Staggering Statistic: What Your Kids Are Really Eating For Lunch

Our understanding of health is now so sophisticated that doctors can perform major surgeries with only a tiny incision, scientists have mapped the human genome, and researchers can program stem cells to regrow bones and muscles.

With all that information at our disposal, children born today must be better off than kids were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Right?

Unfortunately, for most kids, the answer is no. Forty percent of the total daily calories for kids ages 2 to 18 still come from added sugars and solid fats.

The most alarming aspect of this statistic? Half of these calories come from six foods alone: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts (like ice cream), grain desserts (like cookies and cake), pizza, and whole milk. There’s a certain theme to these foods: Most of them can be found in the school cafeteria, and with the exception of milk, none of them can be considered healthy.

Maybe it’s time to start packing your kids’ lunches.