I was ready to have a perfectly civilized
discussion–blog-to-blog–with Sam Fromartz over at ChewsWise
on the subject of what we can do to get kids to eat better when I was
stopped dead in my tracks by the lunch being served at my daughter’s
elementary school here in the nation’s capital. Look at the photo above
and tell me what you see. Do you see the same thing I do? French fries, a
bag of Sun Chips, and an 8-ounce carton of strawberry-flavored milk.

You almost have to rub your eyes and take a second look. Can this
really be true? Hello, Jamie Oliver! Not all the bad school food is in
Huntington, W.Va. We’ve got the same stuff right here in Washington,
D.C., barely a mile from the White House.

To my knowledge, Michelle Obama has never addressed the glycemic bomb
being served daily to public school children right outside her door.
But I could be wrong. Yes, just a mile or so from the White House, where
we’re told over and over  the Obamas are hard on the case, solving the
nation’s childhood obesity epidemic, kids in elementary school are being
served chips, fries and strawberry milk for lunch.

Oh, wait. I forgot the ketchup. Two foil packets of it. That should
count for something. And as far as chips go, Sun Chips–made from corn,
whole wheat, rice flour, whole oat flour–are probably the lesser of many
evils. Still….