School Lunch and the Nutrition of Students - Essay Example

School Lunch and the Nutrition A debate is growing in the American educational system this time round not on theeducational standards but how we are feeding our school children. Concern is growing around the nutritional value in the food our students are taking with consensus seemingly being that school lunch is not healthy. A study conducted in the year 2006 by the Health Policies and Programs Study for instance found that 11.7% of our elementary schools, 19% of middle schools and 23.5% of American high schools are giving students meals obtained from fast food restaurants (Wittman, 2015). This has the implication that American students are about being given healthy lunch and could not only affect their school performance but also growth and development. It should also be remembered that America faces a crisis around growth in lifestyle medical conditions such as obesity, heart problems and many others. In this paper I look at the state as is today and the importance of serving healthy lunch in our schools. Research has also found that there are no stark differences between the parked lunch and that served in school cafeterias. This is contrary to the long held perception that parked lunches are more are healthier. In fact packed lunch was found to be higher in calorie, fats and especially saturated ones. This means that only are the schools serving unhealthy food to learners but also parents are also not playing their role of teaching healthy eating habits to their students. This is even further compounded by the fact that almost 50% of school served lunch which is federally funded under the National School Lunch Program goes to wasted. This probably because most of the kid come with parked lunch and therefore dislike what is served by the schools or have just not been taught about the importance of healthy food from home. A major problem facing the National School Lunch Program in America stems from the funding aspect. Currently, the funding situation stands at %2.74 a meal for every child. President Barrack Obama’s administration has requested Congress for an additional ten billion dollars to further fund and improves the program nationally. If the proposal adopted and funds granted we are likely to see school districts receive 6 more cents for every child’s meal. Whereas the efforts of improving the program are welcome, there is need for the funding increment to be commensurate with the current economic situation. In order for schools to afford healthy meals for their students, they should be receiving at least 5 dollars towards every child’s lunch meal. 3 dollars cannot afford any healthy lunch for school children with the current prices and economic times in the United States. It is therefore imperative for the government to do more in terms funding if the National School Lunch Program has deliver healthy lunch for learners. According to one study which was published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association, a whopping 94% of meals served by schools for lunch did meet standards as set by the Agriculture Department. Most of the schools are serving chicken fingers and French fries as the most preferred meal. The rationale is that it is cheaper to server meals that are process as compared to freshly produced food. Based on the 2005 dietary guidelines, schools are not meeting the benchmark on sodium and just one in every five schools meets the standards when it comes to fats. It is for such reasons that research has found children participating in the National School Lunch Program have a higher risk of adding weight as compared to the other children. Since funds do not cover the whole bill for meals states and local school state districts are forced to fund the rest (Christensen, 2010). It is worth noting some states and school districts have done a lot with the little funding obtained from the program. Most public schools in San Francisco for instance eliminated junk and fast food to a significant extend. They are now having salads bars, fresh fruits and vegetables in their daily servings. White bread has been replaced by grain with whole grain bread while at the same time wheat pasta is on the menu as well as healthy snacks have been introduced. This is commendable effort as it has been realized even with huge financial underfunding from the federal government. Unfortunately, many of the schools do not have kitchens and as such are forced to purchase already produced food from elsewhere. They are not able to purchase organic products despite many farms being just nearby and as such they use mostly frozen vegetables. The low funding forces schools to make choices between meeting the academic needs of their kids and serving nutritional food. The six cents will definitely not alleviate this. The government of Obama has embarked on a number of initiatives aimed at improving school meals. The lady’s initiative dabbed “Chefs Move to Schools” is an example. It encourages chefs to adopt schools and collaborate with nutritionists as well as teachers so as to help educate children about healthy eating habits. Another initiative is the “Recipes for Healthy Kids” and is aimed at encouraging participants develop meals that are delicious, healthy and meet the nutritional standards. Winners will be hosted at the White House and prepare their meals together with other chefs after which their works will be published in the Recipes for Healthy Kids cookbook. Such incentives will encourage healthy habits not only among the students but also recipes will have to be prepared that can be adopted by schools countrywide. On the other hand “Healthier U.S School Challenge” recognizes schools for participation in the National School Lunch Program, creation of healthy school environment, promotion of good nutrition and physical activity (Amy, 2015). Such efforts are commendable but may not have impact if basic issues are not addressed. The lack of kitchens in schools and low funding for instance must be addressed. Chefs can adopt schools for instance can really help in transforming the nutrition situation in schools but not in schools without kitchens. Even the challenges for students to prepare recipes of delicious healthy meals can only be successful where kitchen facilities are present. It all goes back to the funding issue; without funds schools cannot construct kitchens, facilitate nutritional challenges and create healthy learning environments while at the same time meeting the academics needs of students. However, with the much San Francisco has done with the meager funds available it means everything is possible. Government can also do more in terms of funding the lunch programs if the members of Congress can provide more funds. Girls in high school are supposed to take in about 1800 calories every day as per the American Heart Association. Meals heavy on fats and calories are therefore not good. There are thus a lot of benefits in improving the nutritional value in the meals served as lunch in schools. Academic performance will be boosted with better nutrition. Classwork depletes the brain in terms of glucose supply. Taking healthy lunch therefore ensures the learners get the energy needed to focus, pay attention and learn more especially after lunch. It will also help prevent obesity rise in the United States and therefore improve health. Giving more calories to school children than is required can result weight gain and ultimately obesity. This could encourage health problems such as diabetes and heart issues later in life. Preaching good nutrition to schools will also increase the consumption of vital nutrients among the learners. Teenagers eating fast food definitely take in more fat & calories as compared to nutrients such as vitamins. Giving a lunch that is well balance will ensure children receive good nutrition that supports their development. In conclusion therefore nutrition is a very important not aspect of not only development but learning for students. Promotion of healthy eating in our schools will encourage students to take vital nutrients, exercise and reduce junk food intake. Benefits of this are many; they able to get necessary for their studies and more importantly reduce the risks of developing nutrition related health complications such as diabetes, obesity and heart problems. The situation in the United States’ schools is not encouraging at all and this calls for the federal government to do more in terms of funding. The proposed 6 cent increment may not have a significant impact as a good healthy lunch meal in the United States requires at least 5 dollars. Works Cited. 1. Buffenbarger, Amy. "Quality of School Lunches Questioned." Rss. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. http://www.nea.org/home/37485.htm 2. Christensen, Jen. CNN. Cable News Network, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/29/school.food.investigation/ 3. Doyle, Kathryn. "School Lunches May Be Better than Lunch Packed at Home." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/13/us-health-nutrition-school-lunch-idUSKCN0IX2C320141113 4. Wittman, Leigh. "Reason for Healthier School Lunches." Healthy Eating. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/reason-healthier-school-lunches-3687.html Read More