Many companies are on board with improving school food, Obama says, by reducing the amount of salt, fat and sugar in school lunches and increasing the amount of whole grains and fresh produce. There are also changes to be made in the snacks provided to students.
"There is no reason why we can't have water, healthy juice drinks in vending machines, granola bars, trail mix, whole-grain sandwiches," she says.
Just as important as better food, Obama says, is physical activity. The government recommends that children get 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says improving food and physical activity at schools is "the right investment" of resources.
Little steps can add up
Despite her lofty goals, Obama says, she wants to reassure fellow parents that they don't have to make huge changes or break the bank to have an influence on their kids' weight and health.
The Obama family has a chef now, of course, and the first lady no longer has to worry about whether she has time to cook healthful meals. But before she got to the White House, she says, she made a set of small changes to her girls' diets that made a difference.
She started cooking once or twice a week more often than she had been. Instead of giving them juice boxes at meals and in their lunches, she gave them low-fat milk or water. And she eliminated after-dinner desserts on weekdays. "The kids didn't even notice," she says. "You take stuff out, they complain about it for, like, two seconds, and then it's like, 'OK, I'll drink the water.' "
She also says she doesn't want parents to beat themselves up if they slip up from time to time or get a little relaxed about the food they serve or the time their kids spend in front of a screen.
"We don't have to be 100% perfect," she says. "My kids eat dessert. My kids watch TV. ... I love burgers and fries, and I don't want to live a life where I can never have them again. And if we told families and children that that was the answer, we'd never get there.
"The beauty is we don't need to be 100% of the way there. If we get 20% of the way there, we will change the health status of our kids for a generation."
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