Childhood Obesity and Covid-19

More challenges with COVID-19 and hunger

Are all lunches created equal? I am now intrigued by the idea of Apple Milk. Image from Pixabay.

According to a recent article on the Counter, childhood obesity has increased during the pandemic. Already high, with over 19% of children aged 2-19 being obese before the lockdown, pediatric physicians have seen more obese children. Part of the issue is that children eat best when at school. The National School Lunch Program nutritional guidelines were waived in an effort to get food to children in whatever way possible when they were no longer able to be in school. Much of the food provided in replacement for school meals was shelf stable or frozen packaged, which allowed children to take home meals for several days. 

Many children also missed picking up meals, either due to access to the school or because their parents considered the food to be poor quality. This left many parents struggling to find food when already on a tight budget. 

Should the nutritional rules be tightened again so we make sure that children are getting fruits and vegetables on a regular basis? Let me know in the comments.