Healthier School Lunches

Healthier school lunches Tired, crabby, or unfocused in class? It could be the food you are eating. The lack of healthy school lunch selections has recently become a problem in almost every elementary, middle and high school across the nation. There are many good reasons to remove junk food from school lunch menus, and creating a healthier student body is number one. Junk foods should be taken out of school lunch menus because they affect your body and mind in negative ways. Junk food is a major cause of childhood obesity. Writer Bob notes that today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963 (Bob, 1). The bad food offered in public schools contributes to this unacceptable problem. A single 12-ounce can of soda has as much as 13 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Many of these sodas are available to kids in school at low prices as well as many other completely unhealthy foods like chips and cookies Due to the lack of fresh and flavorful food, many students will choose to buy the cheap junk food offered instead. If we could stock vending machines and cafeterias with healthier foods, it would definitely make a dent in the childhood obesity rate. Another reason cafeterias should start serving healthier food is that junk food does not give kids the energy needed to stay focused in school or the power to participate in sports. “The cafeteria must offer produce, dairy, protein and grain, but three groups constitute a full meal, so many students leave behind the fruits and vegetables” (Martinez, 1). Lunch is right in the middle of the day, if you eat fatty or sugary foods, it could cause you to get tired and not pay attention in your afternoon classes. In addition, junk food caps your energy, which affects your physical activity. You cannot perform your best if you don’t have any energy. Children should be eating more healthy, natural foods. Many people may argue that banning junk