Tienchin Ho

Parents: Please Stop Giving Sugar to My Child

"Every time someone else feeds your child dessert when you're not there, they are making your job harder. And if you are one of the 30% of parents who have an overweight child, they are downright being disrespectful to you."

- Marlene Schwartz, Yale Rudd Center

 

When I picked up my daughter from school on Friday, she was enjoying a freezer pop that another generous mom had bought from the school ice cream window for her. My daughter knows not to take food from other people. Somehow school blurs those lines for her.

Here is an example of freezer pops:

Looks good right? Real fruit juice sounds healthy.

Here are the ingredients:

Yes, there is some apple juice in there. However, the first two ingredients are water and sugar.

Children between 4 and 8 years old in the US eat and drink seven times the recommended amount of added sugar every day.

Please join me in reducing the amount of sugar we give kids at school. One of your child's classmates may have diabetes or be struggling with obesity. Are we really so insensitive as to expect that child to decline the cupcake or a freezer pop from a friendly, smiling classroom mom? Let's make it easy for our kids to choose health.

Fresno Flavored Milk Facts

 

Every year, Fresno surgeons perform 1000 weight-loss surgeries.

Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development

 

One third of Fresno’s children are at an unhealthy weight.

California Center for Public Health Advocacy

 

Every year, overweight individuals cost Fresno County $250 million due to health care and $180 million due to lost productivity.

California Center for Public Health Advocacy 

 

Eight out of ten third graders in Fresno have suffered from tooth decay.

Center for Oral Health

 

Every year in California, absences due to dental problems cost local school districts $28.8 million.

 Children Now

 

Sugar-sweetened drinks are associated with obesity in children.

Ludwig DS, et al. Harvard

 

Sugar and addictive substances such as nicotine have a similar effect on the brain.

Hoebel BG, et al. Princeton

 

Long-term use of artificial sweeteners may fuel - rather than fight - obesity.

Fowler SP, et al. The University of Texas Health Science Center

 

Milk consumption has been falling since 1945 despite flavoring and marketing.

USDA Economic Research Service

 

Countries with a low calcium intake have the lowest rates of hip fractures. The highest rates of fracture occur in populations with a high calcium intake.

Hegsted DM, et al. World Health Organization

 

Overweight Californians outnumber those with osteoporosis almost 5 to 1. 

California Osteoporosis Prevention and Education (COPE), Centers for Disease Control 

 

For every dollar that we lose in productivity due to osteoporosis, we lose $2000 due to being overweight.

California Osteoporosis Prevention and Education (COPE), California Center for Public Health Advocacy

Does Flavored Milk Improve Bone Health?

Calcium intake is a serious concern in the United States. We believe that if we drink enough milk each day, we will prevent hip fractures. But countries with a low calcium intake (400-500 mg per day) have the lowest rates of hip fractures. The highest rates of fracture occur in populations with a high calcium intake. The benefit of ever-increasing levels of calcium intake is not clear. 

70% of milk served in schools contain flavoring such as chocolate to convince children to drink milk. Despite this, milk consumption in the United States has been falling since 1975. Chocolate flavoring does not increase milk consumption. 

In California, you are five times more likely to be overweight than suffer from osteoporosis. We spend ten times as much on health care related to the treatment of overweight individuals as we do on osteoporosis-related and associated fractures. For every dollar that we lose in productivity due to osteoporosis, we lose $2000 due to being overweight.

We cannot afford to supply school children with chocolate flavoring that neither protects them from osteoporosis nor reduces their risk of obesity.

Last Wednesday, I spoke at the Fresno Unified School Board Meeting about removing chocolate milk from school menus.

I listend for the first hour as the Board discussed the 80 million dollars promised by Sacramento that might never reach Fresno. California tax revenues are already 539 million dollars below projections. Some trustees wanted to use the promised money to reinstate teachers. Others and Superintendent Hanson called for a reality check and fiscal responsibility.

Hearing all of this, I was sure that the Board and Superintendent would agree with our request to remove chocolate milk. After all, chocolate milk costs more than white milk. $1000 a day more. And is certainly doesn't help the obesity and tooth decay that Fresno kids struggle with. California schools lose 30 million dollars a day due to absences from dental problems. Fresno county spends a quarter of a billion dollars a year on health care related on being overweight. Knowing this, how can serving chocolate milk be fiscally responsible?

Superintendent Hanson told me that strawberry milk is his favorite. The school district has already removed strawberry flavored milk from the menu because it wasn't popular with the kids. He seems to have forgotten that he and the kids can have strawberry milk for lunch whenever they want. Superintendent Hanson can buy it for himself. Parents can pack it for their child. It is the parents' responsibility to cater to a picky eater's taste buds, not Fresno's taxpayers.

The school district is planning on surveying students and parents to see if they prefer chocolate milk or white milk. Another waste of taxpayer money. Kids vote every day when they choose chocolate milk at school. The survey has been done already. The survey they should be doing is of the taxpayers who subsidize the chocolate for the kids. I sure hope the district doesn't decide to survey parents and students on whether they prefer math or recess. We all know that answer too.