Rachael Ray Lobbies Capitol for School Lunch Bill – NYTimes.com.

Instead, she grimaced, leaned in and sounded off about the federal Child Nutrition Act and what she considers to be the government’s stingy reimbursement rates for school lunches. “Ridiculous,” she said.

Rachel Ray also has a non-profit called Yum-o! Check it out for good recipes and ideas to empower kids to develop a healthy relationship with food!

Yum-o!® is a nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

This food revolution is about saving America’s health by changing the way you eat. It’s not just a TV show, it’s a movement for you, your family and your community. If you care about your kids and their future take this revolution and make it your own. Educate yourself about food and cooking. Find out what your child is eating at school. Make only a few small changes and magical things will happen. Switching from processed to fresh food will not only make you feel better but it will add years to your life.

It’s so hard to argue for this stuff in the face of serious budget cuts all over the country in education. Read this article:  http://nyti.ms/9sLGYS to understand the extreme measures that some states are having to take to educate our children in the midst of an economic crisis. Asking for changes in nutritional guidelines and assistance costs money too. Money they already don’t have.  We are asking people what is more important – kid’s health or their education? The mere fact that we have to even ask that question is mind boggling…they are both important and non-negotiable to our future.

And while you are learning about the shortfalls in education, you turn the page to read about the record profits at banking institutions and oil companies. It’s so hard to fathom that we can’t possibly find the budget dollars to invest in education and health without having to short another important program when we know in the end, the lack of investing in both education and nutrition will come back around and bite us in the ass.

Lack of a quality education =lack of innovation, economic progress, less ability to compete and thrive on a global level (to name a few)

Lack of education about and access of good nutrition = increase in cancer rates, increase in obesity rates, increase in health care needs (to name a few).

Sigh…