Many schools have banned sales of sweet drinks on campuses, but a new study reveals teens drink as much of the stuff as ever. (Photo courtesy of Dreamstime.)
Today’s New York Times reports that California schools are banning traditional cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats at bake sales in light of the state’s strict new nutrition guidelines designed to battle rising obesity rates among children. It’s an admirable goal, but something tells me crudites won’t sell as briskly as chocolate-chip cookies. I’m all for better guidelines, but demonizing any food is a bad idea. What about urging portion control (so you can have your cake and eat it, too….just not too much)? Or encouraging bake sale participants to whip up lighter treats?
It’s hard to gauge whether such interventions have much effect. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior reports that despite efforts to reduce or eliminate the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs, a k a soda, sweetened juice, and the like) in schools, teen-agers guzzle just as much of the stuff.
But a study from the University of Minnesota offers some hope: Elementary school kids will eat more whole grains when the grains are gradually added to school lunches. Working with two schools over the course of a year, researchers increased the amount of whole-grain flour in school bread and rolls. By the end of the school year, students were no more likely to throw away bread products made with up to 70% whole-grain flour than they were to toss refined-flour breads at the beginning of the year. This, researchers say, suggests kids can develop a taste for healthier fare, especially if changes are made slowly.
