Public High School Food

Marion Nestle writes, “They make the default choice the healthy choice. Most people choose the default no matter what it is” (Nestle). The issue with this is that “the students having to eat these lunches don’t even like them are just throwing the food away” (Bakst). What the government is providing is satisfying no one and is forcing children to go hungry the whole school day. When kids are just throwing it away it is also a waste of food. The mandates are not helping, but if anything, causing kids that need a good meal to go hungry.

The change process will eventually lead to the other areas. This Guide is designed to provide an introduction to these 10 pathways, to suggest questions to ask in order to begin thinking about them, and to show how planning in one area can be connected to planning in others. WHY SCHOOL FOOD? WHY NOW? School food programs touch every community. About 60 percent of students enrolled in U.S. schools participate in the National School Lunch Program; participation has grown from about 7.1 million children in its first year, 1946, to more than 31.5 million children a day now. About 11 million children participate in the National School Breakfast Program. School food is implicated in many of the most pressing issues we face today. IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE The current crisis in diet-related illness has been well documented. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, poor diet and physical inactivity are responsible for as many premature deaths as is tobacco. Obesity increases the risk of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis, and many cancers. (See Food and Health, pp. 10–15.) © CENTER FOR ECOLITERACY WWW.ECOLITERACY.ORG

These ingredients have harmful effects on the health of our society, especially the children. Schools can help stop this trend. Schools need to provide fresh, healthy, tasty meals for their students. Former first lady, Michelle Obama, implemented a federal school lunch program. The concept was good in theory, however, the foods that were offered were not appetizing or appealing to kids.

The healthy hunger free kids act signed by Barack Obama on December 13, 2010. While Michelle Obama heavily enforced this idea, and saw obesity as a problem, especially in young developing children she fought for a cause that she was passionate for and wanted to raise awareness about the affects an unhealthy eating habit could have later in a person’s life. While all intentions were positive it’s hard to regulate 100,000 plus schools in America well. Some schools have fresh wholesome ingredients while some schools failed health inspections, it really depends on the area in which the school is located. Each school will do what they can to abide by these regulations but it’s especially hard for some since healthier foods are generally more expensive. In Japan and other countries students grow their own food in gardens managed by the school, this teaches responsibility, gives youngsters a sense of accomplishment when they pick their own produce and results in fresh home-grown

In many schools around the country, high school lunch is off-putting to students. The government has set many laws in place, to improve nutrition where it is lacking in many schools across America. Where the meal adjustment lowered the calories of the meals, it has created deficiencies in important nutrients that are necessary for students of all ages to learn to the best of their ability. Often, many students also find the lunch unpleasant, and unsatisfying. Many researchers, and authors have all gathered a wide collection of evidence that all supports problems with lunches found in American schools throughout the country.

Buddha once said, “ To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our minds strong and clear.” A trend started across the United States several years ago towards improving the quality of food provided for students eating school lunch. “School lunch has evolved quite a bite over the last century”(Avey). In spite of this evolution, there are many reasons why the public school system should further improve their daily lunch program. These changes would still include the daily recommended balance of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates. The top three reasons to improve school lunches include: obesity rate, overall grades, and lifelong habits.

Central High School is planning to change our school lunches to something that is “healthier” and “less-fattening”. Many students disagree with this idea, but others are completely supportive about this idea. Students want something that will keep them full for the rest of the school day and not be starved to death by time they get home. This makes learning a lot harder and it makes paying attention a lot harder as well.

Waking up to go to high school every day isn’t the most fun thing on earth. Sitting through a few boring classes that seem to drag on forever isn’t an exciting way to spend a day as a kid. But, there is one part of school that everyone looks forward to; lunch. After waiting through a couple periods a student can talk openly with his or her peers, and enjoy some food that the school provides. That is, until, something gets slopped onto their plate that looks like cardboard, plastic, or something some people can’t even describe. School lunches haven’t always been this way though, and new, healthier school lunches are to blame. Healthier school lunches are not acceptable the way that they are now, because of the

Of all of the problems that dishearten children today, the one that bothers them the most is being unhealthy. Five out of six students from the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School agree that there should be a change in the schools' cafeteria foods; they came up with a solution to help kids be healthy. Unhealthy foods should be eliminated in schools for many reasons. First of all, kids concentrate better when they are healthy. Being healthy helps children to concentrate better because if they are healthy in the inside and the outside, they will not have to worry about their health or how they look. Secondly, having only healthy foods in school help parents to take good care of their kids. For instance, imagine a mom that is a seventh

All of the sweets and treats you remember from school lunches are now gone. The government now controls school lunches through The National School Lunch Act. This legislation provides school lunches, attributes to healthy lifestyles, puts strict boundaries on what is served, but ends up costing more money in the end.

Schools should serve healthier lunches to benefit both the students and the schools. It benefits both the school and the students because eating healthy can improve academic performance. The students academic performance helps the school look good. Students who don't eat health tend have a hard time concentrating in class and don't

Most the time the foods that make a school lunch healthy the students don't eat them. A article reports that “23% are throwing away the half cup of fruit or vegetables they are forced to take”. Imagine all the food that is going to waste because of this. Money is also brought into this issue. The same article claims that $25,834 U.S dollars are being wasted on those cups.That money could be used to make better lunches if schools do not want to serve

According to Alice Waters and Katrina Heron, authors of “No lunch left behind” an article published in The New York Times on February 19, 2009, the National School Lunch Program is a poor investment. The authors informed the public that of $9 billion, very little actually goes into the food. They demand fresh alternatives provided by local farmers and refine school equipment, to instead prepare fresh nutritious meals for the school. Although we may produce some meals at the school, there are still ways to improve the equipment to better serve the students. Education about sensible eating is also recommended, as it will teach students a nourishing lifestyle outside of school. With a well-constructed plan that upgrades the quality of the food and food education, it will surely make our school healthier!

In my opinion school lunch wouldn't be that bad if the healthy hunger free kids act didn't make sure that school lunches are healthier. Greasy pizza, salty French fries and sauces up chicken wings are not healthy and that meals at school should be lower in fat, calories and sodium and contain lean proteins, more fruits and vegetables. But school lunches shouldn't be mostly whole grains because personally I don't like whole grain foods and since my school started serving almost everything whole grain, I rarely eat lunch because kids don't like whole grain or wheat bread. If my school and other schools should start serving white wheat bread, because white wheat doesn't taste like wheat bread, it tastes like regular white bread l, and if schools

To help students become better and healthier individuals, we should change our vending machines to healthier snacks. Instead of chips,cookies, and pop tarts. We should have vending machines carry oatmeal, granola bars, and fruit. A con of the idea would be making children pay more for food that some cannot even afford which they go to snacks to eat. With the refrigerated snacks, it would require more equipment to make sure the food is good and never goes bad. But after all, this would help students create better habits than wrong