March 25, 2025 • 17 mins
Welcome to the "You’re Not Gonna Make It" podcast, where I discuss topics that make you feel like humanity’s not gonna make it.
This episode: Dogsh*t. It's what's for lunch!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker1:
You're listening to the words that are coming out of my mouth, (00:29):
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Speaker1: that you don't have to eat school lunches. (00:32):
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Kevin Tejada: There better not be any kids listening to this. (00:35):
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Speaker1: But I know some parents might. (00:38):
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Kevin Tejada: So I want to talk about school lunches because they are dog shit. (00:40):
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Kevin Tejada: I know I describe most food in America as dog shit, but if the shoe fits. (00:45):
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Kevin Tejada: If I include other countries and their school lunches, it's going to be a vastly (00:51):
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Kevin Tejada: different discussion. So I'm going to stick to my country. (00:55):
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Kevin Tejada: So I sincerely think that school lunches are a big reason why kids, (00:58):
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Kevin Tejada: many kids are not going to make it in terms of their academic career. I'll explain why. (01:03):
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Speaker1: First of all, just to let you know, I haven't been in school, elementary, (01:09):
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Kevin Tejada: For over a decade. Oh, geez. I'm actually including college in that. (01:15):
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Kevin Tejada: If we're talking just high school, it's been like 15 years. Christ. (01:20):
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Kevin Tejada: So anyway, about 20 years ago, it was the case that at the school lunch line, (01:26):
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Kevin Tejada: you can get extra food like fries. (01:31):
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Kevin Tejada: You pay an extra quarter. You can have them drown that shit in cheese. (01:35):
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Kevin Tejada: That was way too much power to be giving children, really. (01:40):
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Kevin Tejada: Give them the option of fries and you give them the option to add cheese soup in it. (01:43):
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Speaker1: What do you think is going to happen? Now, back at the time, it was $1.25, (01:49):
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Kevin Tejada: Maybe $1.50. Actually, I think it was $1.25. And then to get the cheese, it was $1.50. (01:54):
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Kevin Tejada: And then throughout the couple of years in school, it raised. Went from $1.50, (01:59):
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Kevin Tejada: but man, those prices. I miss those. And cost is one of the current challenges (02:10):
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Kevin Tejada: in this whole discussion. (02:17):
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Kevin Tejada: Apparently 98% of school nutrition programs, which is all of them, (02:20):
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Kevin Tejada: are having issues with food costs. (02:24):
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Kevin Tejada: And the price of the breakfasts that are, I totally forgot. If you go to school (02:27):
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Kevin Tejada: early, for some schools, you actually get to have breakfast there too. I forgot about that. (02:32):
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Kevin Tejada: But I was never going to go to school early for breakfast. That's fucking absurd. (02:38):
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Kevin Tejada: Anyway, so for breakfasts, the prices are rising 11% recently for lunch, about 5%. percent. (02:42):
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Kevin Tejada: And of course they passed the price, the price gouging onto you. (02:49):
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Kevin Tejada: When I was getting lunch back in my day, I remember if you didn't get free lunch (02:54):
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Kevin Tejada: and you had to pay for it, it was $1.50, which is wild now that I think about (02:59):
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Kevin Tejada: it. Cause those fries were almost as much as a full lunch. (03:04):
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Kevin Tejada: And to be honest with you, I cannot remember a single fucking meal that. (03:07):
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Kevin Tejada: The only thing I remember are those quote unquote pizzas that they had little (03:13):
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Kevin Tejada: the circles that were whatever i don't know what that was really it wasn't really (03:18):
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Kevin Tejada: pizza it was a bit of bread with cheese on it whatever that i don't know what (03:23):
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Kevin Tejada: that was that's all i remember though anything else i don't, (03:26):
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Kevin Tejada: it's got a lot of growth hormone and that shit pretty sure that's why i went (04:22):
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Kevin Tejada: through puberty so early because i drank a lot of milk when i was younger i (04:25):
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Kevin Tejada: had a mustache at 10 and a half or 11. (04:30):
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Speaker1: Honestly people be better off drinking goat milk sheep milk or your (04:32):
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Kevin Tejada: Mom's milk but a cow's milk (04:38):
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Kevin Tejada: american cow for digesting that (04:40):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: shit's bad that's a separate it's a separate thing anyways that (04:43):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: touches on another one of the current challenges in this (04:47):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: whole school lunch business the nutritional (04:50):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: gaps aka how shitty the food is i'm reading here despite usda standards whatever (04:54):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: those count for anyway the meals often rely on processed foods probably ultra (05:02):
