The obesity level and related health problems in American children have risen to the point where the Centers for Disease Control predicts the current generation may be the first to die at younger ages than their parents. Ann Cooper, a chef and long-time advocate for healthier food choices and health education for children, argues that child advocates must push for healthier school food programs based on cooking from scratch rather than on processed, non-nutritious foods. Cooper describes how she works around obstacles to create more nutritious school meals in Boulder Valley School District in Colorado. The Boulder district met five challenges to creating a school food program centered on meals made from fresh local ingredients: foods, facilities, financing, human resources, and marketing healthy food to students. Cooper highlights the particular challenge involved in switching from processed foods to scratch-cooked meals within the structure of the National School Lunch Program, which--because of its position within the U.S Department of Agriculture and its connection to the commodities program--is geared to providing processed foods high in fat and low in nutrition.