School Lunches Research Paper

Across the nation, millions of students line up in their school’s cafeteria for lunch. These students are trying to refuel their minds and bodies so they can continue to learn and perform for the remainder of the day. However, students are not getting the nutrients they need when they eat school lunch. School lunch does not meet the needs of students in terms of academic and athletic performance because of poor national nutrition standards, and the quality and quantity of food. The School Nutrition Association claims “school-prepared meals provide about one-third of the necessary daily nutrition requirements for students” (“School). This nutrition requirement is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. However, research has shown that students in adolescence

These non-organic foods come packed with preservatives, pesticides, and other harmful substances to children. Researchers conducted a study that linked school lunches to performance in the classroom. Students’

Healthy brains are about 60 percent structural fat (not like the flabby fat found elsewhere in the body). As the brain grows, it selects building blocks from among the fatty acids available in what the child eats. The most prevalent structural fat in the brain is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), one of the omega 3 fatty acids … A large number of studies have suggested that low DHA levels are associated with problems with intelligence, vision, and behavior. (Greene)

If the brain does not receive the proper nutrients, this will stunt the growth and development and lower performance can be

School lunches are to provide nourishment for students so they can excel in the classroom and on the field, not leave them broken down and tired for the rest of the day. Poor nutrition standards allow for school lunches to offer the minimum requirement to students. The quality of food is diminished with pesticides and other harmful chemicals, which also does not provide enough nutrients for students’ brains and bodies to grow and mature at a healthy rate, and finally the amount of food given to students is not adequate for every student, because every person is different, the amount of food given to each student should be different as well. Once these things are addressed, school lunch can change for the better and provide the nutrition needed for every student to achieve greatness and someday be a future leader of