When I was a little kid, my favorite part of the school day was always recess. After that, my  favorite part was lunch. Looking back, I realize how important it was for me to eat at school and fill as much of my daily nutrition requirements as I could. Of course back then all I cared about was the occasional cookies my teacher would hand out to the class if we were well behaved. After stumbling upon this article on the internet, I couldn’t help but think how beneficial it would be if the United States were to invest heavily in school lunches, especially in low income areas where kids depend on this school lunch for their main meal of the day.

There are an abundance of studies showing how important good nutrition is for the development of kids. It can promote both improved learning and physical growth. Acquiring important micronutrients can both help in the short term and long term for adolescents. For how well it’s known that kids rely on diet to grow and develop properly, the article by the Library of Alexandria came as a large shock to me. The article mentions some schools having as little as 20 minutes for kids to eat lunch, and when you factor in a kid might be late, or the lines might be long, kids can sometimes get left with as little as 10 minutes to eat their meal. The results of the study (which can be found here) are what you would expect. Children who had 20 minutes or less consumed 13% less of their entrée and were also less likely to select a fruit with their meal.

(image via now.tufts.edu)

Education is a highly debated topic in the United States. Should we increase spending? Should we cut spending? Where would that money come from? With all these questions being asked so frequently, it amazes me that there could be flaws in the system so basic as school lunch. Without proper nutrition, it does not matter how good the teachers are, how advanced the technology is, or even how nice the facilities are. Kids who don’t receive proper nutrition will not learn or develop as well, meaning improvement to the school lunch system should be a top priority. Whether we have the resources available to achieve this, is an entirely different question that remains to be seen.

Based off the studies and articles provided in this post it is clear that the lunch system is flawed by not giving children necessary time to eat. Not all schools will be able to extend their lunch period, but there would certainly be ways to improve the speed at which kids move through lunch lines, which would ultimately leave them with more time to eat. We know based off the scientific community that kids who eat better, will learn better, and now that we know a fair amount of kids aren’t getting the proper nutrition, fixing that should be a huge concern.