Can Local Chefs Help Kids Eat Healthier?

Some good news came out of the White House today: The Let's Move campaign, Michelle Obama's project to solve America's childhood obesity epidemic within a generation, unveiled its "Chefs Move to Schools" program. The idea is to get local chefs throughout the nation to "adopt" a school. Chefs would then visit schools regularly to teach kids about nutrition, cooking, and the benefits of eating fruits and veggies. Organizers hope the endeavor will engage chefs with children, food service employees, administrators, and teachers to help create a better understanding of food and how it affects health.

On its face, the plan definitely puts forth a noble goal. Nutrition and cooking lessons need to start at a young age if America's going to combat its obesity problem. If kids aren't getting eating lessons at home (and judging by how many minivans I see rolling into McDonald's drive-thrus, it's safe to say many aren't), the best place to provide food education is in the classroom.

But it's the plan's execution that gives me pause. The program's press release states that "by working with school food service employees, administrators, and teachers--chefs can help deliver these messages from the cafeteria to the classroom." Providing nutrition education is great and all, but I think chefs' lessons will get crippled by one monstrous flaw in our nation's school systems: Cafeteria lunches.

Public school cafeterias dish out some dubious entree choices, everything from Steak-Umm sandwiches to pizza egg rolls. Just take a gander at the "Fed Up with Lunch" blog, where one employee photographs and actually eats the atrocities her school cafeteria offers. The situation is unlikely to change in the near future: If passed, The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 would provide an extra six cents per school lunch, barely enough dough for a few extra carrot sticks, never mind healthy, sustainable options like grass-fed beef, antibiotic-free chicken, or organic apples.  If school cafeterias continue to serve up slop, how can we really expect kids to learn and practice proper nutrition?

Still, some nutrition education is better than no nutrition education. Let's just hope that federal school lunches eventually get revamped so that Chefs Move to Schools' lessons can be truly effective. In the meantime, schools and chefs interested in participating in the program can sign up here.

Photo credit: sykospike via stock.xchng