Re: Schools are not diabetic friendly

[Guest guest]

School lunches are awful. My daughter is not fat but she can put on a

bit of weight in the nine months of school then in the summer she looses

it.She is actually more active at school so its not activity so that

leaves the awful school lunch that serves the same over and

over.cheeseburgers, pizza and burritos...sus

-----Original Message-----

From: Mushko

Recent school thread divided the group into pro-public school;

anti-public

school, but seemed to have little to do with the main topic of this

group:

diabetes.

I am a retired middle-school teacher (now college instructor), who was

diagnosed type 2 diabetic two years after my 1997 retirement. However, I

know now that I was diabetic for several years before I retired.

One thing that probably hurt my health while I worked was school food.

It

was low-fat, high carb, high glycemic index. I wonder how many kids got

a

jump start on diabetes from eating this stuff for 12 or more years.

[Guest guest]

Hello Mushko,

I am going to copy your post below and paste it to my forum,

Rejuvenation, with * * * (three stars) which I put on posts

that I think everybody should read. You are saying what I

have been saying: diabetes is manufactured by bad diet.

Don't blame the schools. They have learned what is a " good

diet " from the infamous Attrocious U.S.D.A. Food Guide

Pyramid. Most of the food you mention is supposed to be

wonderful, according to the Attrocious U.S.D.A. Food Guide

Pyramid. It took me a long time to figure that out myself,

but I finally figured it out. The collective wisdom is that

60% carbohydrates is GOOD, and this comes from the " experts "

at the top, so you can't blame the school nutritionist who

takes his cue about what is good from the top.

I agree 100% with what you are saying. Please sign up at

Rejuvenation, and I would like to interview you further, regarding

insulin resistance, etc. (You are all cordially invited to

subscribe to Rejuvenation)

http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/Rejuvenation

Ellis Toussier

> Recent school thread divided the group into pro-public school;

anti-public

> school, but seemed to have little to do with the main topic of this

group:

> diabetes.

>

> I am a retired middle-school teacher (now college instructor), who

was

> diagnosed type 2 diabetic two years after my 1997 retirement.

However, I

> know now that I was diabetic for several years before I retired.

>

> One thing that probably hurt my health while I worked was school

food. It

> was low-fat, high carb, high glycemic index. I wonder how many kids

got a

> jump start on diabetes from eating this stuff for 12 or more years.

>

> For example, school breakfasts were usually cereal, milk, and

juice--with

> toast or pastry or muffin. Often there was fruit, but not always.

Any meat

> offerings were served on a biscuit. Eggs were rare; fried apples

were not.

>

> Lunches were usually either pasta or pizza. The infrequent meat

offerings

> came breaded, on a bun, or in a pot pie. Corn or potatoes (and

sometimes

> both) were the usual side dishes. Any green vegetable served were

broccoli

> (which few kids ate), green beans (ditto), or peas (the carbiest

choice of

> the three).

>

> Potatoes--either curly fries, regular fries, baked, mashed,

scalloped,

> etc.-- were served at just about every lunch. Ditto for bread. The

> school-baked bread was wonderful--light, fluffy, and loaded with

carbs.

>

> Desserts tended toward cake or brownies or fruit. The juice machine

in the

> cafeteria was popular. Each can contained 40 carbs of " juice. " Some

kids

> chugged more than one can during a meal.

>

> I noticed something about kids' behavior: During 1st period (after

> breakfast) and 4th or 5th period (after lunch), the kids were

sleepy and

> sluggish. Most fights--and I witnessed some doozies!-- broke out

during 3rd

> period and 7th. I know now (but didn't know then) those times are

when blood

> sugar would be dropping--or at least be much lower than

earlier--thanks to

> all those carbs.

>

> The school where I taught had a lot of overweight kids (and

teachers).

>

> We had no regular school nurse. Our health center (one of two

schools in the

> district that had one) was manned (womanned?) two days a week. The

school

> secretary dispensed the kids' medication. Many students had to

leave class

> to line up for their ritalin. I wonder if so many would have needed

ritalin

> if they hadn't been ingesting so many carbs.

>

> No student was allowed to keep a test kit with him (lancet could be

a

> weapon; syringe and needle was also weapon as well as drug

paraphenalia);

> these had to be kept in main office as well.

