So my kid's pediatrician says Rice Krispy Treats are OK to snack on, but......

[Planogirl]

I think that rice krispie treats are certainly better than some items and OK for an occasional snack. I dislike the schools telling parents what their kids can eat.

 

[mamacatnv]

I don't really believe that your pediatrician considers a rice krispie treat to be healthy. I also don't believe that your kids' school refused to serve a birthday snack for that reason. I could see if they were homemade and those are not allowed. My school will not allow homemade food items. But they will allow store-bought cookies or donuts even though they prefer healthy snacks.

Oh let me assure you BCB's school is not the only one that would not allow something that is not on the list to be offered regardless of occassion including B-Day.

Our general public elementary schools will not allow anything they deem to not be on the healthy list. I have my DD in a charter school, our rules are different, we can bring whatever we want and homemade is encouraged because a home made cookie is a far better choice to a store bought cookie. Our school does not regulate what we send with our kids but when my DD was in the local public school for her first couple of years we had to deal with the food police on a regular basis.

 

[Lorem Ipsum]

A) Does the school have guidelines for birthday celebrations? (My school does: They are not celebrated.)

B) If so, did you follow the guidelines?

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

I don't really believe that your pediatrician considers a rice krispie treat to be healthy. I also don't believe that your kids' school refused to serve a birthday snack for that reason. I could see if they were homemade and those are not allowed. My school will not allow homemade food items. But they will allow store-bought cookies or donuts even though they prefer healthy snacks.

Well don't believe. But you would be wrong.

 

[FireDancer]

I think that rice krispie treats are certainly better than some items and OK for an occasional snack. I dislike the schools telling parents what their kids can eat.

I don't think that is what is being done here. Unless I am reading it wrong they are limiting what kids can bring in for other kids to consume. I have absolutely no problem with that. I would have a problem if they dictate what you can send in for your own kid to eat.

I think the schools need to change a lot about what they feed kids. I think they need to serve fresh food instead of processed crap and should not sell candy or pop. I do think parents should be able to send in those things in a packed lunch but I think the schools need to do a much better job of feeding the kids nutritious food instead of processed garbage. Things like rice krispie treats are ok in moderation as is most other food but that moderation can come from home, not the school. Education about nutrition is just as important as the 3 R's though sadly under taught and the should teach by example in the cafeteria. Just my opinion.

 

[Tinkermommy]

At my daughter's school they can only purchase "juice-based" frozen treats from the school to give out on their birthdays. You can let you child bring in and consume whatever you like, but you can only give out the approved snacks for the class.

Most of this stems from food allergies and restrictions (religious, etc) it's just easier.

I don't think the school should tell you what YOUR child can/cannot eat, but they can restrict what you give to other kids.

Edited to add,

In our house Rice Krispy Treats are just that a treat, not a snack.

 

[Kat77]

Our district does not allow for birthday celebrations at all. For classroom parties, rice crispy squares are on the approved list.
Recently DD13 wanted to bake treats to go along with a career project (chef) and she was very angry I made her follow school guidelines. We made cute rice crispy sushi. Another teacher complained about their class having treats (Hello, food police!) but DD was allowed to hand hers out because she was in compliance with the rules. Others, were not so lucky.

 

[happygirl]

Didn't you get a list of approved snacks to bring in? We got that at the beginning of the year. I don't think Rice Krispy are on our no no list

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I think you need a new pediatrician.

Was this a chart showing suggestions for healthy snacks? Because while I do think you can have an overall healthy diet with a little bit of junk mixed in, I don't think that RCTs are a healthy snack. I also don't think kids need encouragement from their pediatricians to eat MORE RCTs. They're about as junky as you can get, two highly processed foods, one of which is pure sugar, mixed together with butter -- yeah, that's healthy.

I have to wonder if your pediatrician's office is receiving some kind of kickback from Kellogg's for displaying the poster. The only other way I can imagine a poster like this making it up is if the message is "if you decide to eat a RCT, cut it into a square this size", which is hardly the same thing as saying "RCTs are a healthy snack".

The other thing that would be an issue at my school is that RCTs aren't vegetarian. For things like birthdays, we keep alternative snacks for kids with allergies like milk, egg, soy, etc . . . or who are vegan. But we don't keep alternative snacks for kids with allergies to beef (I've had one of those) or who are vegetarian for ethical reasons, simply because you don't expect meat products in a birthday snack. So if you brought in RCTs, I'd have 2 or 3 kids per class who were suddenly left out.

