Obamas' Daughters Unfairly Targeted In Health Group's Ad Campaign

Politico and FoxNews are reporting that the Obamas' daughters Malia and Sasha are the subject of a current school lunch campaign in the D.C. area. The ad unfairly compares public school lunches with what Obama's daughters eat at their private school.

The ad, funded by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) features an eight-year-old girl, a vegetarian, asking why she can't have a healthy lunch like the President's daughters. Sasha and Malia attend Sidwell Friends -- a Quaker private school in D.C.

Here's what PCRM's website says about the ad (emphasis added):

The ads, which went up Aug. 3, will be posted throughout the Union Station Metro stop in Washington, D.C. They are sponsored by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which wants Congress to reform the Child Nutrition Act to help schools serve more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat vegetarian lunch options.

“At most schools, children have no alternative at all to the meaty, cheesy, high-calorie fare that contributes to childhood obesity and health problems,” says PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D. “Congress needs to help all schools, no matter how disadvantaged, to provide vegetables, fruits, and healthy nondairy vegetarian choices, and should provide the funding to make that feasible.”

The ads will be on display through August.

This "cheesy" use of the Obama daughters angers me on several levels:

1) Leave politicians' children out of the public square!

2) The Presidents' daughters attend a private school. You cannot compare a public school to a private one. Parents send their kids to private schools for various reasons, one of which is that the private school provides certain things that a public school can / does not. Foo-foo lunches is one of them.

3) Parents of public school children can push to get their schools to change the cafeteria menus; but, that would require 1) parents getting involved in the their children's schools; 2) insisting on changing the menu and demanding what they want served; and 3) modeling proper healthy lifestyles themselves.

4) I'm sick of hearing different groups insisting on their own special menus at schools. Schools do not have the money, time or staff to accommodate all diets. If you're a vegetarian, then choose meatless items and/or bring vegetarian items from home. People don't insist on our schools providing kosher or halal meals. Those kids bring their own lunches from home. Why should vegetarians expect special treatment?

Occasionally, a few parents within the district I teach in have raised concerns about changing cafeteria menus; but, there is no follow-through. Our only big change was eliminating sugar-containing soda from the vending machines. However, they did include sports drinks and milk -- both plain, as well as sugary strawberry and chocolate milk. Duh!

If parents really want change, they will have to push for it. They will also have to be willing to possibly fork out more money for healthier lunches. If they are unwilling to get off their duffs and push for a change, then either make your kid's lunch to take or let them eat the unhealthy food and shut up about it. But don't sit there and whine that some private schools offer healthier lunches. Yours could, too, if you really care.

Honestly, I wonder how many families eat unhealthily at home, let alone fail to model healthy lifestyles.

Now, let's talk about the organization behind the ads -- PCRM. I did some checking around. From its website, it appears that PCRM is a pro-vegetarian and anti-animal research organization. (Remember, the little girl in the ad was a vegetarian.) Do we possibly have an animal-rights ideology coming into the fray?

If you look at the numerous articles linked on PCRM's website, you'll find such titles as:

• "Learn about the new "Thrive in 30" online nutrition program by vegan triathlete and author Brendan Brazier"

• "Sent a free dissection alternatives e-card"

• "Field of greens: Vegetarian major leaguer celebrates Home Run Derby win"

• Vegetarian diets promote bone health: PCRM responds to new study on bone density"

• Vegetarian diets healthy for young people: PCRM responds to new JADA study"

• Huffington Post: PCRM's Simon Chaitowitz discusses animal testing and her battle with cancer"

• "Carcinogen found in KFC's new grilled chicken"

• "Red meat linked to early death"

• "The American Dietetic Association endorses vegetarian diets for every stage of life"

If you go the ad campaign's website, HealthySchoolLunches.org, you'll find vegetarianism as the group's #1 key recommendation (emphasis added):

A. Make menu offerings and nutritional requirements consistent with current scientific evidence showing that plant foods promote good health and help children maintain a healthy weight.

To this end, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) recommends that low-fat vegetarian and vegan entrées be offered daily as an option for all children.

B. Meet the nutritional needs of all children. Since perhaps as many as a third of American children are not lactose tolerant and/or have allergies to cow’s milk, schools should offer equally priced nondairy, calcium-rich beverages at every meal. Considering also that milk is the primary source of saturated fat in children’s diets, PCRM is calling on the USDA to mandate the offering of nondairy, calcium-fortified beverages for all children in all child nutrition programs.

Hmmmm ... it appears this group is also anti-milk. (I love milk! I try to get 4 servings a day!)

The Politico gives some background on PCRM's agenda:

The committee is hoping to gain traction on the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act this year, which regulates the National School Lunch Program and could allow significant revisions to school lunches. But angering Obama and possibly leading Democrats could slow that advocacy work and dissolve the potential of political ties.

“The best way to get something done is not to anger a popular president,” said George Washington University media professor Steven Roberts. “If I were that group, I would fire my advertising adviser.”

I'm all for healthy lunches at school. It makes me sick when I see my students scarffing down pizza with fries or deep-fried burritos. There are some "healthy alternatives" at my school, such as a salad bar or the occasional special feature of a local sub sandwich shop. There surely could be more healthy choices, including meat and meatless, dairy and dairy-free.

I still maintain that if your kid is fat and unhealthy, it's YOUR fault, parent. Not the school's and not McDonald's. (See these previous posts: "Parents: It's Not Kellogg's Fault That Your Kid Is Fat" and "Lazy Parenting Strikes Again: Cholesterol Drugs for Kids." Sure, schools can help in the battle for healthier kids, but parents must step up to the plate.

What good does it do if they came to school on an empty stomach or one filled with donuts, and then go home to an unhealthy dinner followed by hours of video game playing?