Are We Feeding Our Kids to Death?

Lately, the topic of nutrition seems to be popping up more frequently in my life. It has come up at my school, in the news, in talking with family and friends, and this morning I even got an email that a classmate (Bernice) started a nutrition board on learnist.  Health and nutrition play a key role in all of our lives and as adults we have the freedom (to an extent) to make our own choices in how we treat our bodies. Children, however, are given food and told what to eat and, unfortunately, they're not always offered healthy choices.
I began thinking about the role of schools in providing children with an education about nutrition and access to healthy choices. My students are working on persuasive writing and one of the topics that they keep bringing up is 'Healthier lunches in school'. Students are asking to be given more nutritious (and, yes, better tasting) food to eat at school. I recently watched a TED Talk by Ann Cooper, head of nutrition for Berkeley schools, who advocates for "revolutionizing the way kids eat in schools." Ann mentions an alarming statistic, saying that children born in the year 2000 could be the first generation to die at a younger age than their parents, and the reason comes down to poor nutrition. She talks about the work she has done in Berkeley schools to turn this trend around. She has worked to replace the packaged, processed foods thats kids were being served with locally grown, organic whole foods that are free from hormones and chemicals. These foods provide children with the nutrients they need to be healthy people and the energy to be active learners. She talks not only about the food we feed kids at school, but about opportunities for exercise and movement. Through proper eating habits and regular exercise, students have more energy for learning. I think that we need to advocate for our children by fighting for an education system that values health and supports teaching children how to be healthy.