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Kevin Tejada: processed foods and about two-thirds of parents doubt the health value of these meals. (05:06):
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Speaker1: Now, I don't want to be one of those people who says all processed foods are bad. (05:15):
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Kevin Tejada: There's some things they can be good if you process them like fucking smoothies. (05:18):
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Kevin Tejada: I think they count like shit like that. It's not crazy. (05:23):
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Kevin Tejada: Food processor is not necessarily a bad thing. But with these ultra processed (05:26):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: foods, because the way that they're made and mass produced, they cut a lot of (05:29):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: corners, like all the corners. The shit's a circle. (05:35):
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Kevin Tejada: It's really not beneficial in any way, probably for your body. (05:39):
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Speaker1: But it's really good for saving money and getting you to eat more. It might not be great for (05:45):
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Kevin Tejada: Decent enough to eat more. Anyway, apparently there are new USDA rules that (05:52):
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Kevin Tejada: are mandating a reduction in sodium in the next two years and a limitation on added sugars. (05:59):
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Kevin Tejada: But I'm reading here that the implementation faces pushback. (06:06):
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Kevin Tejada: I wonder why, probably due to money, but I wonder what that looks like. (06:10):
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Kevin Tejada: Like, hey, we want to reduce the insane amount of sodium and sugar in the kids' foods. Like, no, why? (06:14):
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Kevin Tejada: It's probably cheaper to make it that way. I don't know. Or they're worried (06:21):
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Kevin Tejada: that kids just won't eat it. They'll be too picky. It's not salty or sweet enough. (06:25):
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Kevin Tejada: I worry what's happening to kids' taste buds. Because during COVID, (06:29):
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Kevin Tejada: I was one of those people who lost their sense of smell and taste. (06:33):
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Kevin Tejada: But regardless that your tongue can still get a feel for something if it's really salty, (06:37):
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Kevin Tejada: spicy stuff like that so during those six or seven weeks of having no smell (06:45):
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Kevin Tejada: or taste the only way i can enjoy food is by dousing in hot sauce or getting super salty things, (06:53):
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Kevin Tejada: which i knew wasn't great wasn't ideal for me but if you haven't if you haven't gone weeks. (07:00):
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Kevin Tejada: Our shit because it doesn't taste like anything no we need (07:35):
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Kevin Tejada: that salt um i'm just guessing here but this kind of sucks because a lot of (07:38):
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Kevin Tejada: kids especially the poor ones they rely on those meals to eat some parents are (07:43):
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Kevin Tejada: broke and the only way their kids can get half their meals is by going to school (07:48):
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Kevin Tejada: so if the food is shit it's. (07:53):
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Speaker1: Not great Even though two-thirds of parents, they doubt the health, (07:57):
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Kevin Tejada: They doubt the nutrition of these meals. It's like, hey, you get subpar food or you fucking starve. (08:01):
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Kevin Tejada: It's one or the other. So they have to make that call. (08:08):
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Kevin Tejada: And part of what makes this food bad is it's just a money thing. (08:12):
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Kevin Tejada: They save money by making food as shitty as possible. (08:15):
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Speaker1: And they also suffer from budget cuts, (08:19):
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Kevin Tejada: Apparently, a lot of these schools. For example, New York City is apparently (08:21):
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Kevin Tejada: a problem with moldy chicken, which I'm assuming is they don't have enough money to get new chicken in. (08:26):
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Kevin Tejada: So they have to keep what they have longer and it gets moldy. (08:33):
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Speaker1: Which I believe. So that's wild. And remember, I mentioned earlier, (08:36):
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Kevin Tejada: And also boost participation that's interesting to me if i had to guess why (09:12):
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Kevin Tejada: that's the case is because food is fuel and if it's not good fuel your. (09:18):
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Speaker1: Brain's not going to work you're going to be tired (09:24):
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Kevin Tejada: So that makes sense here's a fun stat, (09:26):
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Kevin Tejada: 74% of schools report students skipping meals entirely due to stigma or the dislike of options. (09:31):
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Kevin Tejada: That's interesting because I totally forgot about this. (09:38):
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Kevin Tejada: If you had to get school lunch after a certain point, I think it was in high (09:41):
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Kevin Tejada: school. If you got school lunches, you were seen as broke, poor. (09:44):
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Kevin Tejada: If you didn't have enough money to order Chinese food to come to the back lot (09:47):
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Kevin Tejada: of the school to pick up, you were broke. (09:53):
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Kevin Tejada: It wasn't crazy. you wouldn't get bullied for, but they're like, (09:57):
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Kevin Tejada: ah, you can't afford takeout. (10:00):
