kids in his classes consume IN HIS CLASSROOM. I can't say for certain, as I'm not in the room myself, but I think he Mr. Furman is listing all the foodstuffs he witnesses kids eat in front of him whilst in class.
ReplyDeletePatrismo - Not to worry, I realize this. I am in his class.
ReplyDeleteWow, unsolicited comments. How flattering.
ReplyDeleteNaturally, there is no way I could see everything my students are eating in the classroom. I track what I see and only what I see or what stands out to me.
Would I count a Clif Bar as unhealthy? Not necessarily. Without knowing what Clif product it is, I can't really say. What I do know is that the average Clif bar is high in sugar (21 grams in the blueberry crisp bar, for example) and highly processed. Why not just eat blueberries? Or, better yet, blueberries purchased at a local farmer's market? You'll get the nutrients and the fiber in a form that your body was constructed to digest.
That said, half of 250 is 125, not 175. Tea typically is non-caloric. That snack would actually be very small from a caloric standpoint. However, 'healthy' does not necessarily equal low in calories. Healthy often means low in processing (preferably unprocessed), nutrient-dense, and close to the ground. I'm using calories because it's an easy comparison, and I'm choosing snack foods based on the amount of processing.
Am I an expert nutritionist? No. I'm a teacher who sees students developing poor eating habits.
I sincerely apologize for the unwanted comment. Now that I read it, I suppose my original comment was a bit harsh and I didn't mean it to be. I was only expressing interest in your observations. Honestly, no harm meant.
ReplyDeleteAs a student at WHS, I just feel it's slightly unfair to blame this completely on students. While we do make the decisions on what to eat at school, we choose from what it made available to us. A majority of the food is highly processed, unnatural, and all together unhealthy. I'm assuming part of this is due to the school budget, and I understand how tight the budget has become. So yes, in the end we are responsible for choosing Cheetos over an apple, I won't even attempt to deny this. I am curious what might happen if you took the Cheetos out of the picture at all?
Why don't I bring blueberries instead? Because they are impossible to keep intact in a bag you have to carry all your school things in and by fifth period they are mush. A Clif Bar isn't as healthy as any type of berry to be sure, but it is easily portable, doesn't make a mess, and is a slightly healthier choice than many of the things we have at school.
I apologize for the mathematical error, as well. I'm admittedly more of a writer than I am a mathematician, and it obviously even shows in my writing.
In conclusion, I'm not against your opinions on my generation's poor eating. It is impossible to deny that our health is declining due to our diets. On the other hand, we aren't all this way and we do appreciate it when adults notice. Again, sorry for being so harsh.
No harm, no foul. Honestly, the concern you expressed is identical to mine: I think the food options at the school need to be improved. I also think that we need to be more conscious of what we're eating, and when I say "we," I mean teachers and parents as well as students.
ReplyDeleteMy opinions extend far beyond 'your generation's' eating habits (by certain metrics, my age would include me in that generation). I'm concerned about the eating habits of every generation currently living in this country. Adults need to model positive lifestyle choices and are consistently failing to do so. Adults need to provide alternatives to easy, unhealthy choices and are consistently failing to do so. The result is young adults who are told one message (be healthy) and not shown how to do it.
I think you make a nice point about the importance of adults recognizing when young adults make good choices. Clif bars are unquestionably better than most options at school. And don't worry about being too harsh- I can take it.
zambder: I wasn't worried - just making sure you had your facts straight before attempting to drop knowledge of your own.
ReplyDeleteOn a quasi-related note, blueberry clif bars are delicious.