One of the "healthy" suggestions from Bloomberg's office as an alternative to a bake sale was an exercise sale. Have a few kids as designated runners, and get other kids to give a dollar for each lap they run or each 10 situps they do or something. I'm thinking of the social dynamics in my high school and just thinking of so many ways this could so easily go wrong.

And yet, that is the problem with the school lunch program. Why not draw attention to that, instead of feeding kids crap merrily along?

Yes, exactly. I would love to see a show that actually looked at the regulations and the funding and how these dictate what kids are getting for breakfast and lunch. This is not that show. This show is telling the parents and administrators that they are horrible people for allowing their kids to eat this stuff, without acknowledging that they don't have much choice.

Bee exploitation doesn't seem to be a big problem.

You think bees only exist to serve you?!? Bee hater.

I don't see that. Sorry.

This was the reasoning behind NYC public schools banning homemade things at bake sales but allowing Doritos and Pop-Tarts. They can't regulate the calories in the homemade stuff.

I thought it was that they couldn't certify the kitchens.

(both are lame, mind you)

If it's a strictly letter-of-the-law thing, then I get avoiding honey. I assume that the same people are also scrupulous about avoiding certain wines.

Yep. I eat honey and don't pay much attention to wines. If I'm at a restaurant that has the menu labeled with which wines are vegan, then I'll order one of the vegan ones, but I don't carry around a list of which wines and beers are vegan. I do know some people who do that.

Wow, is that show horrible and dangerous. Any time you've got people exercising for literally hours, and contestants weeping when they don't lose 10 pounds in a week (not that they gained, mind you; they still lost 4 pounds, which is a lot for one week), you've got a recipe for injuries and eating disorders.

OK, very true. I was thinking more of the individual choices vs systematic choices aspect, but you're right that the amount of weight loss and the way they encourage it is dangerous. There was an article in the NY Times a few months ago where they were talking about weight loss tactics on that show that I haven't heard since wrestlers cutting weight in high school -- no water for a day before weigh-in, and stuff like that.

LOKI. LEAVE THE BLINDS ALONE.

And yes, you are cute. And annoying.

I would love to see a show that actually looked at the regulations and the funding and how these dictate what kids are getting for breakfast and lunch.

That's....not network TV.

Vegans eliminating honey makes the least amount of sense to me, since the bees aren't hurt or killed in the obtaining of honey.

Well, some honey production is essentially collecting all the bee's honey and replacing it with sugar water to keep the bees alive to make more honey to be collected. Which does seems pretty cruel and probably harmful to me. I mean, with that sort of practice the norm, it's no wonder the bees are mysteriously dying off.

Though I still eat honey. And, for that matter, meat. But I can see making the decision.

I like eating chicken. Chickens were mean to my mom. NOMNOMNOM.

Actually, I haven't had chicken since...oops, yesterday. From Target. Precooked.

I thought it was that they couldn't certify the kitchens.

[link]

He said that 40 percent of the 1.1 million city schoolchildren are overweight or obese and that restricting the sale of baked goods was just “one piece in a holistic wellness puzzle,” coming after the school system had replaced much of the food in its vending machines with items lower in calories, fat and sodium. Listing the ingredients of food for sale in school is essential to monitoring what students eat, Mr. Goldstein said.