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Kevin Tejada: Interesting. Brokey. Totally forgot about that. (10:04):
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Kevin Tejada: So some kids are just starving themselves because they don't want to seem poor, (10:08):
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Kevin Tejada: which is completely separate issue. (10:11):
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Speaker1: But the other thing is they dislike the options. (10:14):
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Kevin Tejada: So even kids, even dumb kids are realizing that this food is dog shit. (10:17):
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Kevin Tejada: So they're just not eating. Now, again, this is going to go back into, (10:21):
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Kevin Tejada: we're talking about academics. (10:25):
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Kevin Tejada: So If your body doesn't get fuel, your brain doesn't get fuel. (10:27):
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Kevin Tejada: It's not going to function properly, which means these kids are going to have (10:31):
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Kevin Tejada: a hard time retaining this knowledge and actually learning. (10:34):
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Kevin Tejada: If they don't have the proper fuel, their energy is going to suffer too. (10:38):
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Kevin Tejada: There's the common joke. (10:42):
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Speaker1: The class is so boring. Kids are falling asleep all the time. (10:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Now, yeah, a lot of classes are boring for sure. (10:46):
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Kevin Tejada: But now that I'm older and know more about nutrition, I do wonder how much of, (10:51):
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Kevin Tejada: that problem of kids falling asleep in class is due to the boring classes or (10:56):
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Kevin Tejada: due to them not eating or not getting enough energy from this dog shit food. (11:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Because if they're not getting proper energy. They're just not going to be able (11:06):
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Kevin Tejada: to sustain their consciousness. (11:08):
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Kevin Tejada: They're just going to fall asleep because they don't have the energy to stay (11:11):
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Kevin Tejada: up, which is pretty wild when you think about it. (11:14):
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Kevin Tejada: This food being of such low quality is making kids dumber. (11:17):
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Kevin Tejada: It's actually pretty insane. So this is America. Let me compare it to another (11:23):
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Kevin Tejada: country. Let's talk about Japan. (11:27):
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Kevin Tejada: It's time for the weekly Japan dick sucking. (11:30):
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Speaker1: That's okay because they deserve it. (11:33):
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Kevin Tejada: So in Japan, 99.7% of public elementary schools offer school meals. So all of them. (11:35):
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Kevin Tejada: Now, this is the cool part. In 1954, there's a school lunch program act, (11:42):
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Kevin Tejada: which mandated that all public schools provide safe and nutritious lunches. (11:48):
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Kevin Tejada: There's a difference here. Some people might read that and say, (11:53):
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Kevin Tejada: yeah, it's good then, right? No. (11:56):
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Kevin Tejada: Something can be safe, but not give the kids any nutrients whatsoever. (11:58):
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Kevin Tejada: That's why I really like it that the mandate is for safe and nutritious. (12:03):
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Kevin Tejada: So not only is it not toxic, which is the absolute fucking bare minimum, (12:08):
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Kevin Tejada: but it's also nutritious, which is awesome. (12:12):
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Speaker1: Actually helps. (12:14):
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Kevin Tejada: And even better, in 2005, they established the Basic Act on Shokuiku, (12:16):
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Kevin Tejada: which is nutrition education as a national priority. (12:21):
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Kevin Tejada: Can you imagine if we prioritize nutrition in the U.S.? Wouldn't that be wild? (12:26):
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Kevin Tejada: Means is that the food that they're eating the school lunches are kind. (12:32):
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Speaker1: Of part of the curriculum like they learn about nutrition as in they understand (12:37):
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Speaker1: the food if they understand if it's good for them or not (12:41):
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Kevin Tejada: Some of these schools even have farms that the kids participate in which is (12:45):
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Kevin Tejada: cool i don't think that's super common in the cities but in. (12:49):
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Speaker1: General they that (12:53):
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Kevin Tejada: Does exist which is really cool they even have dedicated nutrition teachers (12:54):
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Kevin Tejada: at these schools oftentimes that oversee the meal planning and make sure it's (12:59):
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Kevin Tejada: good can you imagine that here what this all means is that the meals are they're (13:02):
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Kevin Tejada: great like they're balanced they're healthy they're good they got the rice the (13:08):
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Kevin Tejada: fish the seasonal vegetables the. (13:11):
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Speaker1: A very low childhood obesity rate and i've been to japan (13:21):
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Kevin Tejada: I did not see a fat kid i didn't see that many kids there, but the kids I saw (13:26):
