In my youth, heck even in my adulthood, making smart food choices has rarely been my priority. Instead, I used to eat a lot of junk. Some days a soft pretzel soaked in mustard or a King Sized Snickers would count as lunch for me. Obviously kids these days are savvier and more prone to making wise snack choices when given the option right?
Maybe not seems to be the answer in a New York Times article published yesterday. The article suggests that while more and more snack vending machines in school are offering things like fresh fruit and vegetables, salty chips and candy still seem to out sell those options. I suppose we should not be surprised. Most grown ups I know would prefer a bag of Combos to a bag of carrots. Is the answer to get rid of the salty snacks and candy all together? Are these healthy snack vending machines just taking up space? Hard to say really.
In my opinion stopping the influx of junk food is simply not an option. A kid in high school is going to find their way to these snacks one way or the other. The best bet might be to continue to educate about moderation and healthy eating choices and hope for the best.