Lunches served in American public schools have gained national attention for how nutrient deficient and flavorless they have become. The meals given out to students just aren’t up to standard for their health and well-being, so why are we still eating them?
It isn’t a surprise that many American lunch staples — like pizza, chicken nuggets, and burgers on buns made from refined carbohydrates — aren’t the healthiest selection. These foods contain so many processed chemicals that they can cause a handful of diseases like diabetes, clogged arteries, high blood pressure, and slower metabolism (“Public Views about Americans’ Eating Habits” 1).
Yet many schools, like Brentwood High School, serve foods like chicken sandwiches, taco meat, fish covered in bread crumbles with a choice of milk flavors of chocolate, strawberry and original 2%. (All containing sugars that increase glucose levels!)
America has an obesity epidemic and giving students foods filled with unnatural ingredients can lead to overeating and nutrient deficiency. As one article states, “Concerns about obesity, food allergies and other health effects of food are fueling a new level of scrutiny of chemicals and additives in foods and contribute to shifting notions about portion size, sugar and fat content” (Public views about Americans’ eating habits 1).
Scientists have studied the effects of school lunch on student performance. Mental and behavioral problems can be traced back to unhealthy nutrition and poor eating habits. It revealed that fifth graders who consume fast food scored worse on standardized literary assessments and the ability to learn at a pace necessary for school success (”Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: The Impact of School Lunch on Student Performance” 1).
The issue of highly processed, nutrient deficient lunch meals isn’t due to a lack of funding. Ironically, America has one of the biggest budgets for school lunches at $28.7 billion dollars (“What Impact Does an Unhealthy School Lunch Have on Your Child?” 2).
Recently the U.S. Federal Government has approved the snack brand “Lunchables” as a nutritious enough lunch to be served at schools across America, which will be given for free by school districts as part of the National School Lunch Program during the 2023-24 school year. Looking at a “Ham and American Cracker Stacker Lunchables,” the calorie intake is low at just 340 calories, but it also has 700mg of sodium, and 13g of added sugar. The carbohydrates total 39g.
Meanwhile, The American Heart Association recommends teens consume less than 25 grams, or 6 teaspoons, of added sugar per day. One lunchables contains more than half the added sugar that a teenager should consume in a day (and for younger children, the percentage is even higher).
Here on Long Island 20% of households are poor and live below the federal government poverty line (“Long Island Cost of Living Crisis: How We Got Here” 5). Families with financial difficulties have often lacked access to more nutrient-rich and non-processed foods. It has also made them more likely to be at risk for chronic health problems throughout their life, including diabetes, kidney stones, bone loss, cancer, and heart disease (“Why School Lunches Are So Bad in the U.S.” 4).
Providing students with proper, nutritious meals at school is a necessary first step in encouraging healthy eating habits and increasing student access to substantial and filling foods. The future of our society depends on how we choose to educate our students, and that includes how we feed them.