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Kevin Tejada: were not fat. They were normal, running around. (13:30):
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Kevin Tejada: Even for adults, I didn't see many fat adults. When I saw a fat adult, (13:34):
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Kevin Tejada: I can tell that they were, I'm not going to say American, but they were a tourist. (13:38):
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Kevin Tejada: Every time. So I'd say it's working out for them over there. (13:44):
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Kevin Tejada: Now let's bring it back to the ghetto in America. (13:49):
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Speaker1: Kids are eating shit. (13:52):
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Kevin Tejada: It's going to make dumb and when they do poorly in school probably gonna be (13:53):
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Kevin Tejada: broke because they're too dumb to get a good job so. (13:58):
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Speaker1: School lunches in general gonna make your kid (14:02):
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Kevin Tejada: Fat dumb and broke it's actually a huge fucking problem now that we're connecting (14:04):
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Kevin Tejada: all these things it's actually a big deal what can be done to make your kids (14:10):
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Kevin Tejada: survive this how can they make it, (14:15):
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Kevin Tejada: There needs to be systemic change in the school nutrition system in America. (14:19):
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Speaker1: Which might happen. (14:24):
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Kevin Tejada: I don't know. There's been recent big changes in the health industry in our country. (14:26):
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Kevin Tejada: So recent that there haven't been huge sweeping changes as of yet. (14:32):
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Kevin Tejada: It's a possibility. But I would really advise you, (14:38):
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Kevin Tejada: help you out. The biggest thing you can do To make sure your kids aren't getting (14:43):
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Kevin Tejada: fucking poisoned every day. (14:48):
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Speaker1: Is to meal prep Yes (14:50):
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Kevin Tejada: They gotta bring their lunch They gotta be that kid They gotta bring their lunch, (14:53):
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Kevin Tejada: That is the best way to avoid the shitty school lunches Them bringing their own, (14:56):
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Kevin Tejada: So You if you have kids Try cooking for your kids Or something Don't buy fucking (15:02):
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Kevin Tejada: lunchables if you can avoid it It's the same shit At a school lunch I would advise, (15:08):
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Kevin Tejada: when you meal prep maybe meal prep for yourself and your kids that'd be cool right, (15:14):
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Kevin Tejada: even fucking better if you can this is a big ask but wouldn't it be really cool (15:18):
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Kevin Tejada: if you taught your kid how to cook and they can meal prep for themselves wouldn't (15:23):
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Kevin Tejada: that be fucking insanely cool i know a lot of parents are gonna say i don't (15:29):
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Kevin Tejada: got time for that blah blah i get it, (15:33):
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Kevin Tejada: but if you make the time you can possibly give more time to your kid's life later, (15:36):
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Kevin Tejada: by having them not be fucking poisoned and have stupid ass food nutrition knowledge, (15:41):
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Kevin Tejada: just a thought the trade might be worth it maybe i do think that's the best (15:48):
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Kevin Tejada: option like i'm saying this is a systemic problem so it's not oh man you can (15:53):
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Kevin Tejada: definitely do this you hey go to school and don't eat the bad shit yeah then (15:57):
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Kevin Tejada: you'll starve to death so the. (16:01):
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Speaker1: Best thing to (16:03):
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Kevin Tejada: Do is just to bring your lunch that's the best way and to not bring (16:03):
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Kevin Tejada: garbage lunch either and one thing that would (16:06):
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Kevin Tejada: also be cool for the schools to do aside from change their whole lunch system (16:09):
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Kevin Tejada: is to include nutrition in health class i don't know if they did that when i (16:13):
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Kevin Tejada: was growing up but i don't remember jack shit and if they taught anything worth (16:18):
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Kevin Tejada: a damn i wouldn't have been close to 250 pounds in high school so i don't think (16:21):
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Kevin Tejada: they taught anything important in. (16:26):
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Speaker1: Regards to nutrition but (16:27):
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Kevin Tejada: I could be wrong excuse me they teach the food pyramid the super important. (16:29):
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Speaker1: Super fucking bullshit propaganda god that (16:34):
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Kevin Tejada: Should be a whole nother episode just the fucking food pyramid but just very (16:39):
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Kevin Tejada: quickly the food pyramid has no real it's. (16:44):
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Speaker1: More like hey who paid the most (16:47):
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Kevin Tejada: Which companies behind these food groups paid the most for this it's not necessarily (16:48):
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Kevin Tejada: oh these provide the most nutrients and blah blah blah no it's not like that, (16:52):
