Fresh Foods For Schools
Schools in all fifty states are helping to fight obesity, provide nutritious and delicious meals, and pass on good eating habits with the Farm to School program. The general purpose of this program is to provide students with school lunches that have foods from local farms. Local is defined by the schools themselves, but most schools get their produce from a farm at least within the same state. There are other objectives for this program too. Students will have the opportunity to learn about farming with hands on activities such as growing their own school garden or exploring a local farm. They will also be learning information about foods and how to eat healthy while in the classroom. The Farm to School program is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Farm to School Network. Over 43% out of 13,000 school districts are participating in the Farm to School program.This is a program that I think every school in America should be involved with.
Over half the daily intake of calories in a typical teenager are from school meals. This makes breakfast and lunch at schools the most important meals of the day. In the past 25 years, obesity rates among children and adolescents has tripled. It's the school's jobs to make sure that students are eating food that will help their body to stay strong and grow. The Farm to School program would provide a more healthy meal to students around the country. Local, fresh peaches can be enjoyed by everyone, instead of canned, high fructose syrup drenched peaches. Sodium and sugar intakes can be cut in half with the replacement of fresh vegetables from a farm 30 minutes away. Students would be able learn about how eating more fresh fruits and vegetables can benefit their body. They would also be taught what foods should be avoided because of their high amount of calories and fat.
Schools who participate in the Farm to School program receive thousands of dollars a year to help fund their food purchases and school gardens. The USDA donated over 5 million dollars last year to schools all over the United States that participated. Smaller organizations have set up grants for schools who are currently participating in this program and are wanting to eventually participate. The cost of buying fresh fruits and vegetables can sometimes save schools more money than buying processed foods.
Over half the daily intake of calories in a typical teenager are from school meals. This makes breakfast and lunch at schools the most important meals of the day. In the past 25 years, obesity rates among children and adolescents has tripled. It's the school's jobs to make sure that students are eating food that will help their body to stay strong and grow. The Farm to School program would provide a more healthy meal to students around the country. Local, fresh peaches can be enjoyed by everyone, instead of canned, high fructose syrup drenched peaches. Sodium and sugar intakes can be cut in half with the replacement of fresh vegetables from a farm 30 minutes away. Students would be able learn about how eating more fresh fruits and vegetables can benefit their body. They would also be taught what foods should be avoided because of their high amount of calories and fat.
Schools who participate in the Farm to School program receive thousands of dollars a year to help fund their food purchases and school gardens. The USDA donated over 5 million dollars last year to schools all over the United States that participated. Smaller organizations have set up grants for schools who are currently participating in this program and are wanting to eventually participate. The cost of buying fresh fruits and vegetables can sometimes save schools more money than buying processed foods.
Every school district should participate in the Farm to School program. People learn about foods that are grown in their surrounding community. They become able to grow produce in their own gardens. Local farmers can sell more of their products. The Farm to School program also helps save the environment by cutting back on the number of long distance deliveries, which lowers greenhouse gas emissions and makes us less reliant on oil. School districts across the United States should really get involved with this program. Farm to School has already changed America's youth and will continue to benefit them as the years go by.
http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/how-farm-to-school-programs-are-chipping-away-at-childhood-obesity
http://www.farmtoschool.org/aboutus.php
http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school
Other Websites to Check Out:
Nathan Sivy wrote an article about the use of Thorium as an energy source.
http://nsiviyglobalstudies.blogspot.com/p/unit-3.html
Tessa Sontheimer wrote a very interesting article about the seed bank in Norway.
http://tessasglobalissues.blogspot.com/p/unit-3.html
Becky Fischer wrote an article about how we should consume less meat.
http://globalissuesfisch.blogspot.com/p/unit-3.html
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