Healthy Lunches In Public Schools

In the United States of America, millions of students in public schools throughout the country walk through the cafeteria line during school days for their lunch. Students from a diversity of families, socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles - each one unique in their identity and experiences, yet, they all have one major connection that they share with every other living and breathing being in the world: they have to eat. Many children bring their meals to school with them, and many purchase lunch from the food service programs offered in school cafeterias. Meeting the needs of students while in school is important to allow them to function well and learn; offering a substantial and nutritious meal at lunch is one way to meet

School lunches, before the reform, were considered to be unhealthy and contributing to obesity in children. Students were offered foods that were high in calories and low in whole grains, vitamins, and protein. In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama started her campaign “Let’s Move”. Part of her goal was to offer alternatives to the foods that were traditionally served to students during school days, a goal that she has since achieved. Moreover, students are encouraged to join sports teams and do daily exercise in addition to making better nutritional choices in what they ate. Changing the options offered could result in lowering childhood obesity, making healthy foods available to students who might not have those options available to them at home, and teaching students to make better nutritional choices in what they choose to eat, as well as controlling portions and restricting calories. However, many argue that the students are not happy with the changes, will not become healthier based on one meal throughout their day, and could result in a major eating disorder like binge eating disorder