A Call for Healthier School Lunches - 1768 Words

The National School Lunch Act is a fairly recent addition to American society. For, as the world waged war a second time, the United States began to worry about the strength and health of the country’s soldiers. However, in the beginning, selling excess agricultural goods was more important than building a healthy, well-balanced meal for students. Unfortunately, many children coming from poorer families could not afford well-balanced school lunches, so in order to compensate, the School Lunch Program changed its focus to help these students. This program, however, decreased schools’ lunch budgets, and schools had a hard time keeping up with the amount of free meals they had to provide, so they came up with some extra ways to increase†¦show more content†¦Even though schools did not have as much money for lunches, they were still required to provide every student with school lunch, including those who could not afford to buy it. Therefore, schools began serving poor quality lunches because they had to start buying cheaper food in order to keep providing food for everyone (Levine 151). Schools had a hard time keeping up with the amount of free meals they had to provide, so they came up with some extra ways to increase revenue. Schools began to overlook nutrition, health, and education in favor of money (152). Schools contracted with private fast food chains in order to increase revenue, causing many students to eat unhealthy lunches at school (Christie 341-42). However, schools still did not have enough money to provide lunch. Therefore, in order to bring in extra income, schools contracted with soda companies as well (341). Case Study In a small town in Massachusetts, one chef makes a difference in the health of the school lunch students eat each day. Chef Paul is the head of her schools lunch program. She makes healthy, fresh food every day and the students absolutely love it. By offering the students healthy lunch choices, they are indirectly teaching them about food and healthy lifestyles. Not only does Chef Paul serve healthy main courses, but also she provides soup and all of the vegetable and fruit sides that the students can eat with each meal. Chef Paul alsoShow MoreRelatedObesity in Texas Children Essay1134 Words   |  5 Pages since children are not aware of the serious consequences of being obese. Therefore, Texas should find ways to prevent obesity by authorizing healthier school lunches and allowing a school program to help obese children lose weight. Also, television advertisements are influencing obese children to make unhealthy choices. Allowing healthier school lunches will decrease obesity in children because it will give them the proper nutrition to reduce the risk of health issues. Since obesity causes manyRead MoreThe Repulsive Truth Behind School Lunches Essay1514 Words   |  7 PagesThe Repulsive Truth Behind School Lunches Thirty one million kids nationwide eat school sponsored meals twice a day for a hundred eighty days and on average for twelve years. In this sense school lunches are an important and critical component of childhood nutrition and development. Yet these meals are highly processed and filled with chemicals and preservatives. School lunch rooms are essentially fast food restaurants; they unload shipments of frozen food then heat it up in glorified microwavesRead MoreThe Taste Test – Pass Or Fail?. Introduction. It Is Amazing1636 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Trump administration. One specific legislation that is in danger is the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA). Under the Trump administration, the lobbying group, School Nutrition Association, had announced recommendations in early March to reduce federal nutrition standards for which Michelle Obama campaigned (CNN, 2017). The School Nutrition Association suggested that the meals prepared should be healthy, appealing meals and sp ecifically recommended that the USDA allow saltier meals and the cuttingRead MorePreventing Obesity among School Children through Healthier School Meals1323 Words   |  5 PagesPreventing Obesity Among School Children through Healthier School Meals Obesity and overweight are among the pressing health problems among children and adolescents in the developed world. Obesity refers to an excess amount of body fat whereas overweight can be measured by the BMI index or height-weight ratio. According to the WHO (2012), obesity and overweight are the fifth largest risk for global deaths. Introduction Obesity and overweight among children and adolescents has increasedRead MoreSchool Lunch: Why Change Needs to Happen Essay2518 Words   |  11 PagesImagine going back to childhood and sitting in a school cafeteria during lunchtime. The room is filled with a thunderous roar as all the children laugh and discuss the plans of attack for the impending recess. Fluorescent lights cast a pale greenish glow amongst the young faces as they walk about the aisles looking for the perfect seat, while rows of tables are occupied with the eager students waiting to devour the food in front of them. Aromas of all the food waft through the air, invoking theRead MoreObesity : Causes, Symptoms, Prevention And Treatment1276 Words   |  6 Pageschance to combat obesity before it has even been introduced. Therefore, childhood obesity can be lowered in the United States if the school began employing nutritionists, implementing mandatory nutritional classes, and providing healthy food options starting a s early as elementary school. The American education system is very flawed, leaving no room for nutrition. The school hardly focuses on the youth’s state of health because the government demands for the institute to focus strictly on a tough curriculumRead MoreChildhood Obesity : A Growing Problem922 Words   |  4 Pageschild obesity problem: offering healthier foods in schools, controlling unhealthy food advertisements targeting teens, and promoting exercise. First, schools should offer healthier food choices; in fact, it is actually a law now: â€Å"In July 2010 the Education and the Workforce Committee of the US House of Representatives passed the Improving Nutrition for America s Children Act. The bill is aimed chiefly at improving school breakfast and lunch programs. It calls for schools to revise menus based on updatedRead MoreArgumentative Research Paper For School Nutrition And Education1794 Words   |  8 PagesArgumentative Research Paper for School Nutrition and Education Programs Do you let your children eat school lunches? Your answer may depend on your income level, time in the morning for lunch preparation, or your concern for your child’s health. Schools should continue in improving the nutrition of school lunches; however, physical education should also be mandatory from Kindergarten until senior year. Recommended levels of physical activity counts as increasing heart rate to breathe hard for someRead MoreWho s Serving Lunch? Essay1580 Words   |  7 Pagesmatter of public school lunches; while some argue that federal control would be better for students nationwide, others claim that the states know their own people and they should be allowed to make the best decisions. In many areas of the country, the only meal that some students will get in a day is the meal provided to them at their public school. The people of the White House noticed this and particularly realized that since some children were only being nourished at school, the food needed toRead MoreEssay on Implementing Healthy School Lunches2620 Words   |  11 Pages 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