School Lunches In America

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Over the years the school lunches in america has changed drastically.15 to 20 percent of the products in the program are purchased by the USDA.The school lunch system in America has changed over the years in many ways. The school lunch program started when Harry S. Truman in 1946 was president as a way to help every child have a very nutritious lunch while in school. Studies showed that people believe that if they had the energy they needed to get them through the day it most likely would have came from a nutritional lunch. Over the years people were concerned about the amount of fat the school lunches and breakfasts were providing for the children. Many children have unhealthy eating habits through the high fat pizzas, burgers, and French …show more content…

Schools lean on high energy, low nutrient value foods to fill up the students. Although the school lunches are very tasty to students there not the most healthiest choices. States across the united states can set their own standards and regulations for school lunches .According to a 2013 study published in "JAMA Pediatrics," the states with tougher regulations ,meaning the schools exceeded the minimum USDA standards for nutrition , had a lower prevalence of childhood obesity. In states that exceeded USDA standards, 21 percent of children were found to be obese, while states that met those standards had a 26 percent obesity rate in children eating school lunches. A recent study found that children who regularly ate school lunches were 29 percent more likely to be obese than their peers who brought lunch from home. Researchers have found another cause for childhood obesity, the school lunch. In fact, school lunches have gotten so bad that they’re impacting today’s obesity rates. A survey taken from 1973 to 1974 compared to a survey taken in 2003 to 2004 showed that school-aged children jumped from 4% to a disturbing 18.8%, that's a 14.8% jump from over the years. Let's move is a program launched by the First Lady of the united states dedicated to solving …show more content…

Eating a healthy school lunch is part of the National School Lunch Program. It increases a child's consumption of six vitamins and minerals. According to a study published in 2003 in the “American Journal of Agricultural Economics.” Researchers found that eating school lunches helped a student’s intake of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B12 and riboflavin, as well as dietary fiber. These students also had a lower intake of added sugars. Additionally a 2013 study showed in "Applied Economics Perspectives and Policy" found that on an average school day, students who ate school lunch that had more fruits and vegetables than those who did not. School lunches are not nutritious. Recent data shows that while an estimated 30.6 million US students eat school lunches, only 6% of school lunch programs meet the nutritional requirements established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Although many school across the country are improving what they serve, most are still loaded with fried foods, soda pop and foods that are high in fats and sugars. Department of agriculture works with US government that administers federal programs related to food production and rural life. Students who ate school lunches were less likely to participate in sports