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Kevin Tejada: please don't think it is I think they still run with that propaganda in schools (16:57):
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Kevin Tejada: I'm sure it informs the school lunches too. (17:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Anyway, you better start packing your kids' lunch or you'll be packing their (17:04):
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Kevin Tejada: diabetes meds. Anyway, see you next time. (17:07):
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Speaker1: that you don't have to eat school lunches. (00:32):
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Kevin Tejada: There better not be any kids listening to this. (00:35):
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Speaker1: But I know some parents might. (00:38):
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Kevin Tejada: So I want to talk about school lunches because they are dog shit. (00:40):
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Kevin Tejada: I know I describe most food in America as dog shit, but if the shoe fits. (00:45):
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Kevin Tejada: If I include other countries and their school lunches, it's going to be a vastly (00:51):
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Kevin Tejada: different discussion. So I'm going to stick to my country. (00:55):
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Kevin Tejada: So I sincerely think that school lunches are a big reason why kids, (00:58):
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Kevin Tejada: many kids are not going to make it in terms of their academic career. I'll explain why. (01:03):
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Speaker1: First of all, just to let you know, I haven't been in school, elementary, (01:09):
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Kevin Tejada: For over a decade. Oh, geez. I'm actually including college in that. (01:15):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: If we're talking just high school, it's been like 15 years. Christ. (01:20):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: So anyway, about 20 years ago, it was the case that at the school lunch line, (01:26):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: you can get extra food like fries. (01:31):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: You pay an extra quarter. You can have them drown that shit in cheese. (01:35):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: That was way too much power to be giving children, really. (01:40):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Give them the option of fries and you give them the option to add cheese soup in it. (01:43):
undefined
Speaker1: What do you think is going to happen? Now, back at the time, it was $1.25, (01:49):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Maybe $1.50. Actually, I think it was $1.25. And then to get the cheese, it was $1.50. (01:54):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: And then throughout the couple of years in school, it raised. Went from $1.50, (01:59):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: but man, those prices. I miss those. And cost is one of the current challenges (02:10):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: in this whole discussion. (02:17):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Apparently 98% of school nutrition programs, which is all of them, (02:20):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: are having issues with food costs. (02:24):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: And the price of the breakfasts that are, I totally forgot. If you go to school (02:27):
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Kevin Tejada: early, for some schools, you actually get to have breakfast there too. I forgot about that. (02:32):
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Kevin Tejada: But I was never going to go to school early for breakfast. That's fucking absurd. (02:38):
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Kevin Tejada: Anyway, so for breakfasts, the prices are rising 11% recently for lunch, about 5%. percent. (02:42):
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Kevin Tejada: And of course they passed the price, the price gouging onto you. (02:49):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: When I was getting lunch back in my day, I remember if you didn't get free lunch (02:54):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: and you had to pay for it, it was $1.50, which is wild now that I think about (02:59):
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Kevin Tejada: it. Cause those fries were almost as much as a full lunch. (03:04):
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Kevin Tejada: And to be honest with you, I cannot remember a single fucking meal that. (03:07):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: The only thing I remember are those quote unquote pizzas that they had little (03:13):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: the circles that were whatever i don't know what that was really it wasn't really (03:18):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: pizza it was a bit of bread with cheese on it whatever that i don't know what (03:23):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: that was that's all i remember though anything else i don't, (03:26):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: it's got a lot of growth hormone and that shit pretty sure that's why i went (04:22):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: through puberty so early because i drank a lot of milk when i was younger i (04:25):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: had a mustache at 10 and a half or 11. (04:30):
undefined
Speaker1: Honestly people be better off drinking goat milk sheep milk or your (04:32):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Mom's milk but a cow's milk (04:38):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: american cow for digesting that (04:40):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: shit's bad that's a separate it's a separate thing anyways that (04:43):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: touches on another one of the current challenges in this (04:47):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: whole school lunch business the nutritional (04:50):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: gaps aka how shitty the food is i'm reading here despite usda standards whatever (04:54):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: those count for anyway the meals often rely on processed foods probably ultra (05:02):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: processed foods and about two-thirds of parents doubt the health value of these meals. (05:06):
undefined
