Unhealthy Eating Habits at School

amother

OP ↓

Sun, Jan 05 2025, 3:51 pm

I live in an OOT community where the 2 schooling options are either very yeshivish or modox. The people who fall in the middle can go either way, making their decisions based on other factors not related to hashkafa. Both schools seem decently run and educate the kids well. My kids are toddlers so it’s something we’re looking into now and unsure what to. My biggest fear in sending to the yeshivish school is the open enabling and encouragement of unhealthy habits. I hear this from multiple parents around town, none of them particularly crunchy. Food is used as a prize and incentive for EVERYTHING, every siyum and Rosh Chodesh involves pizza, donuts, slurpees and candy, and the school lunches are all processed foods dumped into a deep fryer. The vegetable on the menu is usually potato chips or French fries. They also do not have a proper gym curriculum for the boys or the girls. I am very concerned about this and wondering if others would consider this a reason to not send to an otherwise good school if there are other options in town?

amother

Charcoal

Sun, Jan 05 2025, 7:23 pm

As someone who is careful what I feed my kids at home, it’s the lowest on my list when I choose schools. And if you taught the habits well they can eat healthy anyway. Mine ask for home lunch because they find the school lunch too junky. My little one is always proud to come home and say they gave us 10 candies and I only ate 1 or 2. It’s all about how you set the tone at home.

amother

Ebony ↓

Sun, Jan 05 2025, 7:26 pm

Hmm do you live in my community per chance? Sounds very similar.

It’s a problem.

I agree.

I really hate the lunch/ breakfast/ options at the school in my town but I know if I don’t let my kids get it it’ll make them even more obsessed with junk food…

I have toddlers and I’m hoping by the time they qualify for lunch programs it’ll be a little healthier.

It’s not worth it for me to send to a different school because I don’t think the yididshkeit they’ll get at the other school can even hold a candle .

amother

Emerald

Sun, Jan 05 2025, 7:28 pm

I'm chassidish so it wouldn't be an option for me, but if there were 2 good schools that were theoretically hashlafically both an option I would absolutely factor it in. My kids schools have made them fat and it makes me really sad and angry.

amother

Trillium

Sun, Jan 05 2025, 7:39 pm

I second what emerald said. I grew up chassidish, and there was no emphasis on health or healthy eating or exercise at all. As a kid I wasn't fat because my parents didn't let us eat too much junk, but once I was on my own I gained a ton of weight because I had no idea how to maintain a healthy diet and exercise.

BmoreBubby

Mon, Jan 06 2025, 2:13 pm

I've been fighting this fight for literally years.

I have spoken with parents in other communities and found out that it is possible to foster change - if and only if parents vociferously complain. It has to be a bunch of parents complaining with very specific complaints about it - not in a nagging way of course, there is a tactful way to do things. But for example at our daughter's school we were able to foster change by educating the staff (starting at the top) with scientific information about the impact of sugar and exercise on LEARNING - since they are in the business of LEARNING, that's the language to speak to them in. If you talk about "health" to them that's a secondary topic, they'll say they care but it's always secondary. If you show them how the learning will be better for students with less sugar and more exercise, they'll start to wake up. Don't expect a fast turnaround, but someone has to take the leadership in your community, maybe you're the one?

amother

↑ Ebony

Yesterday at 1:32 pm

BmoreBubby wrote:

Wow kol hakavod .