Why Students Should Have Longer School Lunches Essay

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Why Students Should have a Longer Lunch Did you know that kids in France have a two hour lunch break? In Germany they also have a two hour lunch where kids go home to eat hot lunches with their families.They get a break, exercise, and a home cooked meal. Germany is ranked 1st and France is ranked 8th in the world for education by U.S. News. American school systems limit lunchtime to an extent that kids have to scarf down their food which is very unhealthy. They eat boxed lunches largely made up of packaged foods. They also don’t have enough time for a good break or exercise. So it would be good to have a longer lunch period for students. Longer breaks during lunchtime have been proven to help kids concentrate and study more. During lunch breaks …show more content…

It helps because we can get fresh air, run, and get our blood flowing. It also wakes us up and keeps us alert. When I am in the classroom for too long, I can get tired or anxious to go outside. Researchers from the medical college of Georgia did a 15 week study where they saw significant improvement in test scores with regular exercise (Livestrong.com). Healthy foods have become a rarity in today’s lunches. Box lunches are generally full of packaged junk food and school lunches are questionable. When are fish sticks considered healthy, and that is on almost every school menu. Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables give the nutrition that kids need to stay focused in class. Short lunch breaks also encourage kids to eat quickly. Eating quickly is unhealthy. Kids feel rushed and either eat more than they should or don’t eat enough. It seems that the lunch break in today’s American school system fails to support a proper balance. The focus is on maximum class time not maximum quality of the time in class. Usually when schools want to maximize class time, time from lunch is the first to go. It seems Germany and France are good examples of how education can be excellent with a longer lunch break. I know I would benefit from a longer lunch break. If I don’t eat properly I get tired. I also get restless if I don’t get enough