Speaker1: Now, I don't want to be one of those people who says all processed foods are bad. (05:15):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: There's some things they can be good if you process them like fucking smoothies. (05:18):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: I think they count like shit like that. It's not crazy. (05:23):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Food processor is not necessarily a bad thing. But with these ultra processed (05:26):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: foods, because the way that they're made and mass produced, they cut a lot of (05:29):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: corners, like all the corners. The shit's a circle. (05:35):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: It's really not beneficial in any way, probably for your body. (05:39):
undefined
Speaker1: But it's really good for saving money and getting you to eat more. It might not be great for (05:45):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Decent enough to eat more. Anyway, apparently there are new USDA rules that (05:52):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: are mandating a reduction in sodium in the next two years and a limitation on added sugars. (05:59):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: But I'm reading here that the implementation faces pushback. (06:06):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: I wonder why, probably due to money, but I wonder what that looks like. (06:10):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: Like, hey, we want to reduce the insane amount of sodium and sugar in the kids' foods. Like, no, why? (06:14):
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Kevin Tejada: It's probably cheaper to make it that way. I don't know. Or they're worried (06:21):
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Kevin Tejada: that kids just won't eat it. They'll be too picky. It's not salty or sweet enough. (06:25):
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Kevin Tejada: I worry what's happening to kids' taste buds. Because during COVID, (06:29):
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Kevin Tejada: I was one of those people who lost their sense of smell and taste. (06:33):
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Kevin Tejada: But regardless that your tongue can still get a feel for something if it's really salty, (06:37):
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Kevin Tejada: spicy stuff like that so during those six or seven weeks of having no smell (06:45):
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Kevin Tejada: or taste the only way i can enjoy food is by dousing in hot sauce or getting super salty things, (06:53):
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Kevin Tejada: which i knew wasn't great wasn't ideal for me but if you haven't if you haven't gone weeks. (07:00):
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Kevin Tejada: Our shit because it doesn't taste like anything no we need (07:35):
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Kevin Tejada: that salt um i'm just guessing here but this kind of sucks because a lot of (07:38):
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Kevin Tejada: kids especially the poor ones they rely on those meals to eat some parents are (07:43):
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Kevin Tejada: broke and the only way their kids can get half their meals is by going to school (07:48):
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Kevin Tejada: so if the food is shit it's. (07:53):
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Speaker1: Not great Even though two-thirds of parents, they doubt the health, (07:57):
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Kevin Tejada: They doubt the nutrition of these meals. It's like, hey, you get subpar food or you fucking starve. (08:01):
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Kevin Tejada: It's one or the other. So they have to make that call. (08:08):
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Kevin Tejada: And part of what makes this food bad is it's just a money thing. (08:12):
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Kevin Tejada: They save money by making food as shitty as possible. (08:15):
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Speaker1: And they also suffer from budget cuts, (08:19):
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Kevin Tejada: Apparently, a lot of these schools. For example, New York City is apparently (08:21):
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Kevin Tejada: a problem with moldy chicken, which I'm assuming is they don't have enough money to get new chicken in. (08:26):
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Kevin Tejada: So they have to keep what they have longer and it gets moldy. (08:33):
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Speaker1: Which I believe. So that's wild. And remember, I mentioned earlier, (08:36):
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Kevin Tejada: And also boost participation that's interesting to me if i had to guess why (09:12):
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Kevin Tejada: that's the case is because food is fuel and if it's not good fuel your. (09:18):
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Speaker1: Brain's not going to work you're going to be tired (09:24):
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Kevin Tejada: So that makes sense here's a fun stat, (09:26):
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Kevin Tejada: 74% of schools report students skipping meals entirely due to stigma or the dislike of options. (09:31):
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Kevin Tejada: That's interesting because I totally forgot about this. (09:38):
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Kevin Tejada: If you had to get school lunch after a certain point, I think it was in high (09:41):
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Kevin Tejada: school. If you got school lunches, you were seen as broke, poor. (09:44):
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Kevin Tejada: If you didn't have enough money to order Chinese food to come to the back lot (09:47):
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Kevin Tejada: of the school to pick up, you were broke. (09:53):
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Kevin Tejada: It wasn't crazy. you wouldn't get bullied for, but they're like, (09:57):
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Kevin Tejada: ah, you can't afford takeout. (10:00):
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Kevin Tejada: Interesting. Brokey. Totally forgot about that. (10:04):
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Kevin Tejada: So some kids are just starving themselves because they don't want to seem poor, (10:08):
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Kevin Tejada: which is completely separate issue. (10:11):
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Speaker1: But the other thing is they dislike the options. (10:14):