>

> A student who was diabetic (we were issued a list of health

problems, so we

> knew) could be allowed to go to office or restroom--or to the

cafeteria for

> juice if needed, but we had been instructed by the principal for

security

> reasons not to let other kids out. And this was a few years before

> Columbine. Things got tighter afterwards.

>

> As a condition of taking early retirement, I worked 20 days a year

for five

> years in a few district schools. At one, the school secretary had

to spend a

> good deal of time with a diabetic student who came to the office

several

> times a day for testing. The secretary had a bag of snacks to feed

him if he

> needed a snack and a list of instructions from his mother and social

> worker--but not from any medical personnel. The 7th grader gave

himself

> insulin if he thought he needed it, but the secretary wasn't sure

how much

> he should have (luckily there was a refrigerator in the teacher's

lounge, so

> his insulin was kept cool; the test kit was kept in the secretary's

desk

> drawer).

>

> Sometimes this secretary thought maybe the kid just wanted some

candy or

> crackers from his goodie bag. And she wondered if he should really

have so

> much candy--but that was what the mother sent. When I worked there,

the

> secretary asked me a lot of questions--and I even loaned her my copy

> Bernstein's book. This school did not have a nurse.

>

> A busy front-office secretary at a large school should not have to

be the

> one responsible for any kid's major health problem. And what would

happen if

> this secretary had to be out sick? Who would take care of the kid?

>

> Teachers in that district are instructed not to leave class for any

reason

> (legal problems can arise if something happens while a teacher is

out), so a

> teacher can't take one student out to get insulin and test kit.

>

> I suspect that this school system isn't unique. Hence my

conclusion: public

> schools are not user-friendly for diabetics.

>

> Becky in VA

[Guest guest]

She is actually more active at school so its not activity so that

leaves the awful school lunch that serves the same over and

over.cheeseburgers, pizza and burritos...

True, Sus... school lunches are notoriously high in fat. Probably the

best thing is to have your daughter make her lunch, and only provide things

you know she should have. When I worked at the elementary school, I bought

a nice, insulated bag and packed diet soda, veggies, cottage cheese, lunch

meat, tuna, a piece of fruit, etc.

Sandy H.

[Guest guest]

For example, school breakfasts were usually cereal, milk, and juice--with

toast or pastry or muffin. Often there was fruit, but not always. Any meat

offerings were served on a biscuit. Eggs were rare; fried apples were not.

Becky,

Our high school doesn't serve breakfast, but I recently studied French 4

days a week at our nearby junior college, and high schools could learn from

the one I went to. They made pancakes and waffles, but also wonderful

omelets! I alternated between a bacon and cheese omelet and ham and cheese

omelet. It was very inexpensive, and I decided it was worth eating there on

the days that I was there for class :-)

Sandy

[Guest guest]

> For example, school breakfasts were usually cereal, milk, and juice-

-with

> toast or pastry or muffin. Often there was fruit, but not always.

Any meat

> offerings were served on a biscuit. Eggs were rare; fried apples

were not.

>

> Lunches were usually either pasta or pizza. The infrequent meat

offerings

> came breaded, on a bun, or in a pot pie. Corn or potatoes (and

sometimes

> both) were the usual side dishes. Any green vegetable served were

broccoli

> (which few kids ate), green beans (ditto), or peas (the carbiest

choice of

> the three).

>

> Potatoes--either curly fries, regular fries, baked, mashed,

scalloped,

> etc.-- were served at just about every lunch. Ditto for bread. The

> school-baked bread was wonderful--light, fluffy, and loaded with

carbs.

>

> Desserts tended toward cake or brownies or fruit. The juice machine

in the

> cafeteria was popular. Each can contained 40 carbs of " juice. " Some

kids

> chugged more than one can during a meal.

This is not true of just school cafeterias. It's our fast food-

inspired national diet. Even at 4 and 5 star hotels, when I travel

on business, practically all I'm offered for breakfast is carbs.

>

> The school where I taught had a lot of overweight kids (and

teachers).

>

> No student was allowed to keep a test kit with him (lancet could be

a

> weapon; syringe and needle was also weapon as well as drug

paraphenalia);

> these had to be kept in main office as well.

