But when it's time to grab her backpack and head to school, she takes on a schedule different from her siblings. That includes what she has to eat.
Recently, proud father Ethan posted on Facebook that one of Eliot's dining options at school in the last few days included pizza, peaches, corn on the cob, chocolate milk, and an ice cream cone.
"I do not like what they feed my child at school," said Jones, frustrated about the lack of nutrition he feels Eliot receives at school. "And I think it is ridiculous that they send home little healthy eating guides in their backpacks when they make very little effort to offer healthy food to her while she is there."
Jones isn't alone. Many more parents, as well as teachers, feel children aren't getting the nutrition value they should when they head off to school.
"In my opinion, the schools have a captive audience - the kids are forced to eat what they are served unless they bring their lunch. Therefore, they should be serving healthy food, not junk. But of course, the food supply in this entire country is upside down so I don't see any changes coming anytime soon," Jones said in an e-mail response.
Teacher Angela Pryor commented on Jones' Facebook thread, saying she sees her children eat pizza three times a week. And although Jones and Pryor thought pizza as a kid was a great thing, now as parents, they've changed their minds completely."I would like to see white bagels replaced by whole wheat bagels," said Jones. "I would like to see chocolate milk and 100 percent sugar fruit juices removed entirely. I would like ice cream to become what it is for most everyone - a special treat, not something that is offered daily. I could go on and on. These are the kind of things we try to do at home and it is frustrating to have our schools run in the opposite direction."
Michelle Child, the mother of a second grader at Giddings Elementary, believes her daughter's school does a good job of keeping nutrition at the front of the line, instead of ignoring it. One example Child gives is that her daughter's teacher makes sure the kids know each of the food groups.
"Brooke tries to make sure she eats plenty of veggies and fruits," said Child. "They have a food diary that she used to keep up with on her daily intake. And at 9 [o'clock] each morning they have healthy snack time where the kids can bring a healthy snack to eat or the teacher provides one. I'm not too upset with the food and if I don't like what they are serving, I send her a lunch."
"This is going to kill your children," Oliver said. "The freezer was just basically an Aladdin's cave of processed crap."
Oliver couldn't believe what he found when he got to the school, with not a single vegetable in sight in the cafeteria. Kids drink pink milk with more sugar than soda. Not one child in a class of six year olds could identify a single vegetable, either. But, on her own, their teacher began teaching them the most common ones.
"My dream, really, is that Huntington, if they let me in, can be an example to the rest of America and the rest of the world," said Oliver.
Stevonn Krueger liked the show and believes Oliver cares about the children who, as Jones said, are captive to a school's dining options, but realizes there are mounds of obstacles to overcome. "Financing is a huge one," said Krueger. "I think the kids will eat and enjoy healthy food if it is delicious! I agree with [Jones] - there's nothing wrong with pizza on a Friday. Pizza can also be made very healthy and delicious. Funding and time to prepare are huge problems since there are so many kids to feed."
"If he [Oliver] is working to educate people on the hidden junk in all of the everyday foods we eat, then I hope he succeeds wildly!" Jones said.
As Oliver works to revamp how children eat at school by starting with a school in the unhealthiest city in the country, the fork in the road may be if other districts will follow their lead. Speaking on a national news program last week, the school cooks said the new meals were harder to prepare, but it's worth it if it's healthier for the students. One student herself admitted she didn't like everything, but she likes that the food is better for her body than the meals she ate before.
As for Jones, he's not convinced his kindergartner's meal options will improve anytime soon, given fast food restaurant menus and portion sizes Americans are used to. "I discovered long ago...how impossible it can be to eat a healthy diet in this country," he said.
But maybe, just maybe, by the time the quintuplets are ready for school, the food revolution will have spread to every school in the country.
If you'd like to watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, click here to find out more about Central City Elementary School's new breakfast and lunch offerings, and how the revolution is affecting students, teachers, and parents in Huntington.
Editor's Note
The Austin Citysphere contacted the Austin Independent School District, as well as the Leander Independent School District, to ask about the nutrition policy in each district, how the food services coordinators view their district's menus, if they would like to change anything, and if they think the children receive enough exercise at school. ACS will publish the district's responses when they respond.
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