According to the L.A. Times today, birthday sweets in schools, such as cupcakes, are being banned. In efforts to curb child obesity parents can send their kiddies to school with carrot sticks to share on their big day. How you gonna blow out your candles on carrot sticks? Ants on a log maybe, I guess as long as the peanut butter is fat free. The Times notes other states have sprung similar campaigns in schools with backlashes. I love that there is even a Safe Cupcake amendment in Texas, which guarantees parents' right to deliver unhealthful treats to the classroom. The right to bear conversation hearts and candy corn will never be threatened in the lone star state again! We can't say the same for the calorie conscious south land where the ban is controversial and varies from school to school. But the Times comparison chart of the nutrional value in a carrot stick versus a cupcake is laughable. Obesity among children is a plight directly associated with kids' impressionable eating habits. But I think even Richard Simmons would agree a little sweettooth now and then is a healthy way to not binge. Parents who still want to send their kids to school with sweets can look for alternatives. I'm a big fan of baked goods versus the over-processed super market slop. How about carrot cake instead of tongue staining blue icing? The kiddies can still blow out their candles while their classmates sing "Feliz Cumpleanos". Then, here's a thought, let them run those calories off on the playground.

Raw carrots		Cupcake
8 baby carrots	Serving size	1 cupcake
26	Calories	190
0	Calories from fat	80
0	Total fat, in grams	8
0	Cholesterol, in milligrams	25
0	Sodium, in milligrams	160
6	Total carbohydrates, in grams	26
172%	Vitamin A, daily recommended value	0%
10%	Vitamin C, daily recommended value	0%
2%	Calcium, daily recommended value	4%
0%	Iron, daily recommended value	2%

Low fat, low sugar (almost healthy?) recipes:
Almond Meringues - so simple and light but candy-like texture an 8-year old could love.
Strawberry Pie - what's healthier than fresh fruit and sugar free jello? Kids love jello!
Angel Food Cake - Substitute the berries for some Hershey's syrup and you've got the fave birthday cake of many "angels".

Labels: food, newsworthy