School Lunch: Why Change Needs to Happen Essay

Have you ever taken a bit in your school lunch and just want to spit it all back out? Or how about the little portions you get? These types of school lunches should not be allowed to be given to the students because there are many reasons why school lunches are bad for health reasons. Although the school lunches are supposed to be healthier and better for our well-being, school lunches should change because it’s not very appetizing, there are little portions, and there isn’t any difference in the health level before.

Do you think your school needs improvements? I think my school has a few, but the lunches are easily the most recognizable. The school board should change our lunches because they are microwaved, they are not filling, and the school lunches have the same thing every day of the week. Seriously, none of the kids like them, so just get us brand named foods.

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.'

One in three Americans kids are obese or over weight which is a staggering and alarming rate at the same time. So looking 20 years into the future that number could double if nothing is said and done about what we are eating. The public school food in school lunches are unhealthy for many alarming reasons, but not much can be done immediately due to strict guidelines and budgets that schools must follow. A lot of it goes to kids not exercising, and more time watching TV, or playing on the computer. And now days more families have less time to make nutritious home made meals. So they tend to eat School cafeteria lunches that have minimal nutrition’s and harmful calories. To prevent your kid from being over weight mean adapting what you eat, and having to exercise at least 60 minutes a day. If the changes are made to change school lunches, it can help them from being obese, children can improve their lifestyle choices, and lastly it prevents them from getting harmful diseases.

The lunch provided to students who are eligible for reduced or free lunch is their only lunch option, since they cannot necessarily bring a packed lunch from home. Because of this the USDA and the FNS have created guidelines that each school must follow when creating these lunch programs. According to the USDA 2011, “School lunches must meet the applicable recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30 percent of an individual's calories come from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat.” (USDA "National school lunch," 2011) These guidelines directly follow the standards set by the USDA for everyday nutrition and must be followed by the school. The USDA has also created guidelines for other dietary allowances. The USDA in 2011 reported “Regulations also establish a standard

Actually, eating a significantly low amount of fat can lead to heart disease. According to Source 3: "School lunches today meet federal nutrition standards and serve more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy than ever before." This statement might seem true when glancing quickly, but if it is analyzed closely flaws can be found. Such as low fat milk being healthy. Low fat milk does not give the nutrients that are needed for building bones. Also, it saying “more fresh fruits and vegetables” is wrong because schools usually just rely on canned fruit which is not fresh and overcook the vegetables making them not appetizing. School lunches are trying but sadly they have not figured out how to execute meals that taste good and are nutritious and make sure that the kids stay away from the junk

Regulations for foods, served in public schools are a matter of great concern as it is essential for the purpose of creating a healthier lifestyle for children studying in public schools. The government has supported several children through the free education and free food program. But the quality of this food is not at par with the standard of the food quality approved by nutritionists so it needs to be changes.

Ring. Ring. Ring. The twelve o’clock bell sounds for lunch. Hundreds of thousands of students around the United States of America rush from their classes to the school cafeteria. Children and teenagers ranging from grades K-12 grab a lunch tray and jump in line. The food that these students get to choose from has changed over the past years because of the new National School Lunch Program regulations, which limit the different foods that can be offered in schools. The passing of the National School Lunch Program has led to the implementation of new nutritional standards when deciding what foods can be served, changed the type of foods that are required to be served, established new rules on how the regulations are monitored, and

School cafeterias have been notoriously known for having unhealthy, unappealing food. Students at schools are being forced to eat these foods, when parents cannot provide regular lunches for their children. These lunches usually include the following: pizza, soda, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, and others, all filled with artificial ingredients and preservatives. To address this problem, there should be a switch between the foods and drinks being served, and I have just the ideas that will be delicious and healthy. Authors Alice Waters, Katrina Heron, and Mark Bittman all agree that some initiative needs to be taken to fix this unhealthy food problem, and so do I. Together, the student body and parents will address the school board with healthier food options that are better tasting and better for the body.

Having past those awkward teen years, I know exactly what temptations lurk around the corner when dealing with weight. I can only say it gets progressively easier to maintain a healthy weight as you get older, but only if you follow my tips. Tip 1: Do not smoke, drink or take "recreational" drugs. Am I serious? Well considering smoking is anti-beauty, drinking is a fattening sugar alcohol and drugs can lead to eating binges, my answer is yes. Tip 2: Don't eat school lunches. The reason schools created lunches were for busy parents who didn't have time to prepare lunch at home. The result? Fattening choices like French fries and deep-fried chicken nuggets, desserts and ice cream. If you are wondering why you have gained weight during the school year, you

School lunches, curriculum focus, and daily activities have changed in elementary schools over the years. The nutritional value in school lunches often meet a bare minimum. Curriculum is focused strongly on idealistic future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; but often forget teaching basic healthy habits needed for lifelong health. Physical education is no longer required every single day. Obesity has become an epidemic and not just for adults, it is increasingly affecting children as well. Children spend a generous amount of time in the classroom. They spend more time in school than at home or anywhere else. Therefore, schools have a responsibility in preventing obesity in adolescents by teaching them healthy habits, serving them nutritious food, and providing them with adequate physical activity.

Healthiness is not an entitlement, it is a right. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important to focus on current food standards to not only create a brilliant, but also abled-bodied generation of future leaders. However, current guidelines established by the National School Lunch Act only address one-third of a minimum daily nutrients requirement. In fact, a recent seven-month survey found that only 22% of the student body view their lunch as nourishing compared to 94% of school staffs (School Nutrition Standards). The disproportions between students and non-students are due to the distasteful stigma associated with school lunches and requires a change of policy. Even though school nutrition standards exist, they inadequately address the essential dietary requirements of the student population and should be modified after successful guidelines in countries like Japan and Finland, and incorporate student opinion to satisfy the public and maintain health.

What is this food doing to our children? The childhood obesity epidemic has increased because of the contribution of junk food that is being served in public schools. It has been found that children who eat fatty school foods are more likely to become obese than those who brought lunch from home. Why is this we may ask has a lot to do with the above student that I stated brought their lunch from home daily. You can count the intake of calories that is in your lunchbox but you have no idea what is in the food from you school, half of the time you will not even know what the food is. Also, the specials that are provided for students on special food days increases their calorie intake as well such as; pizza day or wing day. On these days children have shown to intake more food because these are the days that they provide greasy foods that taste swell and the children like them so they will gravitate to them because they do not have the proper knowledge to know what this food can do to your body.

The students of our school should rally together and hang the cooks in the Cafeteria. Well, maybe that is a little too dramatic, but something has to be done about the school lunch. The stuff that they serve the students is truly awful. Students should not be forced to eat in the cafeteria because the meals are not prepared well, there are foreign objects in the deserts, and many kids have gotten ill after eating certain items.

While studies have and will always continue to be conducted all over the world regarding school lunch programs and their effect on children’s health, one study in the Michigan area concluded some alarming statistics. Children who ate school lunch compared to children who did not eat school lunch were more likely to be overweight, and have higher levels of cholesterol