Calorific foods

I came across a new term today - calorific.

Apparently pop drinks can now be referred to as calorific drinks. I assume "calorific" is a hybrid term meaning calorie and horrific combined. Thus, dieticians and advocates for healthy eating can refer to high calorie sugary drinks such as pop and juices as Calorific.

I was introduced to this term by a news article discussing obesity in young children. US schools will now be regulating drinks at schools - only low fat milks, unsweetened juices and water will be sold in grade schools and middle schools, and the addition of diet pops will be added in highschools.

While this, I suppose is a good thing, it's not the best solution. Healthy eating should begin at the home. Parents need to teach their children that eating fast food, and sugary foods too often is unhealthy. And not only should they teach their children that, they should also put it into practice.

Schools also need to actively teach children to eat properly and to exercise - because even though food choice is limited on school grounds, children can go off grounds to get what they crave.

One additional thing I would like to comment on is that some schools "cheap" out on their vegetables by counting French fries (err.. Freedom fries) as a vegetable. French fries have no nutritional value in them. Show me a french fry that is high in vitamins and I'll show you an honest George Bush.