On Saturday I volunteered at The Politics of School Food Conference put on by the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food. There were many interesting points throughout the day made by knowledgeable speakers about the obesity crisis and how the food served in schools is one of the major causes of our health problems.
Of course I knew that the food served in schools is garbage. So that wasn’t a surprise. But what was new information for me was the blatant racism involved in what kids are served. Milton Mills, M.D. from PCRM (one of the panelists) really opened my eyes to the problems behind serving milk in schools. Of course I didn’t think milk should be served in schools anyway, but for different reasons than he talked about.
Dr. Mills gave the following data revealing the percentage of lactose intolerance among different groups:
Asians: 95% lactose intolerant
Native Americans: 74% lactose intolerant
African Americans: 70% lactose intolerant
Mexican Americans: 53% lactose intolerant
Caucasians: 15%
With those kind of numbers, what the heck are we doing serving milk twice a day? How can a student focus on their school work if they are feeling the effects of lactose intolerance? And why are we serving milk across the board when high percentages of so many different groups can’t digest the substance properly? Personally, I found the numbers shocking. And I find it appalling and discriminatory that our schools serve a substance that high percentages within minority groups simply shouldn’t be drinking, let alone in schools.
Looking on the PCRM page, I found this quote by Dr. Mills:
We have the U.S. government telling Americans you should eat two to three servings of dairy products every day. But we see that for most minority persons in the United States, this is a totally inappropriate recommendation.
It’s not just a recommendation. In our schools kids are offered milk twice a day. So if you’re thirsty, that’s what’s available. Some schools do also offer juice.
Dr. Mills didn’t stop there. He also talked about why an unhealthy western diet has worse effects on minorities than it does on Caucasians. He says:
“High blood pressure and stroke are much more of a problem with the African American population. And for some reason, Hispanic women tend to be nearly twice as likely to have heart disease as non-Hispanic women. Among African Americans, we are much more likely to suffer from cancer and to die from it, particularly cancers of the prostate and lung.
“When you look at the diets of African Americans and Hispanic Americans versus Caucasian Americans, they are very similar in protein content, calorie content, fiber content, et cetera. But these diets have more harmful effects among minority populations. Although unintentional, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines as they exist are really a fundamental form of institutionalized racism in a rather destructive and insidious format.”
Now, this information extends beyond the government guidelines in schools. Racism exists in all kinds of ways within our food system, including which communities have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and fast food chains praying on specific communities and demographics. But I had been exposed to all of that before. For me, the most shocking revelation at the conference was the fact that our government is ignoring the high numbers of lactose intolerant people, especially minority children. What kid can concentrate on school when cramps, bloating and gas are making them uncomfortable? They are just told to drink their milk. It’s good for them.
