Schools Urged To Teach Healthy Eating Habits

Filed in archive on July 28, 2006

Some parents are shocked to discover the nutritional content of their children's school lunches, finding it sorely lacking. Schools often choose the lowest-priced food vendor, which usually means severe nutritional deficits, with children facing such options as greasy pizza and high-salt potato chips.

Some people, such as Dr.Cherian Varghese, believe that schools should not only offer healthier food choices, but make an active effort to teach children how to follow a healthy diet.

He called for a multi-sector policy that includes several departments such as agriculture, industry, sports and youth affair, education and health. According to Dr. Varghese, unlike diseases such as diarrhoea that respond to treatment immediately, diabetes and cancer have no `quick fixes'. Poor prevention strategies strain the resources as the treatment is for an extended period of time and the diseases result in multiple complications.

This is certainly a wonderful notion, but its viability is uncertain. Where would schools get the money to finance such a big change? More importantly, school is only one part of a child's life. Would these changes all be for naught if parents continue to lead an unhealthy lifestyle?