Friday's Lunch- Pizza Day

Sorry I didn't post this Friday but the truth is I had a big weekend planned with my little girl and my bestie and her kiddos (we went to the Owl City concert last night and I was wrapped up in all that, cleaning house etc etc on Friday afternoon.)
OK so on to lunch.

OK this is the first one, it's Turkey Tetrazinni. Which the kids really like actually but it could be better if they used whole grain noodles. The green beans aren't a bad option, the kids really like those as well, but I would love to see them cooked fresh occasionally, or maybe even from frozen and not overcooked like these canned ones.

Pizza Day... really this wouldn't be so bad, if the crust was whole grain. I read somewhere recently about pizza being much more healthy if not only is the crust a whole grain but if it is baked a little darker as well. It would be lovely as well to add some really tasty vegetable to the pizza as well. If they made the sauce for the pizza from scratch they could actually grind up some zucchini and other vegetables to give the kids more veggies. This is how I make my sauce at home and my kids live it because it has a lot of texture. It would also eliminate the HFCS (BLAH) that the pizza has in it. Improving the sugar high and crash that kids get after lunch. The Mandarin oranges appeared to be in a natural juice so for that A+.

Oh I wanted to mention that Lance decided to get white milk all on his own today. I think all this talk about the insane amount of sugar in the milk he has been overhearing coming from my mouth has prompted this change. I asked him why, he said because the white milk was more healthy. He's only 4 so we'll see how he choses tomorrow. He only gets white milk at home, which he happens to drink an insane amount of, so I know he likes it.

The Skinny on HFCS

In the wake of a Food Revolution going on all over this nation a new report from Princeton University finds that High Fructose Corn Syrup prompts considerably more weight gain.

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.

Chocolate Milk

I was told that there have been studies done on milk consumption in school and that consuming milk was essential to the health of children. Part of me really wants to believe that, but part of me knows that's just not really true. There are other healthy alternatives to consuming calcium rich foods and did you know that 1 liter bottle of mineral rich water has more calcium than a 200ml glass of part skim milk by more than 100mg? I bet that is a real shocker eh?
The studies also go on to say that flavored milks ensure that more kids will actually consume this all important milk. But does the study tell us that one half pint of Chocolate Milk also contains 25 grams of teeth rotting sugar? Do you know how many teaspoons of sugar that is? Well if you don't, it's ok because I am here to save the day... 6, yes that is right 6 teaspoons of sugar in each little half pint of chocolate milk our little kiddos are drinking in school. I wonder what those little kids are like after lunch, especially those with sugar sensitivities (like my Lance, OMG)
and so no one thinks I might be missing anything, take a look at that sodium... 210 mg of sodium? I just have no clue how anyone is going to sell this as healthy and actually have people believe it.
Please don't forget to take a close look at that ingredients list...you be the judge.