By ELISA STREETER

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Taking on childhood obesity through school lunches is what Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wants to do with her new school lunch legislation.

The Senator says obesity rates have doubled over the last 30 years for children ages 6 to 11. They have tripled for children ages 12 to 19. And childhood obesity puts our kids at risk of developing serious diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. That’s why Senator Gillibrand has proposed new school lunch legislation that will improve the quality of food served in schools, and eliminate junk food.

Senator Gillibrand says, “In this country, about 18% of the kids are obese. When I was a kid it was only 5%. We spend about 100 billion dollars a year on obesity. So there are a couple of things I want to do. I want to ban all trans fats in all school lunches across America.”

Senator Gillibrand also wants to make sure kids get healthier food by increasing the reimbursement rate for school lunches by 70 cents to allow for more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.