No More Soda in Schools in Ct!

[DawnCt1]

In order to combat childhood and teen obesity, Soda has been banned from the the schools in Ct. Schools can sell it of course but they will loose a significant amount of money from the state if they chose to. To replace the soda machines, there will be bottled water, milk, soy milk, and a variety of fruit juices and vegtable juices. The lowest calorie items in this group are water and vegtable juice. Whole milk has 30 calories per ounce, 1% milk, 14 calories per ounce, water 0, apple juice and other fruit juices average 15 calories per ounce. Now on to the soda that is being removed. Pepsi has 14 calories per ounce, Diet sodas have 1 calorie per serving. The nutritional value of apple juice is essentially nil. The nutritional part in the actual apple with the fiber than doesn't show up in the can. I have one son out of 4 like like V8 juice so I don't imagine that that will go flying out of the new machine. Is this just more "feel good" legislation? I do buy soda but I only buy diet soda. I can't remember the last time we actually had regular soda in the house that I bought. Will those kids watching their weight reach for the water or the apple juice? Will they miss the diet coke? Will this have any long term impact? I don't think so.

 

[Aneille]

I think it may help.

I could probably drink 3 or 4 cans of soda a day but I can't drink more than 1 apple juice a day. Given the choice between juice and water I almost always choose water. If others are like me it will help.

Soda also has caffiene which makes it harder to give up and also probably why people drink so much of it.

Same goes for milk. It may have higher calories than a diet coke but it is much better for you. Soda has absolutely no nutrional value.

I think its a step in the right direction. I'd rather have my kids choosing between, milk, water or juice than a whole machine of soda. Even if juice has almost no nutritonal value either.

More choices are always better.

 

[castleview]

No, this is silly legislation. Kids are going to bring in soda anyway. Even when it wasn't sold in the schools, I remember kids having it. Ironically, it was the in shape, athletic kids that were drinking it most of the time.

My opinion on teen obesity is simply this: KEEP THEM ACTIVE IN SPORTS. Most teens (and adults ) go through a junk food stage and the best way to combat gaining weight is physical activity. Plus there's that whole forbidden fruit theory.

Yes, this is "feel good legislation" or legislation to make somebody LOOK good. Please tell me it's not that Kevin Sullivan guy that came up with this. (Only CTers will know that)

 

[Free4Life11]

Are they going to sell diet pop? It's calorie free. And I don't think whole milk is all that healthy!

 

[aprilgail2]

My daughters school has a snapple machine in the cafeteria but she never buys it..she prefers to drink lemonade which has NO value at all....we have soda i nthe house all the time//most of the time it goes dead before she finishes it though, I buy the coke bottles since they are small and only regular caffeine free...I don't let her have artificial sweeteners as I have read to many reports on the effects of them on childrens brain development (in fact her Dr doesn't want them dirnking diet stuff unti lthey are over 12) and caffeine is out too as I feel that is a drug not much different than nicotine....I am always amazed at some people how in the mornings they have to run and get a cup of coffee or they can't function...to me that is a drug addict....

 

[Free4Life11]

We grew up drinking diet pop. I turned out fine. In fact of all my siblings and I have done excellent in school. Personally, I don't buy the arguments against diet pop. And growing up none of us were overweight either.

 

[Aneille]

This is NOT going to stop obesity. Teen obesity is not just because teens drink too much soda. If the law is in place because they think this all that needs to be done, then that is silly.

Giving the teens better choices or more choices is not silly however.

Teens will still bring soda into school, but the school doesn't have to offer it.

Given a school day if you can get a soda out of a machine in school anytime between periods your child could be drinking as many soda's a day as they want. If they need to bring it into school then maybe they are drinking 1 or 2 a day during school hours and probably not everyday.

I still stand that I would much rather have my children given the choices of juice, milk, or water than a machine filled with soda.

I just don't see what the big deal is that schools are now not going to serve soda.

Edited: The part about losing significant aid if soda is sold in my mind is probably not necessary and over the top but maybe that is what it takes to get schools to comply? I really don't know.

 

[jbdreamer]

When I was in elementry school we weren't even allowed to bring pop in our lunches. And in HS we had soda machines, but they were not on durring school hours.

I think this rule is a good idea. Children need to be taught how to eat healthy. I don't think they should have free access to junk all day. Drinking 2-3 cans a pop a day is a terrible habbit to pick up. By having pop machines at school - you are promoting it.

 

[DawnCt1]

Yes, this is "feel good legislation" or legislation to make somebody LOOK good. Please tell me it's not that Kevin Sullivan guy that came up with this. (Only CTers will know that)

I think it was Kevin Sullivan. I don't think that diet soda will sold.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

My opinion on teen obesity is simply this: KEEP THEM ACTIVE IN SPORTS. Most teens (and adults ) go through a junk food stage and the best way to combat gaining weight is physical activity.

That's ok in theory, but what about students like me? I am a paraplegic. Try putting me on a sports team w/o being a manager.

Some people have no choice but to maintain their weight through diet and excercising the best way they can. When I graduated high school in 1996, I was about 5"4 and weighed 120 just by watching what I ate and doing the best I could for exercise.

 

[DawnCt1]

When I was in elementry school we weren't even allowed to bring pop in our lunches. And in HS we had soda machines, but they were not on durring school hours.

I think this rule is a good idea. Children need to be taught how to eat healthy. I don't think they should have free access to junk all day. Drinking 2-3 cans a pop a day is a terrible habbit to pick up. By having pop machines at school - you are promoting it.

I think the time to assess this was BEFORE they brought soda machines into the schools but now how do you stuff the genie back in the bottle? I don't think you do. I think kids will bring it from home. The problem with a state legislature that is in session too much is this kind of thing.

