What School Lunches Look Like In 20 Countries Around The World

[Arugula Latte]

40. There is real reform in certain pockets of the USA

Parents in liberal towns who can afford fresh produce (how sad is that when processed crap is dirt cheap and a bell pepper is $2? ... anyway I digress) are changing the way they feed their kids. I live in Portland and a lot of the kids grow up eating fresh fruits, veggies and lean proteins -- often organic. Same goes for places like Berkeley, Seattle, San Fran, Boulder, Cambridge, Takoma Park, ... etc. But the norm for most of the country is to eat high fat, fried, processed, high-fructose corn syrup filled junk.

We live within Portland, Ore. city limits and child obesity is relatively uncommon at the schools my kids have attended (there might be one fat child per class of 30 or so). However, when my kids' sports teams have played kids from the suburbs or even outlying parts of eastern Portland, there is a marked increase in obesity among the kids and parents. Part of it is socioeconomic and part of it is cultural. I hope as a country we can make a change. It is going to take a lot of effort on many fronts.