"My doctor wants to do cholesterol testing on my children!"

You may soon be hearing that outraged cry from millions of American parents throughout the U.S. As reported in November by the highly respected Consumer Reports, "An expert panel selected and appointed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics supported early screening as part of an effort to curb the epidemic of childhood obesity."  They were referring to "new guidelines that recommend cholesterol testing for all children between the ages of 9 and 11 and again as young adults 17-21 years of age." The problem is that one out of three children and teenagers in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and by Fourth Grade up to 13 percent have cholesterol levels of 200 or higher! The obesity problem has been no secret, and the media have been quick to blame the fast-food industry and lazy parents for not caring enough to prepare healthy meals at home. But a recent article in the Sunday New York Times titled, "How the Food Industry Eats Your Kid's Lunch" told a real horror story: "Each day, 32 million children in the United States get lunch at schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program, which uses agricultural surplus to feed children. About 21 million of these children eat free or reduced-price meals, a number that has surged since the recession. The program which also provides breakfast, costs $31.3 billion a year. Sadly, it is being mismanaged and exploited (and) privatized, much of it outsourced to food service management giants which profit when good food is turned to bad." Schools get commodities like fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken and turkey for free, then pay these companies a fortune to turn them into pizza, nuggets fries, etc. "The Michigan Department of Education, for example, gets free raw chicken worth $11.40 a case and sends it for processing into nuggets at $33.45 a case. The schools in San Bernardino, Calif., spend $14.75 to make French fries out of $5.95 worth of potatoes...A 2008 study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that by the time many healthier commodities reach students, 'they have about the same nutritional value as junk foods.'" The problem? School boards, in many cases, don't want to bother setting up and administering proper kitchen facilities to feed their pupils, even though it would cost much less than the outsourcing. And speaking of cholesterol and cutting costs, here's another tip: If you're looking for a way to lower the amount you spend each year on your family's health care -- whether for cholesterol or any other prescription medication -- visit the website MyRxCoupons.com before you have any prescription filled at the pharmacy. Look for a free money-saving coupon that may save you hundreds, or even, thousands, of dollars a year on that drug...or on any health-related item you need at the pharmacy.