Chicken Giggles and Potato Smiles

Did you happen to catch "Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver" last Friday? I did and it was eye opening. Actually it was eye popping. I had no idea to what extent our kiddo's school lunches were made up of 6 foot-high, piled boxes of processed gunk stuffed into a walk-in. I also had no idea that the food the schools were feeding our kids were decided based on the budget concerns of school districts and not by the concern for our kid's health and wellness. Hey, if they could save a couple of pennies here or there, that would be well worth the offset to health industry to treat little Johnny's diabetes right?

This sparked my curiosity, so I thought I would look up a current menu at my local elementary school just to see what culinary delights are in my son's future and I was left with one question. What the hell are "Chicken Giggles and Potato Smiles"?  I have a feeling they are not just another name for chicken nuggets, but a cute way of covering up what they really are, chunks of processed bird parts cooked in partially hydrogenated soybean oil mixed in with other ingredients that would make a really cool science experiment. Yummy.

I have a few years before I will be sending the K man off into the front lines of this crazy world of Chicken O's and Potato wiggles. And I am hoping, in this fleeting amount of time I have, I'll be able to brainwash my child into thinking all chicken nuggets are full of carrots (which he hates), and instill some healthy eating habits. But even with that education instilled in him, is it enough when there are no other options and all his friends are eating the science experiment?

Over the past two weeks the hubs and I have been exposed to this topic quite a few times. We just watched "Food, Inc." A movie about the food industry that stated we would never look at dinner the same again. And you know what? They were right. But then to see "Food Revolution" and take a look into the refrigerators of real families and see how these schools view nutrition, no wonder we have such an epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes.

When I was preggo with the K man, I tried to eat as organic as possible. I became really educated on what ingredients were in our food and what partially hydrogenated oils could do to you. I discovered that it was in almost everything we ate - even seasonings! We set out to find the most organic and fresh foods we could. Our friends and family thought we were nuts. Don't get me wrong, we still ate out at restaurants and at our friends and families homes, we just tried to do the best we could with what we could control.

I swore that my kiddo was going to be that weird kid that didn't know what fast food was (not the kid on Food Revolution that didn't even know what a tomato was!). When his friends got all excited about those grease-soaked paper bags, he would just cock his head and look confused. But, then the craziness of life sets in and sometimes you just to go there. Through the drive-though. Because the "I'm hungry now" meltdown in the backseat is enough for you to just want to do anything to bring peace to the world again. I've done it.

And seriously, what else are going to do when you are out and about at an amusement park, or other "family fun spot" where the only kid-friendly options for food are typically breaded, fried, cheesy, and dunked in grease? I know there will be situations like these and that occasional junk food is okay. What I am really having a hard time swallowing is, where you would think your child would be the most taken care of, is where the most damage is being done. That there are no other options for schools to offer better food for our kids. That at the most basic educational level we are teaching our kids that it is okay to eat this food and not what is healthy for them.

Knowing that all the good habits and education I instill in my child will inevitably be trumped by the very institution that I trust to look out for his well being every day is frightening. And this is where I hope we as parents can make a change. To demand a change. Because there are other options out there. Yes, they are more expensive, but as culture, we need to get over the "bottom line" when it is affecting the future health and well-being of our kids.

I signed the petition to make a change and improve school food. It could be the most important thing you ever do for your family. Will you sign it too?


If you missed last week's episode, you can catch it this week:  Friday 2nd April – 9 pm EST or Saturday 3rd April – 3 pm EST (repeat) on ABC.