7. #MomsLoveMichelle for prioritizing kids’ health! One in three kids in the U.S. is at increased risk for nutrition-related diseases like Type II Diabetes. (1) If promoting healthy eating is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

 

6. #MomsLoveMichelle for supporting the charge to improve school meals and snacks! A new poll shows that 90 percent of Americans want K-12 schools to have a role in reducing obesity in their community. Am I in that group? YES I AM.  (2)

 

5. #MomsLoveMichelle for supporting standards that were created by experts in child nutrition and vetted by community partners and schools, and which make great sense. School lunches now include more fruits, vegetables and whole grain-rich foods; only fat-free or low-fat milk; “right size” meals with portions designed for a child's age; and less saturated fat, trans fat and sodium. (3) I'll take seconds of that menu any day! Leave it to moms to handle any amount of kid whining over the disappearance of chocolate milk and fries from the daily menu. I'll get to it right before I explain why putting Legos in the baby's ear doesn't make sense. You just keep on keepin’ on.  

 

4. #MomsLoveMichelle for supporting changes that kids actually like! A recent study shows that respondents from 70% of elementary schools said students generally liked the healthier school lunches. Respondents from secondary schools said 70% of middle school students and 63% of high school students liked the healthier meals. I’d be amazed if 70% of elementary school-aged kids even like tying their shoes, or washing their hands. So by kid-acceptance standards, the new meals are a RAGING SUCCESS! (4)

 

3. And #MomsLoveMichelle for reminding us that change takes time. Any parent can back you up on that fact. In the same study above, about half of respondents at elementary schools (56%), middle schools (44%), and high schools (53%) reported that students complained at first, but student acceptance greatly increased across all grade levels by spring 2013. You’ve also reminded us that parents, students and the entire community needs to work together to make the new standards a success.

 

2. #MomsLoveMichelle for having parents backs in the ongoing struggle to keep our kids healthy. We do the best we can at home, and try to teach them good behaviors. But they should absolutely be learning good habits at school too.

 

1. And finally, #MomsLoveMichelle for encouraging a virtual army of moms and dads to speak out in support of healthy school foods. At MomsRising.org alone, we’ve collected over 100,000 signatures over the past year in support of healthy foods for kids. We made these voices heard during the recent budget process ... and contributed to halting efforts to rollback the healthy meal standards!   

 

Of course, the biggest thanks should go to the @USDA and schools across the country who are working so hard to make the new standards a success. Moms like me have your back.