Finally, I think that there's a difference between selling something and allowing parents to choose whether or not to buy it for their child, and having it served to the whole class. While I don't love ice cream in the cafeteria, and have never worked at a school that had it, I do think it's a different thing.

 

[CowboyCO]

Well, according to this http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/snacks/5639/2 site:

[Rice Krispie Treats are] "low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6 and Manganese, and a very good source of Thiamin."

Yep - only 3 grams of fat, (0.5 saturated). Only 150 calories and also provides 8% DA of Vitamin A in addition to the above. They are agreat snack when you are SICK of carrot and celery sticks being forced on you.

All good things in moderation is what should be taught, rather than - "That's not healthy".

I love chocolate ice cream - Blue Bunny - LOVE, LOVE it! But I don't eat it every day.

 

[allison443]

OP, still wondering if the school every mentioned the policy before today? I mean it's June, wouldn't they have said something during the course of the school year? Or did they just say "healthy snacks allowed" and you decided that rice krispie treats qualified?

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

OP, still wondering if the school every mentioned the policy before today? I mean it's June, wouldn't they have said something during the course of the school year? Or did they just say "healthy snacks allowed" and you decided that rice krispie treats qualified?

They most likely have a policy. But my point is they can't bring this to school to share, but the school can sell stuff that is equally, if note more, unhealthy. See the hypocrisy?

 

[Tiger926]

Where is it you think the government gets their money from? I think WE still pay for our healthcare and we pay a lot it is far from "free". What is next we are told what we can eat inside our homes too?

What is "high on sugar"......anything I have read/seen on tv on that lately suggests that is ridiculous.

As for unhealthy snacks at school... a treat once in a while is fine with me and I would never have an issue with the odd time someone sending in a treat- homemade is fine too and so far allowed at our school.

Sorry Tiger, I have to disagree with this statement. OUR very high taxes pay for OUR health care system.

When our government outlaws smoking because we all pay for smokers to have their lung diseases treated or people who can't control themselves with the sweets, salt or the other million things that might kill us all then they can tell me my kid can't eat rice crispy treats.

As for the treats in school I don't think a little 2" piece of RCT would kill the kids. The key thing there is birthday treat...I don't want some yummy birthday veggies with dip and kids don't either.

Sorry your child could not share their treats OP.

I don't want this to turn into a health tax debate, but our very high taxes don't begin to cover health care costs in general. You throw in diet related illnesses, and we are not covering the bills.

Diet related illnesses are things that can be controlled by the person putting things into their bodies such as processed foods, fats, sodium and sugar, so that is where the government has to go in order to curb the costs of those illnesses.

Interesting to see what schools will and won't allow in terms of snacks. But as I already said, I do agree that it's absolutely hypocritical to sell or give away those snacks.

I started and maintained our school store for years, which made my school thousands of dollars. We are an alternative school with no parent club, so we need that money, but due to new government regulations, we cannot operate anymore, as board of health kicks in when you start selling fruits, veggies and sandwiches, so our cooking department has taken that over.

I know more about the new government regulations than necessary, but that's because we had to figure out if we could make a go of it, and we cannot. They orginally had no selling of chocolate milk on the list, which was my biggest seller, but they have since added that back on, due to many groups protesting about that. Incidentally, Rice Krispie treats are on the do not sell list.

Interesting thread, Tiger

 

[mhsjax]

Well, considering the fact that our government pays for our healthcare costs, they absolutely have the right to do this.

Just heard the figures for how much obesity and diabetes, two diet related diseases, cost our country in healthcare, and the amount is in the billions.

Schools have taken out physical activity over the years, but they are slowly putting it back in, and so diet is next. As a teacher, I have to tell you, that teaching kids who are high on sugar all day is not easy. Unhealthy snacks and foods does not equal good brain energy. We implemented a breakfast program at our school with healthy foods, and you can't believe the positive progress and improvements we have seen in our kids, especially the ADHD kids.

Don't want this thread to be hijacked, but I just wanted to clarify this based on my response, as our schools have been dealing with this for the past few years.

Tiger

What I would love is to see a sample menu from your school. We all have ideas about what we think is healthy and what our bodies need to perform well.

 

[mhsjax]

Your country perhaps but not mine and mine does not have the right to dictate what I eat, how much of it I eat etc.

