As a dad and director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Childhood Obesity team, I’m pleased to introduce the dad bloggers of the MomsRising "Making the School Day Healthier" blog carnival. Childhood obesity is a serious issue in our country.

With approximately 23 million children and adolescents in the U.S. -- nearly one in three young people -- either obese or overweight, our kids are at higher risk for serious, even life-threatening health problems, putting them and their futures at risk. And that’s why I’m so glad all our kids will now have access to more fruits, vegetables and whole grains at school and less unhealthy foods and beverages, thanks to the USDA’s updated nutrition standards for school meals.

With so many kids getting up to half their daily calories in school, healthier school lunches might just help us raise healthier kids! Below are links to great posts about healthy foods for kids from other concerned dads. Join the conversation by leaving a comment or post your own blog!

Talib Kweli, "Eat to Live!"
"Nearly 23 million children in the United State are overweight or obese, making them more susceptible to heart disease, high blood pressure, and type II diabetes. This is a crisis that we need to tackle on all fronts."

Mark Winston Griffith, "The Trouble With Tribbles and Food Deserts"
"Despite the emergence of new restaurants in gentrified areas of Central Brooklyn, it would be hard for anyone cruising down Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy, or Nostrand Avenue North Crown Heights, or Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville, for instance, to conclude that they have more healthy food options than 7th Avenue in Park Slope."

Dwayne C. Proctor, "Dads Support Healthy Foods in School, Too"
"I also know that when schools provide unhealthy foods and snacks, kids eat less of their lunch, consume more fats and fewer nutrients, and gain weight. So to me it’s a no-brainer that schools should provide healthier meals."

Food Revolution Team, "Standing Together For Real Food In Schools"
"The new regulations, which mean more fruit and vegetables, more whole grains, age-based calorie ranges and less salt and unhealthy fats, will go a long way to begin to remedy nutritional shortfalls and address key concerns in the childhood obesity epidemic."

Byron Hurt, "Personal Choice vs. Mandates – What will save our families from this deadly obesity crisis?"
"I was intrigued by this discussion, which can at times be polarizing, because my film centers on my father’s obesity, his subsequent life threatening illness (pancreatic cancer), and my journey to figure out what caused my father’s untimely death."

Ricky Y. Choi, "My Child's Perfect School Lunch"
"I see the effects of unhealthy eating in my pediatric clinic in the obese children with elevated cholesterol already accelerating down the path towards diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But it is not just obesity and it is not just children."

Kevin Concannon, "Healthier School Meals Can Mean Millions of Healthier Kids"
"I’m proud to say that we’ve made major improvements to school meals that will show up in cafeterias this school year. Students can now expect more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; low-fat and fat-free milk choices; and foods with less sodium and trans fat."

Marc Lamont Hill, "Back to School and Childhood Obesity -- The Struggle Continues"
"Everyone agrees that children need to eat healthier, but there are differing opinions about whether or not stronger regulation on what is sold to kids in school will have an impact. Here is some food for thought."

BK Baba, "The Bodyguard"
"My girls live under the same media and marketing assault as all children. As their father, I find myself standing constant guard, attempting to filter all the harmful messages being thrown their way."

Fired up? Join MomsRising today!