Food.

You know that Ke$ha song where in the beginning she laughs and says "Dance".

Yea me either.

But that's how I expect the title of this post to come across.

I don't even know where to start.

Firstly let me address this article. 

A Chicago school has banned lunches brought from home.  This is a policy that was implemented by the principal of the school and has been in effect for 6 years.  I have a feeling that the new season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution had something to do with the release of this article.

I DO NOT support ANYTHING like this.

Who is any principal, school, district or government to tell its parents what they can and cannot send with their children to school?

I understand this is a high poverty school, and that some of the students that go to school there only eat when they eat at school, but how does this solve that problem?  What if one family is just above the reduced/free inncome line and they're now expected to pay $2.50 a day for lunch?  It's far cheaper to pack a peanut butter sandwich, with some carrot sticks and dip.  The loaf of bread alone costs less than $2.50!

Also, what about the kids with allergies and food restrictions?  Oh, I can get a note from my child's doctor...ok well ANYONE can get that - allergies or not - in a matter of a couple of hours.  No appointment to be made, no co-pay, just the amount of time it takes to make the phone call to the office.

And what kind of lunches are being served?  Is it a specific set menu or are there choices?  Can a child pick up nachos and cheese everyday?  What if the child doesn't like what's being served that particular day, do they go without, how is that better than them bringing in a Lunchable?

Oh and by the way, read this quote direct from the article:

"Any school that bans homemade lunches also puts more money in the pockets of the district's food provider, Chartwells-Thompson. The federal government pays the district for each free or reduced-price lunch taken, and the caterer receives a set fee from the district per lunch."

 

I'll let you make up your own mind on that.

Americans are so quick to give up their rights -THEIR RIGHT TO CHOICE - in exchange for "protection", "safety" or "healthier choices".  This is the WRONG mentality to have.  Banning anything is NOT the answer.

So what is?

Ask Jamie.

Seriously.

This man knows what he's doing.  He's been doing it for years, many years before coming over here to the United States.

The answer is EDUCATION.

YOU as an human being have a right to know WHERE your food comes from, WHAT is in your food and HOW it gets to your plate.  You deserve to know if something you're eating is a product of genetic engineering or is made with something genetically engineered.  You deserve to know how to make healthy, nutritious, low cost meals for you and your family.  You have a right to say NO to your school district when it tries to feed your child junk or tries to control what you send to school with your child, you have a right to tell Monsanto to STOP being a bully and you have a right to DEMAND your food to come from a clean, inspected, well maintained and humanely/fairly run facility.

I'm going to answer a question Mrs. Q asked earlier on her blog about the banning of home lunches.  NO - Nutrition isn't a privilege, it's a right, a human right.  In a time when everyone is so quick to give up their rights, is this really ANOTHER right you're willing to give up?

Jamie said it perfectly in the first half hour of tonight's episode.  The government, WHO'S SOUL PURPOSE IS TO PROTECT YOU is allowing YOUR meat to be washed with ammonia, YOUR foods to be overly processed and preserved, YOUR health to be put at risk.

Food.  What it is, how it's made, who has control over it and how it makes it's way to my plate is something that I have a big interest in.  My interest was initially sparked a year or so ago when I watched Food, Inc.  If you haven't seen it yet, do it.  Following the movie I read the companion book and followed that up with a couple of books by Michael Pollan who is in the movie.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE EATING.

Once you know, it's up to you if you choose to make a change or not. 

I admit, I eat processed, convenient, non-organic foods from time to time because IT'S HARD and EXPENSIVE to do otherwise.  So who am I to stand on a soapbox and preach?  Well, I make it a point to be educated.  I acknowledge that CHILDREN- our future - deserve to know how to take care of themselves and know what kind of foods are good for them and which ones to avoid.  I make it a point to put my foot down and say I've had enough of my rights taken away from me, I'm the only person who should have control over my food and what I eat.

We vote with our dollars.  If you choose to buy your produce at the farmer's market, or find a local farm to buy your meat, you are sending a message.  A message that you care about what you put into your body.

http://organicconsumers.org/

www.saynotogmos.org

www.foodsafetynews.com

www.jamieoliver.com 

www.justin.tv/revolutionrequired (go there and bug him to play any food docs - including Food, Inc.)