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Kevin Tejada: So even kids, even dumb kids are realizing that this food is dog shit. (10:17):
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Kevin Tejada: So they're just not eating. Now, again, this is going to go back into, (10:21):
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Kevin Tejada: we're talking about academics. (10:25):
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Kevin Tejada: So If your body doesn't get fuel, your brain doesn't get fuel. (10:27):
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Kevin Tejada: It's not going to function properly, which means these kids are going to have (10:31):
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Kevin Tejada: a hard time retaining this knowledge and actually learning. (10:34):
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Kevin Tejada: If they don't have the proper fuel, their energy is going to suffer too. (10:38):
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Kevin Tejada: There's the common joke. (10:42):
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Speaker1: The class is so boring. Kids are falling asleep all the time. (10:43):
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Kevin Tejada: Now, yeah, a lot of classes are boring for sure. (10:46):
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Kevin Tejada: But now that I'm older and know more about nutrition, I do wonder how much of, (10:51):
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Kevin Tejada: that problem of kids falling asleep in class is due to the boring classes or (10:56):
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Kevin Tejada: due to them not eating or not getting enough energy from this dog shit food. (11:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Because if they're not getting proper energy. They're just not going to be able (11:06):
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Kevin Tejada: to sustain their consciousness. (11:08):
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Kevin Tejada: They're just going to fall asleep because they don't have the energy to stay (11:11):
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Kevin Tejada: up, which is pretty wild when you think about it. (11:14):
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Kevin Tejada: This food being of such low quality is making kids dumber. (11:17):
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Kevin Tejada: It's actually pretty insane. So this is America. Let me compare it to another (11:23):
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Kevin Tejada: country. Let's talk about Japan. (11:27):
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Kevin Tejada: It's time for the weekly Japan dick sucking. (11:30):
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Speaker1: That's okay because they deserve it. (11:33):
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Kevin Tejada: So in Japan, 99.7% of public elementary schools offer school meals. So all of them. (11:35):
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Kevin Tejada: Now, this is the cool part. In 1954, there's a school lunch program act, (11:42):
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Kevin Tejada: which mandated that all public schools provide safe and nutritious lunches. (11:48):
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Kevin Tejada: There's a difference here. Some people might read that and say, (11:53):
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Kevin Tejada: yeah, it's good then, right? No. (11:56):
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Kevin Tejada: Something can be safe, but not give the kids any nutrients whatsoever. (11:58):
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Kevin Tejada: That's why I really like it that the mandate is for safe and nutritious. (12:03):
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Kevin Tejada: So not only is it not toxic, which is the absolute fucking bare minimum, (12:08):
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Kevin Tejada: but it's also nutritious, which is awesome. (12:12):
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Speaker1: Actually helps. (12:14):
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Kevin Tejada: And even better, in 2005, they established the Basic Act on Shokuiku, (12:16):
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Kevin Tejada: which is nutrition education as a national priority. (12:21):
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Kevin Tejada: Can you imagine if we prioritize nutrition in the U.S.? Wouldn't that be wild? (12:26):
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Kevin Tejada: Means is that the food that they're eating the school lunches are kind. (12:32):
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Speaker1: Of part of the curriculum like they learn about nutrition as in they understand (12:37):
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Speaker1: the food if they understand if it's good for them or not (12:41):
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Kevin Tejada: Some of these schools even have farms that the kids participate in which is (12:45):
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Kevin Tejada: cool i don't think that's super common in the cities but in. (12:49):
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Speaker1: General they that (12:53):
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Kevin Tejada: Does exist which is really cool they even have dedicated nutrition teachers (12:54):
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Kevin Tejada: at these schools oftentimes that oversee the meal planning and make sure it's (12:59):
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Kevin Tejada: good can you imagine that here what this all means is that the meals are they're (13:02):
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Kevin Tejada: great like they're balanced they're healthy they're good they got the rice the (13:08):
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Kevin Tejada: fish the seasonal vegetables the. (13:11):
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Speaker1: A very low childhood obesity rate and i've been to japan (13:21):
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Kevin Tejada: I did not see a fat kid i didn't see that many kids there, but the kids I saw (13:26):
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Kevin Tejada: were not fat. They were normal, running around. (13:30):
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Kevin Tejada: Even for adults, I didn't see many fat adults. When I saw a fat adult, (13:34):
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Kevin Tejada: I can tell that they were, I'm not going to say American, but they were a tourist. (13:38):
