School Lunches

691 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on why breakfast is so important

The very first meal of the day is often referred to as the most important one. While this may hold true nutritionally, it is not ideal for social and emotional connections of the family. Multiple studies have been done to show the positive effects of breakfast consumption on young people, including one study in 2011 that specifically examined the effects on adolescents (Cooper). Cooper’s study took a sample of 60 children in 8th grade and 36 children in 10th grade from 5 different schools and randomly placed them into two different groups where one group was served breakfast at school and the other was not (2011, p.432). They were tested 15 minutes after eating breakfast on their mood and cognitive functions. The results showed that consuming breakfast led to the adolescents reporting higher energy, higher feelings of …show more content…

Thus on weekdays, kids and adolescents are in school and will eat lunch there. However, schools are trying to mimic the nutritional advantages that dinner has by providing multiple food groups to the kids. School lunches even mimic the social benefits of dinner due to the environment of eating around all your friends. But it lacks the wisdom that parents have and can share with their children, and children don’t look up to their friends like they look up to their parents. It may even have adverse effects due to peer pressure to participate in negative or delinquent behavior.Parents are most likely at work, making it almost impossible for the family to be together to share this meal. Even on weekends, adolescents especially tend to sleep in or be out with friends during this time of day, depriving them of that family time. The timing of lunch and it’s surrounding circumstances prevents this mealtime to function properly through commensality, and therefore not producing similar benefits as commensality during dinner

Show More
Related

  • Government Run School Lunches Essay

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    We all remember that day when President Obama took office, and our school lunches changed forever. First Lady Michelle Obama, felt that too many American kids are overweight, so she thought she needed to make our school lunches healthier, with more fruits and vegetables. One of the major changes she made was how many calories the school cooks were able to give the kids. The new requirements are as follows: up to 650 for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, 700 for sixth through eighth graders and 850 for high scholars. These numbers are consistent with the Mayo Clinic’s recommendations ( Kuczynski-Brown). The main goal of cutting calories and taking away junk food, was to insure that kids are getting served a healthy lunch. At each lunch, schools must still provide a cup of fruit, a cup of vegetables, two servings of grains, two ounces of dairy, and a cup of fluid milk, so that students can get their needed vitamins and nutrients (Anonymous) . They are also wanting more local farmers to be involved, and give more of the food they grow to the school. At the high school I went to, we built a green house, and planted a garden to give us some local grown food. It was part of our Ag Science class. More and more schools are starting to do the same thing. The stats of overweight kids is really high. The guidelines are as follows:

    Read More

  • School Lunches

    2067 Words  | 5 Pages

    “More than a third of the county's children are overweight or obese.”(Gustin, 1). As shocking as this is, it's true. One of the big reasons that children and teens are overweight is because of the foods that they eat. They are fed these fattening and unhealthy foods by the school system. Their futures can be changed if we change our choices. Having more nutritious lunches can have a positive impact on the health of American teens.

    Read More

  • The School Lunch Program

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    President Harry Truman initiated The School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 1946, it was established under the National School Lunch Act. The program provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost lunches to more than 32 million boys and girls each school day.The NSLP ensures the nutrition,portion, and safety of our children food, over the years do to the rise of childhood obesity the The USDA School Lunch Program is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our youth. Many concerned citizens, such as Eric schlosser author of Fast Food Nation believes that the USDA is not providing our children with the right nourishment. Many parents are taking it into their own hand and creating and joining advocacy groups. It is crucial that our youth receive nutrient

    Read More

  • Eating Breakfast Persuasive Essay

    275 Words  | 1 Pages

    Eating a reasonable breakfast is good for your health. Many studies show this. “Individuals who consume breakfast also have total daily intakes lower in fat and higher in carbohydrates than those of breakfast-skippers.” (Nicklas, 2003). This quote supports the idea that eating breakfast is healthy for you by explaining how eating breakfast will help people to make better food choices throughout the day. If people eat breakfast, they will more than likely be healthier throughout the day. Another quote that supports this main idea is, “A new study shows teens who have breakfast are more likely to have overall better nutrition--a diet that includes at least two-thirds of the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of vitamins and minerals--than non-breakfasting

    Read More

  • Students Should Not Have Closed Campus Lunches

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lunch is one of the most important meals that nobody should skip. This meal re-energizes your body and fuels you up. Throughout the United States millions of students eat their lunch at school everyday. Besides eating , lunch serves as a break from the routine of attending classes for students. Modern schools have accepted the idea of an open campus lunch whereas some schools have not. Freedom and responsibility play a huge role in the lives of high school students. Concerning this subject , students should not have that privilege because it opens an area of danger such as car accidents, tardiness.

