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Obesity among schoolchildren
Childhood obesity and its effects
Obesity among schoolchildren
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Why is it important?
The importance of this topic is that the school lunch program is needing to change for the fact that kids aren't eating lunch because it doesn't appeal to the taste buds of children and they would rather bring there own food instead of paying for school lunch which is a main source of many for the school. The average school lunch cost $2.70 and that is for 1main dish 1 fruit or vegetable 1 grain and 1 dairy which usually with the proportions does not fill up a student.
Background-
The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost or free lunches to
Schools are spending too much money with this program that could be spent on other benefits for schools. Rather than using the money to get students new technology or property it 's wasted on a lunch program that students do not enjoy nor want to purchase. In the Article, “School Lunch Food is Not Fresh, Students Say” Journalist Audrey Levine interviews high school students about they feel about their school lunches. “It’s way too expensive now, but I’m still buying,” said senior Stephanie Huang. “And I don’t think more people are bringing lunch because
The Indiana School Breakfast and Lunch Program is a program open to those children who live in a low income household. “National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a Federal entitlement program open to public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. Lunch is available to all children at participating schools, and the meals must meet specific nutritional requirements to receive Federal funds (Indiana Department of Education, 2013). This Program is open to those who reside in Indiana and who are a parent or guardian of a child who in school, and does not continue beyond high school. This program has requirements that deal with the level of household income. The household income requirements deal with the household income before taxes have been taken out. If there is a household of one person, they cannot make more than $21,257; a person in a two person household cannot make more than $28,694. This scale continues all the way to that a household of eight cannot make more than $73,316 (Indiana Department of Education, 2013).
I don't think our school lunch is healthy because it has fat and too much sodium. Although it is good it is fattening it is the reason for much of the obesity in the U.S. Many kids have no other option to eat the unhealthy school lunches or they will be hungry.
Gunderson, Gordon W. "National School Lunch Program (NSLP)." Food and Nutrition Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
National School Lunch Program (NSLP). (n.d.). Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program
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:
“Our Schools need to start teaching kids how to be healthy.”- Unknown. School lunches have created a chronic problem in a school setting, and since it hasn't been fixed, 6-11 year olds have had a 17% increased chance of becoming obese (Centers for Disease control and Prevention). Most school districts don't even bother changing the food restrictions just so they can please their students. Unhealthy school lunches are a huge problem among children in the United States, it can cause obesity, stress, and many other problems.
“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.
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
Lunch is one of the most important meals of the day and is consumed mostly in school cafeterias for children and adolescence. Wholesome lunches are vital in maintaining a healthy metabolism and give children energy for the rest of the school day. Children are advised to eat healthily but do not always do so because the choices of tastier, fatty foods offered in school cafeterias. The National School Lunch Program, NSLP, which is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools set nutritious guidelines for lunches served in school cafeterias (USDA). However, school campuses still offer foods high in fat as well as selling candy, chips, and soda in their vending machines, as well as their school shops. In order
"National School Lunch Act." Poverty and the Government in America: A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 21 January 2014.
The School Lunch Program was first initiated under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act passed in 1935. The law outlined which programs would receive donations of surplus USDA foods, which include but is not limited to: schools, non-profit summer camps, and needy families. It was not until after World War II that the National School Lunch Program was fully developed under the National School Lunch Act of 1946. Signed into power by President Truman, the act provided federal cash support for the nation’s school lunches, as during WWII, the USDA was only able to ship a limited amount of food to schools due to food shortages and transportation issues.
served at schools (Ralston, k.r (2008) the national lunch program). The main issue is if
There has been a greater focus on the nutritional of school lunches. Michelle Obama has joined the battle of obesity war in America by implementing stronger standards in school lunches. In 2010 the first lady introduced the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. The purpose of this act is for schools to serve more nutritional lunches and snacks to students. When school districts opt to participate in the National School Lunch Program by agreeing to supply children with healthier meals and snacks. They also receive incentives from the federal government School districts are not required to participate in the program. Each district choose whether or not they wish to enroll or not. If they do agree to participate and do not see it to be beneficial they are allowed to opt out of the program. “Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act." Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.”
With the implementation of the “Healthy Kids Hunger-Free Act” schools are not serving as many lunches and participation is decreasing. According to the Government Accountability Office (GOA), “Nationwide, student participation declined by 1.2 million students(or 3.7 percent) from school year 2010-2011 through school year 2012-2013, after having increased steadily for many years”(sec. 1). The school lunches became more distasteful and bland; the combinations of foods did not make sense, and the portion sizes decreased significantly. In order to support the cafeteria