 

[disykat]

I think it makes good sense. If the kids want soda they can still bring it from home. No one is taking away their "right to soda". While I agree the juice won't be flying off the shelves, students won't be able to mindlessly grab multiple cans of soda a day. If they want soda, they'll have to actually plan it - which at the very least will keep them aware of how much they are drinking.

 

[Florida_Mom]

The legislation would be ok with me as long as they also got rid of the PowerAid, the Gatorade, and the Apple Juice. These are little more than sugar water.

Bottles of water, milk, maybe OJ. I love dietCoke and diet root beer, but a lot of people don't like their children drinking diet drinks.

 

[Aneille]

I think the time to assess this was BEFORE they brought soda machines into the schools but now how do you stuff the genie back in the bottle? I don't think you do. I think kids will bring it from home. The problem with a state legislature that is in session too much is this kind of thing.

That is true for the kids already in the school system especially the teens that have grown up with soda offered in school. And are are making their own food decisions for the day. I am sure there are some upset teens in CT.

But what about the children just entering the school system or are still young enough that the change will be more positive?

You have to start somewhere.

 

[stinkerbelle]

DawnCT - you missed a big part of this story I think...

from wtnh.com:

When the governor vetoed the bill last year, she said she agreed with the goals of the proposal but didn't like the part that forced schools to add 20 minutes more per day of physical education in grades K through 5 because that would cost schools too much money. That's been dropped.

The new plan bans all sodas at all schools and bans drinks like Gatorade and Powerade.

It also gives guidelines for healthy foods to be served in all school cafeterias and here's the big hook. School systems that participate will see their lunch reimbursement from the state go up from a nickel per meal to 15 cents.

Money always talks.

"If all towns participate, it's about 4-point-two million dollars."

 

[C.Ann]

It's a step in the right direction..

 

[DawnCt1]

DawnCT - you missed a big part of this story I think...

from wtnh.com:

When the governor vetoed the bill last year, she said she agreed with the goals of the proposal but didn't like the part that forced schools to add 20 minutes more per day of physical education in grades K through 5 because that would cost schools too much money. That's been dropped.

The new plan bans all sodas at all schools and bans drinks like Gatorade and Powerade.

It also gives guidelines for healthy foods to be served in all school cafeterias and here's the big hook. School systems that participate will see their lunch reimbursement from the state go up from a nickel per meal to 15 cents.

Money always talks.

"If all towns participate, it's about 4-point-two million dollars."

No, I was aware that there were "award incentives" in there. I question the motives and the ultimate goal, which isn't more money to the schools but supposedly "weight control".

 

[DawnCt1]

It's a step in the right direction..

I think its another state law with no real end result. We have the "hands free cell phone" law and what happens is that, drivers stay on the phone longer and talk longer than they would if they had the phone in their hand. It won't reduce accidents. Just like substituting apple juice for Diet Coke won't make anyone thinner.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I have no problem with schools doing away with soda machines. I don't care if it is diet soda with no calories or otherwise, there is absolutely no nutrional value to the product and I don't think our Schools need to be in the business of profiting off of feeding it to kids.

So sure, parents can go ahead and send soda in regardless, that is their right. But still, many parents won't be willing to make the effort and will instead continue to hand over the money for the kids to purchase what is in the machine.

 

[barkley]

back in the late 70's the high school i attended decided to ban all sodas from campus. the remaining beverage choices were juice, milk, fruit punch and lemonaide (bottled water was'nt popular then so tap water was available).

for those who (like myself) are lactose intolerant, or those who just don't care for milk-our only options were loaded with sugar and calories.

many students were upset about it-many parents jumped in to the argument as well. we questioned why if this was a health decision no attention was being given to the basic health issues of the foods being served in general (with the exception of a salad which consisted of lettuce only) our dining options were limited to corn dogs, hamburgars, hot dogs, fried burrittos, pizza and the like. the only veggie available came on the hot lunch tray and was generaly canned that had been covered with butter and salt (so most kids opted for the fries as a side dish). "snacks" were yogurt (not low fat or low calorie-whole), cinnimon buns, sugar infused granola bars and donuts.

ultimatly a decision was made to allow sodas in the school-but they would only be sold during certain hours (lunch and 1 hour following). the school was forced to look long and hard at it's entire food program-they had to look at alternative offerings, and despite their arguments about cost and potential waste they found that many of the healthier offerings were much less costly to purchase/prepare and when offered, students eagerly purchased them.

i shudder when i look at the elementary school menus in the newspaper-while they meet the mandate of providing all of the food groups-the foods they offer are loaded with fat and calories (and baking something over frying it does not result in lowering it's basic calorie/fat content)-they routinely rotate between chicken nuggets, pizza, tacos and the like. our local highschools offer similar offerings in the cafeterias but are also contracted with taco bell and a local burgar place that bring premade items on campus at lunch to sell them.

i feel the schools need to overhaul their entire lunch programs-and if they cannot do cost effective healthy offerings look at outsourcing to an outside vendor that can.

in this area one of the things that concerns much far more than soda consumption in the schools is the increased availablity and consumption of super caffeine infused items. one of our local schools opted to open a "cafe" that offers coffee, lates, frappachinos and such-they say it offers parents the opportunity to support the school by making a purchase at drop off or pick up. judging from the number of students walking around with coffee cups i tend to think the biggest profit base is from the kids. i'm much more concerned with a kid who consumes several coffee drinks, a red bull and the like over the course of the day than i am the one who consumes 2 or 3 cans of diet/caffeine free soda.