School Lunches

Since 2009 Schools have been improving there healthy choices of food like fresh fruits and salad bars,but those foods take longer to eat (Hellmich). Turning school lunches into an actual sit down meal rather than a feeding frenzy is a good way of improving health (Parker-Pope). Students usually have less than 20 minutes to eat lunch which makes it less likely for them to choose the healthy choice (Elsevier). Kids often like to eat there favorite foods first,not giving them enough time to eat the healthy food (Hellmich). An increase in school lunches could encourage students to eat the healthier choice(5 Elsevier). School nutritionist suggest that students need to have atlas 20 minutes to eat (Hellmich). Research shows that when people consume meals faster they take in more calories because they get hungry sooner (Chen). The shorter lunch periods are starting to lead to more and more obese and overweight kids ( Hellmich). Doctors are saying there are more and more kids getting diabetes and other illnesses due to the lunches and something needs to be done about it

“The regulations went on to stipulate that only fruits, vegetables, dairy products, lean-protein foods, and whole-grain items could be sold in cafeterias or vending machines. Limiting the maximum calorie count of 200 for snacks and 350 for entrees” (Ballaro and Griswold) This explains the limitation put on schools throughout the country. Television was one of the major influencing factors that led kids to higher energy foods and drinks. Children would see their favorite character or show advertising a snack or a drink; therefore, so children feel they need to enjoy it as well.

How would you like it if the lunch lines weren’t so full but your students all had a filled stomach? Well I honestly believe that if you gave only 11th and 12th graders the opportunity to leave campus for lunch and it would make everyone’s life easier.

As we all know, everyone wants longer lunch periods because it is a time where they can socialize and don’t have to learn, but there is also another advantage to having longer lunch periods. Most people don’t know this, but having a longer lunch period allows you to receive more of the nutrients your body needs to function properly and to its’ full potential. In a report in 2014 by the School Nutrition Association, they reviewed 1001 students and found stunning information that showed,”... students with less than 20 minutes… 13 percent less of their entrees… 12 percent less of their vegetables… 10 percent less of their milk compared.. 25 mins.” (Paragraph 5, Source 3). This proves that when students have a shorter time to eat, they will not

Research shows that school lunches are highly concentrated in salt, sugar and unsaturated fat. Elementary, middle and high schools are over populated with vending machines, school stores and snack bars. It is not uncommon for a student to grab more than 2 or 3 snacks at once from the lunch line without

School lunch within the United States has progressed to suit nutritious consumption for children in order to promote a healthy lifestyle. The National School Breakfast Program feeds 10 million children every day, and the National School Lunch Program feeds more than 30 million children daily.¹ Upwards of about 50 percent of total caloric needs are achieved at school, hence the need for nutritious and hearty meals for these growing individuals.

School lunches should promote good nutrition for kids. Healthier school lunches would lead to healthier nutritional choices throughout children's entire lifetimes. If kids are choosing unhealthy choices for lunch, then they are going to have unhealthy eating habits throughout their lifetime (Wittman, 2017). If kids are skipping lunch, then they will be hungrier after school and they would be eating twice the amount of food the next time they eat. Skipping lunch can increase a kid’s appetite later, causing them to overeat or select foods that have very poor nutritional values. Kids skipping school lunches would also be an unhealthy eating habit (Schuna, 2015b). Healthy school lunches will provide kids with one-third of their daily calories from protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, which are critical nutrients often missing from a child’s diet. Receiving these nutrients from healthy school lunches are important for kids because then they will get the calories they need and it will give them energy throughout the day as well (Fisk, 2015). Fruits supply vitamins and minerals, most especially vitamin C and potassium. “Vitamin C is a substance necessary for healthy bones, teeth and blood vessels. All vegetables supply vitamin A and folate, which is crucial for the health of your eyes, but it also encourages your body to produce healthy white blood cells” (“A List of the

Students have become more restricted than ever when it comes to picking the food they want to eat in the cafeteria, most of the food is healthy and has the essential vitamins and calories a student would need. The healthy hunger free kids act was implemented in 2012 and took away the use of grease, high sodium products and more. This aimed to yes take away all the tastier foods but also to try to opt for a more balanced and healthy lunch. When a student purchases a lunch, they are encouraged to take at least one fruit or vegetable and a low-fat milk. However, most of these “required foods” end up in the trash. Most of the time it’s a hit or miss with school lunches because not all school operate the same.

The food they eat at lunch gives them the energy they need to play and helps them focus on the game itself and not on their tummies. But sadly, a handful of them are unlucky enough to get their tray last. If they tried to eat it all in the limited time frame they have, often they would get sick, and be unable to participate in their athletics. If they chose the other option to go slow and eat little or none of it, they wouldn’t be able to perform as well as the other students. The surely might affect everything when it comes to game time.

There are many possible solutions to getting better cafeteria food. Since the school wants to make the food healthier we might be able to make healthy, better tasting food. We also could take a vote on what the kids

Finally, many school lunches offer a little amount a variety of foods to choose from. If you are like me and are a picky eater then you don’t like most of the foods, they provide you. For example, I dislike various foods like macaroni and cheese, fish sticks, and corn dogs. When I would usually get those foods in school I would give it away to one of my friends or just not get lunch at all. Not all schools have vending machines so not everyone has the option to at least get a snack. Schools usually just make one food and prepare thousands of that one food. By lunch time they don’t have the time to make different varieties. If you don’t like it, you don’t eat until you get home. Although, if you pack your food at home, you decide what goes into

“Some schools are thinking of banning snacks from lunch” I hope that my school doesn't ban snacks for these reasons. Some reasons are that kids don't want to have a boring lunch and also its the kids choice to pick the healthier choice. One reason someone might disagree with me would be depending on what their main meal it they may not balance out with what they are eating.

We need stuff to snack on throughout the day because people have less energy when they are hungry just think, before lunch you hardly ever see people jumping around and being happy, but after lunch everybody is happy and jumping around. I

Serving lunches that does not contain the nutrients our body needs to stay healthy, may cause students to feel chronically fatigued, and lacking the energy needed to carry out school activities. The large amounts of sugar in junk food puts your metabolism under stress. When you eat sugar your pancreas discharges high measures of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels(). Foods low in Nutrients doesn’t contain enough measures of protein and great starches, so your glucose levels will drop all of suddenly after eating, leaving you to feel grumpy, fatigued and wanting more sugar. This may lead a student of fall asleep during class and miss important information. It can even be worse if that student is an

As we all know, everyone wants longer lunch periods because it is a time where they can socialize and don’t have to learn, but there is also another advantage to having longer lunch periods. Most people don’t know this, but having a longer lunch period allows you to receive more of the nutrients your body needs to function properly and to its’ full potential. In a report in 2014 by the School Nutrition Association, they reviewed 1001 students and found stunning information that showed,”... students with less than 20 minutes… 13 percent less of their entrees… 12 percent less of their vegetables… 10 percent less of their milk compared... 25 mins.” (Paragraph 5, Source 3) This proves that when students have a shorter time to eat, they will not receive all of the nutrients they need and therefore will be hungry. They will then try to stop that hunger by eating a bunch of junk food since it has a lot of calories, but not all the nutrients. As we continue, there are always those kids at school that are not as fortunate as others and rely on what their school provides for them so they can get through the day without a starving stomach. An adjunct assistant professor at