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School Food Is the Key to Fixing Our Children’s Health Crisis | Nora LaTorre

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Feb 13, 2026

Guest

Nora LaTorre

Nora LaTorre, CEO and co-founder of Eat Real, leads national efforts to transform school food systems. She discusses why school cafeterias are a powerful lever for kids' health. They cover removing added sugar, how real food boosts participation and focus, changing procurement to support local farms, and practical ways parents can influence district menus.

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ANECDOTE

Diet Swap Cut Violence In Detention

Swapping juvenile detention diets from processed to real food produced dramatic declines in violence, restraints, and suicides.
The behavioral improvements demonstrated food's rapid impact on extreme behavioral outcomes.

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INSIGHT

Food Changes Boost Learning

Early research from Eat Real's partnerships indicates real food in schools improves academic performance and test scores.
Nutrition changes can translate into measurable classroom and cognitive gains.

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ADVICE

Equip Food Leaders To Lead Change

Support and train school food directors and staff with practical playbooks, recipes, and peer networks to scale real-food programs.
Certification, action plans, and peer exchanges accelerate implementation and sustain change.

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Scale and urgency of the children's health crisis

03:24 • 9min

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What prediabetes means for kids

12:11 • 2min

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Sugar's effect on focus and behavior

14:19 • 2min

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Diet change producing rapid cognitive gains

Neurodevelopment and nutrition connections

18:57 • 4min

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How Eat Real partners with school food leaders

22:43 • 3min

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Real food increases participation and satisfaction

25:18 • 1min

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Debunking the cost myth of healthy meals

26:40 • 5min

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Business model benefits of scratch cooking

32:10 • 2min

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Teacher and parent observations of food impact

33:57 • 5min

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Rapid metabolic improvements from sugar reduction

38:33 • 23sec

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Eat Real's growth goals and scaling strategy

38:56 • 2min

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How changing procurement reshapes local farms

40:40 • 40sec

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How parents can engage their districts

41:20 • 3min

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Simple family habits that shift diets

Overcoming industry pushback and policy wins

50:19 • 5min

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Building bipartisan support for school food reform

55:11 • 5min

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Tactics used by food industry and pushback

01:00:07 • 3min

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Key policy levers to accelerate change

01:02:40 • 2min

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Practical classroom and family strategies

01:04:48 • 6min

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Hope and the movement for food change

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In 'Food Fix', Dr. Mark Hyman delves into the systemic issues within the global food system, highlighting how corrupted food and agriculture policies driven by money and lobbying contribute to chronic diseases, climate change, poverty, violence, and educational achievement gaps. The book pairs the latest nutritional and environmental science with a critical examination of the food industry and its policies. It offers practical solutions for individuals, businesses, and policymakers to create a healthier world, society, and planet by focusing on regenerative organic agriculture, public health initiatives, and policy reforms.

If we want to fix food, we have to fix the institutions shaping what our kids eat every day. Public schools are effectively the largest restaurant chain in America, serving 30 million children. For many of them, school meals account for half of their daily calories. And yet, a majority of those calories still come from ultra-processed food. On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with Nora LaTorre, CEO of Eat Real, to talk about why the school cafeteria may be the most powerful lever we have to reverse the childhood health crisis—and why change is already happening faster than most people think. Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Today we discuss:

• Why school food policy affects your family • How removing added sugar from school menus can change focus, behavior, and long-term health • Why school lunch participation rises when districts upgrade to real food • How changing school procurement reshapes local farms and food systems • What you can do as a parent to influence your district In less than two years, Eat Real–partnered districts are proving that real food can scale across red states, blue states, rural communities, and major cities. When procurement changes, farms change, and when menus change, our children have a better chance to thrive. View Show Notes From This Episode

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(0:00) The health crisis facing children and the role of schools

(1:26) Dr. Hyman's personal connection with Nora LaTorre

(2:00) The burden of chronic disease and diet's impact on children's health

(3:32) Systemic food industry issues and transforming public school cafeterias

(7:35) Success stories in school nutrition and mental health concerns

(11:06) Long-term impacts of poor diet and research on sugar reduction

(15:32) Overcoming challenges in the school food system

(23:18) Cost myths of healthy eating and improving school food quality

(27:22) Economic benefits and performance impacts of real food in schools

(31:07) Nutrition's role in children's behavior and quick dietary change benefits

(35:07) Expanding real food programs and empowering advocacy

(41:24) Educating families and key food policy initiatives

(46:34) Legislation efforts for healthier school meals

(49:00) Eliminating ultra-processed foods and the public school role

(57:04) Addressing nutrition myths and powerful system change levers

(1:01:53) Investing in school meals and underrated family health habits

(1:03:29) Policy changes and the impact of real food on kids' futures

(1:05:05) Hope for food system change and fixing food to fix health issues

(1:07:53) Getting involved with Eat Real and Food Fix Uncensored

(1:10:30) Closing remarks, social media plugs, and sponsor gratitude

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