School Lunches

Will a healthy breakfast or a healthy lunch provide any benefit to our children? This a question many have asked and some have even doubted. What does breakfast really do, if the school provides my child with a sugar filled cereal rather than oatmeal and fruit will it really make a diffrence. Is lunch really that important to a child, pizza rather than a healthy meal, milk rather than a sugar filled soda? Should it really matter what type of food your child eats at school or whatever they eat is ok because they ate? There have been debates for years on this topic, from the cost to the health benefits a

healthy lunch can provide a child. One of the largest debates was the cost. In one case study in

one year the nation’s schools provided over 5 billion lunches with roughly 28 million lunches at

reduced or for free thus costing the government 8 million dollars. Most school across the U.S,

provide free or reduced lunch 49 percent of meals served, were free, 10 percent were reduced

price, and 41 percent were full price. However there are many programs in place to help offset

the price of providing a healthy meal to our children. The USDA provides two forms of federal

support to the NSLP an agricultural entitlement as well as cash subsidatorys. The USDA’s role in

the NSLP is to provide students with a healthy lunch while removing surplus and making sure

the farmer maintain a profit.

Many children arrive to school starving especially on Monday’s since sum have not

eaten anything over the weekend. What does this do their minds and body’s. Ten years ago we

could find vending machines filled with sugary unhealthy snacks. The schools provided

unhealthy lunches with provided really no nutritional content. The outcome students where on

sugar highs, the obesity rates went up greatly, as well as behavioral issues. Once schools became

mandated and followed what was set by the government changes started to occur. Many schools

started to see better grades, the children where more alert and aware. The obesity rates started to fall due to the removal of vending machines and high in sugar foods from the school menu. The

biggest thing the schools noticed was the behavior of the students changed. The schools where

having less behavioral problems then they were before. Students seemed more willing to learn

and attiudes started to change.

One in five families are not able to provide their children with enough food so the school

meals are sometimes all the children eat during the day. Children were not getting the vitiams

They needed, many falling below standards set by doctors. Children were below weight due to

not eating at home then coming to school and getting an unbalanced meal. The health concerns

were overwhelming. Just think if you only ate once a day, sometimes only five days a week you

would be starving as many of our children are doing. Once schools started providing healthy

meals, things started to change. Children were becoming healthier, their focus increased and

behavioral patterns changed. Doctor’s where seeing less patients with malnutrition and more

children at the standards they should be. The children are now getting two healthy meals a day,

which provide them the vitiams and minerals they need to grow and thrive. There are some

school systems to have put in place weekend meals for the children as well. They try to provide

the children meals during the weekend so they stay healthy and are not starving.

School lunches are not the answer to everything, but they are providing are children with the nutrients they need to stay healthy. This is a step in the correct direction. The schools are

working with the government as well as the community to provide the children two healthy

meals a day, the have seen a great response to this. The children seem to be happier and healthier

and more focused during the day. This is just one step to keeping our children healthy. The more

we as a group do for our children the more they will strive in the future. School lunches are just a

stepping stone to help provide the children with a great nutritional future.