Are Our School Lunches Healthy Enough Summary

Michelle Obama is pushing her way for a healthier nation, taking down any obstacles she might encounter. The big question is; Is her plan going to backfire? This anti-obesity campaign has caused many student across the country to just stop eating school lunches. First Lady Michelle has cut and restricted so many things in the food requirements making it next to impossible for the schools to keep up. The requirements have been so strict that schools have to buy cheaper food to compensate for the nutritional value. She has been leading this for several years now and has planned on implementing even more restrictions in the future.

One of the most controversial issues today is the question of how to address childhood obesity. Because of the large proportion of meals that children, particularly low-income children, consume in schools, cafeteria food has been targeted by dietary reformers as in need of a major overhaul. However, while many different types of new school menus have been proposed, the extent to which healthier foods can be offered remains controversial. Opponents to reform state that children will not eat healthier lunches, and that changing the food that children eat will have minimal impact, since the children will either bring food from home or eat food at home that is more 'kid friendly.'

problems of our nation’s youth. School needs to realize that the decisions that they make can

        The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act (Public Law 108-265) was passed by Congress in 2004 (Corbin & McKenzie, 2008). The act requires all public schools, or schools with federal funding, to develop a wellness plan for the students (Corbin & McKenzie, 2008).  The policy is attached to increase opportunities for nutrition, physical education and encouragement of better food choices outside of school boundaries (Virgilio, 2009). While the sentiment is clearly positive, whether or not it works or favors certain populations is unclear. The Child Nutrition Act guidelines are a model, since some schools are not adequately funded, other vendors come into play that do not have the best interests of our children at

Over the years, school lunches have become a very large issue in our country. Not only are they disgusting, they are unhealthy and should not be served to anybody let alone kids. In the video, “What’s wrong with school lunches,” led by Ann Cooper, she held several very strong arguments regarding school lunches. Ann cooper made several important points on what is wrong with school lunches. She mainly spoke about how it is very necessary to expose kids to healthy foods, and that we have to teach them why it is so important to consume healthy foods rather than foods that are processed. She explained that the way that all of these unhealthy/processed foods are advertised, play a very large role on not only children’s lives, but also everybody’s

Healthy eating for the youth is influenced by the former First Lady by influencing the way students eat. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that has been a very important issue that she wants to put an end to. “Those who closely followed her fight against childhood obesity, however, knew Obama didn't want to exclude anyone from the table. Wal-Mart's plan was significant: By 2015, the company promised, it would reduce sodium by 25%, sugars by 10% and eliminate trans fat in many of its private-label products,“ (Wells). Wal-mart has promised to be a part of this health initiative that Michelle Obama had started. Reducing sodium, sugars, and trans fat are a few things that create a large impact on health. Even some little changes can help the childhood obesity epidemic. “When manufacturers banded together to form the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, they vowed to work with the first lady to cut 1.5 trillion calories from the products they make,” (Wells). Every affect Michelle Obama has on different industries has provided children with healthier products. Partnering with retailers and manufacturers to reduce unhealthy ingredients contributes plenty to the reduction of childhood obesity. Specifically partnering with Wal-Mart deeply grants lower-income families with healthier choices, especially when their financial income

One goal of school lunch is to moderate what students are consuming. In 2010, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act went into effect, setting new standards for lunchrooms across America.

Kids have a right to eat nutritious food that is healthy and fresh. For example, due to the lack of fresh and flavorful food many students choose to buy cheap junk food. The lack of freshness in foods result to kid’s health deteriorating. For instance, twenty-two children became ill Thursday after having lunch at a San Diego elementary school cafeteria, officials confirmed (Garske, Powell). Now, what is this? Kids getting sick from school food? We can’t have kids’ health being endangered just because schools can’t afford fresh food. The school is who takes care of kids and they are

Ever since the Healthy Kids Act invaded school cafeterias across America the overall response from students was far from positive. What if I told you the new healthy school lunches were for the better as well? You’d probably think I’m crazy. I’m sure we all miss the big cinnamon rolls and greasy foods when used to get before the Healthy Kids Act. What we don’t realize is how those foods were effecting our youth. The healthy kids act was designed to stop childhood obesity, help kids learn to eat healthy, and also provide a better future for the Youth of America.

"The purpose of the National School Meal Programs should be to meet student’s needs. For that to happen it must be accepted that parents know what's best for their children. Neither First Lady Michelle nor our leaders in congress should think they do." (unknown) If children are eating school lunches parents can’t control what their children are eating.

There is controversy regarding this legislation, with conservatives arguing that it is too costly, too invasive, ineffective, and misguided. However, I have argued for the necessity of this legislation, as fundamental change is required in order to raise the health standards of the next generation. This is not only an issue of health; it is an issue of patriotism and national security. Today’s youth needs to be in healthy condition to join the military and fight for our country if circumstances require a draft, and we are currently not in fighting condition. The regulations set in place are working to improve to promote a healthier lifestyle for schoolchildren by giving them the necessary tools to make healthier choices. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is working towards a better

In “Parents, not bureaucrats, should decide what kids eat” Darren Bakst initiates a strong argument by describing what would happen if the government had control over what children eat, for example, “School boards cannot ignore the higher costs and operational issues created by the rigid mandates of the Health, Hunger- Free Kids Act”(Bakst 12). But on the other hand, author of “First lady’s fight for healthier food needs broad support”, William Rice combats the argument of Darren Bakst by stating, “Organizations that work most intensively to promote good nutrition, such as the Food Research and Action Center, and most closely, with students, such as the National Education Association, wholeheartedly support the meal standards and are fighting efforts to water them down”(Rice 12).This shows that these two articles are contrary of each other; however, they both use strong evidence and wording to prove their

One perspective, is why should school lunches be healthy. First of all, one reason school lunches should be healthy is because of health problems. According to the article, it says, “ Studies show that obesity can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes,” because of that schools want to keep kids healthy and active, not ill and lazy. Nancy Brown- head of the American Heart Association said, “School

There needs to be some sort of regulation imposed on school lunches, in order to fight the growing obesity epidemic. Many people disagree with this statement, and have their own thoughts on the matter. The National School Lunch Act was passed in 1946 by President Harry Truman. All over the country, school districts joined lunch programs designed to feed children at free or reduced prices. In doing so, school districts had to follow specific guidelines that these programs required. Over the years, these standards have changed increasingly in order to provide children optimal nutrition. While many districts have fully taken advantage and successfully made the turn for the better, others struggle or are taking a little more time in

After observing the latest statistics on the current generation of children in America, Michelle Obama setup the Nutritional Standards in the National School Breakfast Program, which set out to provide healthier meals to children everyday through the school (“USDA Unveils Historic Improvements to Meals Served in America’s Food”). This was what seemed like just the change the country needed to turn the tide in the fight against childhood obesity. This