SchoolLunch

Hanica Tijidor
Period 4
February 18, 2013
World Literature
School Lunch

We, the students, line up five days a week to see the never changing and unhealthy menu at the school cafeteria. The lunch ladies give us a choice of Teriyaki Beef or Mandarin Chicken, however, both of them contain the same precooked “meat” which is tasteless, plastic-like and oily. Lunch is an important meal of the day and it is eaten at school. It boosts our metabolism and gives us energy for the rest of the day. But it is probably one of the biggest problems at our school. As stated by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the Healthy School Lunch Campaign "school foods are too rich in saturated fat and cholesterol" (pcrm.org) which are huge factors of causing obesity and diabetes for kids and teenagers. We are advised to eat healthy to prevent these problems but we cannot always do that with the selection that is provided at Lincoln High School. “94% of students prefers to eat healthy food” (class survey).
One of the things the school can change is to add more fruits and vegetables to the menu. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, “fruits and green leafy vegetables are full of nutrients like vitamin A, C, K, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and fiber” (10 Super Foods). At the moment, there is only two options for fruit, a beaten up apple or an over ripe pear, both are just a big NO. As for the vegetables, Lincoln has a salad bar, but, there are more or less “1,400 students in the campus” (Omogbehin). I cannot imagine all of us in that undersized foyer of the school gym. Obviously, it is necessary for the school to have a salad bar in every center.
Another solution is to take off all the tasteless, rubbery and cholesterol meat products that are being served in the cafeteria. And replace the school food with real meat that actually contains nutrients like protein, vitamin B12 and fats that is good for growing kids (heartfoundation.org). If the schools keep on feeding us with fake foods without any nutritional value and full of unhealthy and unnecessary fats, sugars and sodium, it will leave a huge effect on kids’ healthy eating habits and may cause obesity, diabetes and other health hazards in the long run.
According to the Journal of American Dietetic Association, “94% of school lunches failed to meet the U.S. Agriculture Department’s regulatory standards.” (CNN.com) This says a lot about how the National School Lunch Program is doing a very awful job nourishing the students. We need to change how our generation’s eating habits before it's too late! Without change, Americans will continue to become ever more obese, which makes them prone to many other health hazards. By creating healthy practices now starting in school lunches, we can prevent the probable destiny of future Americans.