    Read More

  • Childhood Obesity in the United States

    2855 Words  | 6 Pages

    Williamson, D. A., Han, H., Johnson, W. D., Martin, C. K., & Newton, R. L. (2013). Modification of the school cafeteria environment can impact childhood nutrition. Results from the Wise Mind and LA Health studies. Appetite, 61, 77–84. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.002

    Read More

  • Children's Personal, Social and Emotional Development

    2056 Words  | 5 Pages

    Generally speaking, there are many factors that affect children’s behavior. One of the factors is health. Health is a general condition of a person’s mind and body that determines the quality of life, thus will affect a child’s behavior if not properly taken care of. One of the daily needs, food, can bring a negative impact from skipping meals especially breakfast which is essential to fuel the body to start the day. Often, there are reports from teacher where children who skipped breakfast are less attentive and having discipline problems in class (Warilla Women's Refuge, 2013). Studies had shown that children who have meals regularly on time can absorb information better than those who do not (Johns, 2009). Another cause that had long...

    Read More

  • Healthier School Lunches

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today, America is plagued by obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and many other health maladies linked to unhealthy food. Although it is important for American youths to eat healthy, nutritional diets, it is an absolutely bad idea to alter the school menu and cut out students' favorite foods in favor of a "healthier" menu. Schools should have a positive influence on their students' health choices, but they should not be forcing them to eat to their standards. A "healthier" lunch menu would result in negative consequences for both students and their schools. Cutting out unhealthier foods from the cafeteria would not effectively curb teenagers' penchant for unhealthy eating.

    Read More

  • School Lunches

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    I was not shocked at the results but after seeing the numbers I became aware of the issue at hand. Of the one hundred five responses 42.9% eat lunch at school everyday, while 17.1 % never eat school lunch, and the rest eat it four, three, or two times a week. The data suggest that most people rely on school lunches to fill them up. Some of the reasons that 17.1 % do not eat school lunch can be due to distaste of school lunch, or the less quantity. Of the 42.9% of people that get school lunch 34 said it tastes bad and 10 said it taste very bad.

    Read More

  • Three Day Observation Paper

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    On Thursday, April 26 I ate the food I had packed that morning instead of buying my regular bagel at Phoenix Grill. And on Saturday, April 28 I attempted to have breakfast by eating a muffin and milk. It was not much of a surprise that I did not eat breakfast during my three-day observation because I rarely ever eat breakfast. However, I did notice that one main reason why I skip breakfast is because I am usually in a rush to leave to school. I tend to wake up a few minutes later which, results in me having no time to

    Read More

  • School Lunches

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    If students had the choice between a healthy salad or some chips and a Dr. Pepper, which would they choose? Between junk food or a school lunch, most students will choose junk food every time. Yet many students do not get to make that choice because parents and the state government make the decision for them. Making healthy foods cost more than making the regular food which means that schools are losing money. Every young person should have their say in what they eat instead of having parents and the state government decide for them.

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Breakfast and Academic Performance

    2257 Words  | 5 Pages

    Breakfast has been considered as the important meal to begin the day. Majority of parents and educators preferred their child and students to take breakfast to enhance their academic’s performance. Breakfast can be defined as, first meal of the day, taken before or at the start of daily activities, usually not later than 10.00 a.m (Giovannini et. al. 2008). According to Robinson, (1968), Burton, (1976) Wells, (1981) “The concern is based on the common belief that mental and physical performance are below optimal by mid-morning if no breakfa...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay Breakfast

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    “One major physical benefit of breakfast that can help school performance is the increase in energy that comes from a morning dose of carbs and protein. Energy provided by breakfast carbs allows children to fully participate in physical activity at school, including physical education, or P.E. classes; recess; and extracurricular activities. Kids who eat breakfast are typically in better health overall as well. They are less prone to obesity and illness, leading to fewer sick days, which can cause kids to fall behind in schoolwork.”

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Eating Breakfast

    1502 Words  | 4 Pages

    Breakfast is one of the best ways to recharge your batteries. It is a perfect time to boost your energy. Studies also suggest that eating a healthy breakfast improves brain function particularly memory and recall. This is essential for soaking up new knowledge and applying it later for a big test. Research shows that eating a healthy breakfast improves one academically. Scientists believe it may be because breakfast supplies nutrients to the nervous system to rev up brain power. Breakfast skippers tend to weigh more than those who eat breakfast regularly. Also, those who eat a morning meal tend to make healthier food choices throughout the day, which can positively impact weight and long-term health. Encourage eating breakfast daily at home or school and make it easy and

    Read More

  • The Importance of Eating Breakfast

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the United States Census Bureau, there are approximately 250 million people in the United States. Having knowledge that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, 35-40 percent of Americans skip breakfast. Without breakfast, some people become less able to do physical work in the late morning hours and some students do not perform well in the classroom. When one skips breakfast, their body shuts down their metabolism in an attempt to preserve what it contains, which causes drowsiness. Since metabolism accounts for approximately 70 percent of the body’s energy expenditure, the consumption of a healthy first meal of the day is encouraged. There are many reasons why breakfast should be a part of people’s everyday diet, but some people just do not have time to eat breakfast.

    Read More

More about School Lunches

Open Document