Pizza, American Children’s Favorite New “Vegetable”
Now that congress has declared pizza a vegetable, I'm even more determined to feed my boys well at home—and teach them about the importance of good nutrition.
I'm dismayed, but not surprised by congress's declaration, which was made after significant lobbying from the food, beverage and restaurant industries.
"It's an important victory," said Corey Henry, spokesman for the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). AFFI, by the way, is a trade association that lobbies on behalf of frozen pizza sellers like ConAgra Foods Inc and Schwan Food Co.
Yes, I’m sure it’s a huge victory for the packaged food industry. But is it a victory for American kids?
The pizza in question has been a long-time staple of our national school lunch program and consists of nothing but refined flour, sugar, table salt, imitation cheese, a slathering of tomato sauce and a few greasy pepperoni. But it's now being counted as a vegetable serving.
According to a USDA report, pizza and another vegetable, french fries, were among the most commonly consumed lunch foods by participants in the national school lunch program.
Here are my thoughts:
First of all the tomato paste on the pizza is what’s given this pizza its new status as a vegetable—and tomatoes aren’t even a vegetable. They’re a fruit.
Second of all, this verdict is beyond ridiculous. It's also very irresponsible--and will only perpetuate our society's problem of chronic disease. A problem that is already catastrophic.
For instance, 1 in 3 American children or either overweight or obese. Also, cancer is the second most common cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 14 years, surpassed only by accidents.
Luckily, obesity is entirely preventable. So are most cancers. According to Dr. Joel Furhmann, author of “Disease-Proof Your Child,” most cancers can be prevented (or the risks significantly reduced) by a solid whole foods diet and active lifestyle.
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