Public School Breakfasts

When I was growing up during the 70s, we were poor and eligible for the free meals at school. I don't really remember eating breakfast at school though. I remember the 3 pound margarine bowls of oatmeal that my mom used to serve us. I sure hated oatmeal when I was growing up. It didn't help that one day a balloon tick (I kid you not!) that had walked up the wall and onto the ceiling fell into the pot and my mom made the decision to just remove it and feed the oatmeal to the family anyway. Hey, we were poor and she did boil it for several minutes after removing the offending insect. She must have had half a gallon of oatmeal there, worth at least a quarter, and it was probably being served within moments of our having to leave the house... so it was either feed the oatmeal to the children or send them out the door with nothing in their bellies. She would put a good 2 inches of oatmeal in each bowl. I could never gag that much down so I always had much less, like maybe half a cup's worth. I would take a bite and then drink cold water to wash it down. I was never much of a breakfast person to begin with, thanks to Romy, my nemesis in the 2nd grade. She tortured me daily and pretty soon I had a nervous sick stomachache every single day of school. The daily sick stomachache lasted until I was almost twenty years old, when a coworker told me about chewable Pepto-Bismol which helped me to get over having the stomachache every single day (one of the rare times over the counter medication has actually worked for me).

Eventually I learned how to make oatmeal so that it actually tasted good. And I love oatmeal today, although I prepare it the NT way to reduce the phytic acid (click on chapter 13's excerpt), it still doesn't provide me with enough nutrition and I find myself STARVING within an hour. It's so annoying it's not even worth eating it.

Dh also was poor growing up and eligible for the free meals. He says they served oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and french toast, to name a few.

I had to call one of our local schools yesterday and didn't have the phone number handy so I googled the school name. Found their website and their number within moments. I gave them a call and while they had me waiting on hold I looked around on their site. I was surprised to see how bad the breakfast menu is. Churro? Isn't that considered a dessert? Well, I guess it's a donut of sorts, a Mexican donut... and of course donuts are considered highly appropriate breakfast fare. When I look at this menu I don't see even one meal that I could eat and not be ravenously hungry within an hour due to the lack of protein, sugar and high carbohydrate content. Maybe the "Sunrise Sandwich" if it's like an Egg McMuffin, and has an egg in it. I thought we were supposed to be fueling children to learn. Not to have low blood sugar drops. If this is what most children eat, it's no wonder so many children are being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. I'd be unable to concentrate, if my first sustaining meal for the day was sugary and full of carbs. Now don't get me wrong, I've admitted here that I love carbs more than my own mother, but even I know when I have to avoid them.

Unfortunately, lunch isn't much better. Free choice, and imagine that your child doesn't have rock solid nutrition values and can withstand peer pressure. It's like a fast food buffet straight from the frozen food section. Teriyaki Dippers, pizza, Shrimp Poppers, Stuffed Crust Pizza, Cheeseburger, Jumbo Corn Dog, Chicken Nuggets. OH, this month there was a turkey dinner, with no corresponding choice of pizza. Maybe some kid didn't want turkey that day. Too bad, you say? I'm sorry but that's how it should be on other days, too.

I'm really, really glad I didn't put my children through the public school system.

Until next time.