A Letter to Your Kids’ School

A Letter to Your Kids’ School

I wrote this letter for The Huffington Post because it is time for change.  Parents all over the country are frustrated and upset about the amount of sugar being handed to their kids at school.  And these are reasonable parents who understand and practice moderation in how they feed themselves and their kids.  Every celebration at school involves some sort of cupcake, cookie or candy.  And with about 25 kids per classroom, that is a lot of sugar handed to kids throughout the school year for birthday celebrations alone.  There are plenty of non-caloric ways to celebrate kids.We need a lot of foot soldiers to solve our nutritional issues in America.  If you are one of those parents frustrated by all the sugary foods given to your kids in the classroom, take this letter to your principal and start the dialogue for policy change. It’s worth it.

About Melanie Silverman

Melanie is a pediatric registered dietitian nutritionist (RD) and a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) working primarily in pediatric nutrition for well over 15 years. She spent seven years as a clinical dietitian at The University of Chicago Medical Center in the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, adult and pediatric burn units, and high risk pediatric follow-up clinic. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago. Melanie has presented at state and national meetings for the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), March of Dimes, Prader-Willi California Foundation, Texas Prader-Willi Association, Oklahoma Prader Willi Syndrome Association, Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (FPWR) in the United States and Canada and the Prader-Willi Syndrome USA (PWSA). She worked hard for her Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Spanish from Indiana University and a Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. A member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, California Dietetic Association, Pediatric Nutrition Practice Group, Women’s Health Group, Nutrition Entrepreneurs and an active member of the International Lactation Consultant Association.