I pay big bucks for my healthcare coverage and I assume a large portion of out of pocket costs that my insurance does not pay as well. In a way I as an insurance contributor also pays for people with unhealthy habits but what we eat is our business not the governments.

Thank you.

 

[mhsjax]

I don't want this to turn into a health tax debate, but our very high taxes don't begin to cover health care costs in general. You throw in diet related illnesses, and we are not covering the bills.

Diet related illnesses are things that can be controlled by the person putting things into their bodies such as processed foods, fats, sodium and sugar, so that is where the government has to go in order to curb the costs of those illnesses.

Interesting to see what schools will and won't allow in terms of snacks. But as I already said, I do agree that it's absolutely hypocritical to sell or give away those snacks.

I started and maintained our school store for years, which made my school thousands of dollars. We are an alternative school with no parent club, so we need that money, but due to new government regulations, we cannot operate anymore, as board of health kicks in when you start selling fruits, veggies and sandwiches, so our cooking department has taken that over.

I know more about the new government regulations than necessary, but that's because we had to figure out if we could make a go of it, and we cannot. They orginally had no selling of chocolate milk on the list, which was my biggest seller, but they have since added that back on, due to many groups protesting about that. Incidentally, Rice Krispie treats are on the do not sell list.

Interesting thread, Tiger

See now I really am not trying to be argumentative, but I have a big problem with milk. Talk about an industry that makes money on lies. Sure if you like milk drink it, but milk isn't good for you. I don't know why institutions love to push this nasty stuff. Have you ever wondered why so many people can't digest it or are allergic to it? We are the only other species that drinks milk from another species. The human body isn't make to digest the stuff yet some people like to act like it is so healthy, you want healthy, serve water, plain and simple WATER. ALso any calcium or vitamin D that you may get is wasted because your body works so hard to digest that poison.

Again, as I said earlier, we all have our ideas about what is healthy and ok, and what isn't. I would never serve milk to anyone on the pretense that it is healthy, nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[DeniseinNS]

I think it's sad that school are telling you what your kids can and cannot eat at school, does this include their lunches brought from home too????? my kids can bring anything to school for recess/lunch except stuff with peanuts (too many kids with allergies) For parties cookies, cupcakes, etc... are fine. My son's class splits the class list for parties so you are responsible for one during the year and are given a specific item to bring from a list including fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers, and cookies or cupcakes.

 

[torinsmom]

There is a difference in bringing something in your personal lunch to eat and bringing it for the whole class. Just because you think rice krispy treats are okay doesn't mean everyone else does. I don't think there is anything wrong with a school having a list of acceptable treats; if they do, parents need to abide by it.

OP, did you MAKE the rice krispy treats? Your post said you cut them into 2 inch squares, so I am thinking they were homemade. If they were, that would knock them out as a snack option for my school. Everything has to be store bought and unopened with the ingredients printed on the label(sanitation and allergy related).

As far as the lunch choices at schools, I agree they are sometimes junk. The school has no real say-so in that, as the district sets the menu. Making them healthier would be nice, but unfortunately, school lunch programs are already in the red, and I sure wouldn't want other areas cut to pay for more healthy food. Parents can send a lunch in if they have problems with what they serve.

 

[Lorem Ipsum]

Instead of all the speculating in this thread it would be beneficial if you would actually:

A) Determine if there are treat and birthday policies at the school (caution: these may be two different policies)

B) Post the policy or policies

C) Take a picture of the poster in your doctor's office and post it

Otherwise we could go on like this for days.

Or...maybe that is the goal?

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

There is a difference in bringing something in your personal lunch to eat and bringing it for the whole class. Just because you think rice krispy treats are okay doesn't mean everyone else does. I don't think there is anything wrong with a school having a list of acceptable treats; if they do, parents need to abide by it.

OP, did you MAKE the rice krispy treats? Your post said you cut them into 2 inch squares, so I am thinking they were homemade. If they were, that would knock them out as a snack option for my school. Everything has to be store bought and unopened with the ingredients printed on the label(sanitation and allergy related).

As far as the lunch choices at schools, I agree they are sometimes junk. The school has no real say-so in that, as the district sets the menu. Making them healthier would be nice, but unfortunately, school lunch programs are already in the red, and I sure wouldn't want other areas cut to pay for more healthy food. Parents can send a lunch in if they have problems with what they serve.

My wife made them, but homemade stuff is allowed.