COMMENTARY-School Lunch

When you think about school lunch, at this point in our nation's history. Many don't think that school lunch is balanced nor is it nutritious. I beg to differ, having experience in the foodservice industry that caters to the appetites of children in our schools. We the school system, try to definitely focus on the healthy, yet appetizing for our children. Different things have been introduced such as "Healthy Vending". This was made to hold the healthy choices and components to healthy snacking during the day. Opposed to the regular snack machines that hold salt oily potato chips and sugar bogged sodas.

Many things have been changed in the preparation and ordering of the food that has come into the kitchens of our nations schools. Pizzas are now being made with whole wheat flour, vegetarians options are being offered such as, turkey burgers, veggie sticks, veggie chili and etc. These choices are being accepted and liked by many children. Now what the school lunch can not fight, is the unhealthy lunches that are being brought in by students or their parents. In one school day; there are probably around 6-7 parents, who stop at fast food chains and drop it off to their children for lunch. Yet they are in the number of parents that complain the school doesn't offer a healthy choice during the day.

Everyone should make a conscious effort to help the school, school board, parents, and students to eat healthier. The responsibility doesn't just stand with the school. It is an effort for all who are involved.

School Lunch: THINK DEEPER

Let's take a trip down memory lane...Do you remember your school lunch and what you used to eat. I do. In elementary and middle school I ate lunch that was prepared, because I saw nothing wrong with the food that was being served to me. The innocence of a child is great. My first year and a half in high school, I went to a private school. So the lunch was just like home cooking. It was good and everyone ate lunch. Then I transferred to public school and the doubting of what was being served quickly took over. Not because it wasn't food, however it was because my friends opinions mattered to me. Who remembers: Chick filet, Hamburgers, Fries, and Pizza being their daily meal at lunch. I do! In high school I only ate french fries, other wise I was calling out for lunch to be delivered in. None of which was balanced or healthy, but that didn't matter to me at all.

Eating at School
Building a Furture Through Child Nutrition

During you time at school, you were able to get your food, sit down and eat it with no worriers of the time it would take for you to complete your lunch period with a full lunch. In schools this day and age, there are so many students; Your child may come home "starving." You ask your child(ren) why are they hungry, you inquire about lunch time and what they are doing during this time. You are shocked to find out that, the time allotted to them, may not be as accurate as the school may think so.

The National FoodService Management Institute The university of Mississippi was established in 1989. They did a study on Eating at school. The time, duration of service, eating, and socializing that you don't have any clue about, because you are not there with your child. Most children would be able to do anything. Service times in school can directly impact the time your child gets through the lunch line, and how much time it leaves them to socialize. In studying the high, middle, and elementary schools in WA, TX, UT, and NY; Variables such as the number of students released, time of choices to be placed by student, times and dates of lunch.

Below the chats will show in minutes how much lunch time has been crazier and crazier. The graphs show the minutes in color coordination, that some eat and some don't eat.

(http://www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org/resources/eating_at_school.pdf)

Having 2.5 minutes to 8.1 minutes for service time, You can imagine this is cut away from the rest of the lunch schedule. During the time at the table, students take to catch up with each other, eat(not digest) food. The its time for them to get up and start moving to their next class. In speaking with Alexis Hitchman,
What do you do most at lunch time?
most of my lunch period is in the lunch line, I spend maybe about 10 minutes at the table and most of that is spent talking  and socializing with other classmates. Now you have the answer to why your child comes home hungry.