1) Childhood health problems like obesity, diabetes, and behavioral issues have increased in recent decades. School foods have also changed, with more cheap fillers and synthetic chemicals replacing actual food ingredients. 2) The document compares the ingredients of a McDonald's hamburger patty and a typical school lunch patty, noting the various sugars, MSG, and other additives in the school patty. It discusses potential health effects of these additives. 3) The document presents examples of schools that improved student outcomes like test scores and behavior by changing to healthier, additive-free meals. It argues for positive changes to school food programs, including removing artificial colors, flavors, and other additives.

1. Educational Leadership May 14, 2011 Cheri T. McGuire Changing How We Feed Our Children

2. Childhood Problems Have Increased Over The Past Decades Obesity Diabetes Autism ADHD/ADD/PDD/OCD Depression Developmental delays Asthma Ear Infections Behavior Problems Bipolar disorders

3. 50 years ago ‘processing’ meant peeling, slicing and dicing Today, food serves as the raw ingredients for an array of products that have little resemblance to the actual food Foods Have Changed Over The Past Decades

4. School Foods Have Changed Over The Years Also 50 years ago food was prepared in kitchens were the meatloaves were made and the potatoes were mashed. Today, more and more of the food has been replaced with cheap fillers and synthetic chemicals.

5. McDonald’s Hamburger Patty School Lunch Hamburger Patty Ground Beef Ground Beef Salt SUGARS: Maltodextrin Sugar MSG Aliases Textured vegetable protein Hydrolyzed soy protein Torulayeast Autolyzedyeast extract Disodium inosinate Natural flavoring (School-lunch.org) Let’s Compare

6. The Downside Of MSGMonosodium Glutamate Reported side effects of MSG include: Asthma Headache Numbness Convulsions Destruction of Retinal Cells Obesity Damage to Nerve Cells

7. The Downside Of Synthetic Dyes Nerve Cell Damage Asthma and other Respiratory Problems Hives Disturbed Behavior Headaches DNA Damage Reproductive Damage Immune System Suppression Destruction of Zinc Learning Deficits Cancer Diet-studies.com

8. The Downside to BHA, BHT, TBHQbutylatedhydroxyanisole, butylatedhydroxytoluene, tertiary butylhydroquinone Cancer Tumors in the Stomach, Liver and Lungs Cell Death Enlarged Liver Decreased Sleep Learning Deficits Increased Aggression Diet-studies.com

9. The Downside To Aspartame Headaches Seizures Brain Tumors Nerve Damage Reduced IQ after Pre-Natal Exposure Muscle Damage Blindness

10. Things We Eat Can Affect: Our Behavior Our Ability to Focus Our Health

11. Schools That Changed The Food They Fed Their Children Appleton Alternative High School, Wisconsin Whitefish Middle School, Montana Arlington, Vermont 2 schools New York City Schools Fairfax County, Virginia

12. Some Changes Those Schools Saw Substantial Decline in Drop-outs Substantial Decline in Drug Use Substantial Reduction in Discipline Problems Substantial Improvement in Test Scores Not to mention children who are calmer, more alert, more focused…AND HEALTHIER!

13. If children ate real food many would not need to be in special education. The money a school could save on just one child would buy a lot of real food! The High Cost Of Low Quality Food

14. Processed Foods Are Overpriced Much of the cost goes to packaging, advertising and big salaries for company executives.

15. FDA Now Requires Warning Labels On ADHD Drugs Heart Problems Strokes Aggression Mania Hallucinations Seizures Vision Problems Stunted Growth Sudden Death

16. First Look For A Cause(s) How can you intelligently treat a symptom if you do not know the cause? Here are some of the many reasons why a child may be showing symptoms of hyperactivity or attention deficits. Synthetic food additives Synthetic fragrances Family stress Wood burning stoves Loss of a pet or loved one Environmental chemicals Fluoride sensitivity Lack of sleep Vision deficits Food allergies Excess of heavy metals Thyroid dysfunction Deficient of “good fats”

17. Removing Food Additives Is A Good Place To Begin Studies Show Additives Cause Damage “ There is a general adverse effect of artificial food coloring…”(Bateman 2004) “Our meta-analysis supports the hypothesis that artificial food colors promote hyperactivity…”(Schab 2004) “Blue #1 can be a mitochondrial toxin”(FDA 2003) “Of all the additives, dyes were the most genotoxic induced dose-related DNA damage…”(Sasaki 2002) “BHA induces apoptosis(cell death) in liver cells” (Yu 2000) “BHT is a potent lung tumor promoter” (Umemura 2002) TBHQ has “harmful effects on erythrocyte (red blood cell) membrane structures” (Stolze 1999)

18. Removing Food Additives Is AGood Place To Begin Studies Show Diet Helps “In young children with ADHD an elimination diet can lead to a statistically significant decrease in symptoms.” (Pelsser 2002) “…an elimination diet is effective in most cases…It is more appropriate to reserve medication for those who fail.” (Anthony 1999) “The research has shown that diet definitely affects some children.”(Breakey 1997) “…dietary treatment cannot be neglected as a possible access to treating hyperactivity/disruptive children.” (Schmidt1997)

19. What Are We Doing To Our Children?! Commonsense rules of good parenting are the key in both the home kitchen and the school cafeteria.

20. Positive Changes That Can Be Made To Our School Breakfast And Lunch Programs *No Artificial Colorings or Flavorings *No Non-Beneficial Additives *No Carbonated Soda *Only Pure Fruit Juice * No Flavored Milk *Whole Wheat Buns and Breads

21. Vending Machines Benefits *Supplement School Income *Offer Quick Snacks to Hungry Students Down Side *Usually stocked with unhealthy foods that contain additives that have been shown to cause behavioral, learning and health problems in children. * Most of the income goes to the beverage companies. The amount of money a school spends on addressing the adverse effects of junk foods is far greater than the income they receive.

22. Positive Changes That Can Be Made To Vending Machines Replace junk foods with better foods that are not linked to behavioral, learning and health problems. Have the school purchase a vending machine and stock it with healthy foods. This way the children benefit and the school is able to retain the entire income from the sales.

23. The Guiding Team Principle Physical Education Teacher Nutritionist School Board

24. Change Vision And Strategy Adopt a Wellness Policy that places health at the center of the academic curriculum. * Berkeley Unified School District

25. Communicate And Empower Wellness Committee Diverse Inclusive Representative of the Community

27. Healthy, well-nourished children are better able to learn

28. All children deserve nutritious, safe and deliciously prepared food

29. Eating habits developed in childhood will affect health throughout life

30. Knowledge of food-how it is grown, who grows it, how it is prepared, its connection to tradition and its influence in shaping the future of society

32. New Culture