My daughter has bad migraines. She needs to take medication as soon

as they start to come on. But her medication also had to be

maintained in the health room. So it's not just diabetics. We've

gone overboard on the zero tolerance policies.

And this was a few years before

> Columbine. Things got tighter afterwards.

Another sad commentary on why schools have felt the need to go

overboard. In a way, who can blame them for being overly diligent?

I just wish common sense would make its way back into the system.

[Guest guest]

Re: Schools are not diabetic friendly

Understandably.) Between the foods served at school lunch and the lack of

daily health and P.E. courses that stress good health and fitness,

Don't they have PE any more?

You just gotta pick up where school

curriculum leaves off and fill in the holes. JMHO

~Cheryl-who uses her kids to read labels instead of putting on her

reading glasses.

So many parents (not all, or even most, mind you, but too many [from my

persepctive as an ex-teacher]) seem to want the school to raise their children.

[Guest guest]

> Hello Mushko,

>

> I am going to copy your post below and paste it to my forum,

> Rejuvenation, with * * * (three stars) which I put on posts

> that I think everybody should read. You are saying what I

> have been saying: diabetes is manufactured by bad diet.

I totally disagree. Diabetes is exacerbated by bad diets. But if

you are not genetically prone to the disease you can eat the worst

diet in the world and never get diabetes. Many, many people do. And

Type 1 has nothing to do with diet.

Christy

[Guest guest]

> Don't blame the schools. They have learned what is a " good

> diet " from the infamous Attrocious U.S.D.A. Food Guide

> Pyramid.

Yep, that U.S.D.A. Food Guide Pyramid poster hangs on the wall of many a

school cafeteria where I've eaten. The irony is that a lot of school lunches

are touted as being " low-fat " and thus healthy. Too bad they're " high-carb. "

I think the school where I last taught sometimes crammed all the " seven

recommended servings " of carbs into one lunch--and added a few more for good

measure.

While the schools where I've worked took out the soft drink machines (about

30 carbs per can), they put in the " healthy " juice drink machines (40 carbs

per can).

And should I mention all those days when the PTA showed their appreciation

for the teachers by bringing in doughnuts? Or the doughnut sales

fund-raisers sponsored by various clubs? Or the principal I once had who

often brought in healthy breakfasts for all the faculty--bagels and juice?

Argghhh!

Becky in VA

[Guest guest]

At 05:58 PM 9/30/2002, Becky wrote:

> > Don't blame the schools. They have learned what is a " good

> > diet " from the infamous Attrocious U.S.D.A. Food Guide

> > Pyramid.

>

>Yep, that U.S.D.A. Food Guide Pyramid poster hangs on the wall of many a

>school cafeteria where I've eaten. The irony is that a lot of school lunches

>are touted as being " low-fat " and thus healthy. Too bad they're " high-carb. "

>I think the school where I last taught sometimes crammed all the " seven

>recommended servings " of carbs into one lunch--and added a few more for good

>measure.

>

>While the schools where I've worked took out the soft drink machines (about

>30 carbs per can), they put in the " healthy " juice drink machines (40 carbs

>per can)...

>

>Argghhh!

>

>Becky in VA

I have to chime in here. During my Junior and Senior year of High School, I

said, " No Thanks! " to the lunches in the school cafeteria. Instead, for

nearly everyday of those two years, I had a most nutritious lunch - A

Hostess Cherry Pie, a 16 bottle of Coke, and a pack of Marlboros!

I wonder how I wound up with Diabetes? ;O/

Rick

[Guest guest]

During my Junior and Senior year of High School, I

> said, " No Thanks! " to the lunches in the school cafeteria. Instead,

for

> nearly everyday of those two years, I had a most nutritious lunch -

A

> Hostess Cherry Pie, a 16 bottle of Coke, and a pack of Marlboros!

>

> I wonder how I wound up with Diabetes? ;O/>>

Rick... after high school, I went into the Air Force, and we could go

to the chow hall for eggs, bacon, etc., but I opted to sleep in a

little instead and had a coke and peanuts for breakfast. Lunch was

whatever they were serving in the chow hall, but I usually had

peanuts and coke cheese crackers with peanut butter for dinner too.

Not sure if your cherry pie and coke is any worse :-)

Sandy H.