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Kevin Tejada: Every time. So I'd say it's working out for them over there. (13:44):
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Kevin Tejada: Now let's bring it back to the ghetto in America. (13:49):
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Speaker1: Kids are eating shit. (13:52):
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Kevin Tejada: It's going to make dumb and when they do poorly in school probably gonna be (13:53):
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Kevin Tejada: broke because they're too dumb to get a good job so. (13:58):
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Speaker1: School lunches in general gonna make your kid (14:02):
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Kevin Tejada: Fat dumb and broke it's actually a huge fucking problem now that we're connecting (14:04):
undefined
Kevin Tejada: all these things it's actually a big deal what can be done to make your kids (14:10):
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Kevin Tejada: survive this how can they make it, (14:15):
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Kevin Tejada: There needs to be systemic change in the school nutrition system in America. (14:19):
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Speaker1: Which might happen. (14:24):
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Kevin Tejada: I don't know. There's been recent big changes in the health industry in our country. (14:26):
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Kevin Tejada: So recent that there haven't been huge sweeping changes as of yet. (14:32):
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Kevin Tejada: It's a possibility. But I would really advise you, (14:38):
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Kevin Tejada: help you out. The biggest thing you can do To make sure your kids aren't getting (14:43):
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Kevin Tejada: fucking poisoned every day. (14:48):
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Speaker1: Is to meal prep Yes (14:50):
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Kevin Tejada: They gotta bring their lunch They gotta be that kid They gotta bring their lunch, (14:53):
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Kevin Tejada: That is the best way to avoid the shitty school lunches Them bringing their own, (14:56):
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Kevin Tejada: So You if you have kids Try cooking for your kids Or something Don't buy fucking (15:02):
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Kevin Tejada: lunchables if you can avoid it It's the same shit At a school lunch I would advise, (15:08):
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Kevin Tejada: when you meal prep maybe meal prep for yourself and your kids that'd be cool right, (15:14):
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Kevin Tejada: even fucking better if you can this is a big ask but wouldn't it be really cool (15:18):
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Kevin Tejada: if you taught your kid how to cook and they can meal prep for themselves wouldn't (15:23):
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Kevin Tejada: that be fucking insanely cool i know a lot of parents are gonna say i don't (15:29):
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Kevin Tejada: got time for that blah blah i get it, (15:33):
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Kevin Tejada: but if you make the time you can possibly give more time to your kid's life later, (15:36):
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Kevin Tejada: by having them not be fucking poisoned and have stupid ass food nutrition knowledge, (15:41):
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Kevin Tejada: just a thought the trade might be worth it maybe i do think that's the best (15:48):
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Kevin Tejada: option like i'm saying this is a systemic problem so it's not oh man you can (15:53):
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Kevin Tejada: definitely do this you hey go to school and don't eat the bad shit yeah then (15:57):
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Kevin Tejada: you'll starve to death so the. (16:01):
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Speaker1: Best thing to (16:03):
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Kevin Tejada: Do is just to bring your lunch that's the best way and to not bring (16:03):
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Kevin Tejada: garbage lunch either and one thing that would (16:06):
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Kevin Tejada: also be cool for the schools to do aside from change their whole lunch system (16:09):
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Kevin Tejada: is to include nutrition in health class i don't know if they did that when i (16:13):
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Kevin Tejada: was growing up but i don't remember jack shit and if they taught anything worth (16:18):
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Kevin Tejada: a damn i wouldn't have been close to 250 pounds in high school so i don't think (16:21):
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Kevin Tejada: they taught anything important in. (16:26):
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Speaker1: Regards to nutrition but (16:27):
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Kevin Tejada: I could be wrong excuse me they teach the food pyramid the super important. (16:29):
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Speaker1: Super fucking bullshit propaganda god that (16:34):
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Kevin Tejada: Should be a whole nother episode just the fucking food pyramid but just very (16:39):
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Kevin Tejada: quickly the food pyramid has no real it's. (16:44):
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Speaker1: More like hey who paid the most (16:47):
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Kevin Tejada: Which companies behind these food groups paid the most for this it's not necessarily (16:48):
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Kevin Tejada: oh these provide the most nutrients and blah blah blah no it's not like that, (16:52):
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Kevin Tejada: please don't think it is I think they still run with that propaganda in schools (16:57):
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Kevin Tejada: I'm sure it informs the school lunches too. (17:01):
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Kevin Tejada: Anyway, you better start packing your kids' lunch or you'll be packing their (17:04):
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Kevin Tejada: diabetes meds. Anyway, see you next time. (17:07):
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