Let's Talk About School Lunch

Recently, I spent (almost) an entire school day at a local elementary school as part of a class requirement. Although I was technically there to observe language arts and reading instruction, I took note of a lot of other things as well. One subject thatI have developed an interest in is nutrition, specifically the nutrition of children in a society that is grow increasingly less healthy by the day. So, in an effort to get a better perspective on the types of foods that many children eat on a daily basis, I decided to buy my lunch at school, rather than pack it as I normally would.

Prior to my observation day, I took a quick peek at the school lunch menu provided on Chesterfield County Public Schools' website. I noticed a few things right off the bat:

• There are 3 entrees offered every day. Two out of the three of them are ALWAYS something I would consider to be "fast food" - i.e. chicken filet (fried), hot dog, cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, steak nuggets (?!), etc.




• The third entree is always a salad, but sometimes still involves some sort of "fried" component (chicken poppers)




• The side options seemed pretty decent - always a fresh veggie and fruit option.

When it came time for lunch, all of the kids were excited - most had packed their lunch, which I was happy to see, since I knew that would give them more time to actually eat since they wouldn't have to wait in line. It also made me laugh that the kids who were buying lunch were ECSTATIC that I would be going through the lunch line with them. It was pizza-dipper day (cheesy breadsticks with marinara), and they informed me that those were a favorite. The other entree choice was chicken filet - some sort of salad was also availalbe, but the students told me that only teachers got salads.

The side options available when I entered the line were not what were indicated on the menu - green beans and corn on the cob. Although I had high hopes that some students would get the green beans, mostly so that they wouldn't be eating solely carvs, not a single child asked for the green beans. Most of their lunches consisted of: pizza dippers (carb), corn (carb), and fruit juice or a fruit cup (which, if it contains any added sugar, is also carb-heavy). Carbs, carbs and more carbs. No one got fresh fruit (except for me), and when I bit into my pear I could see why - it was hard as a rock.

There is one main thing that concerns me about all the carbs - energy level for the rest of the day. They had PLENTY of energy for their post-lunch recess time, and still seemed to have significant energy for their resource period (gym), but I have to wonder if there wasn't an energy crash near the end of the day. I only wish I had been there to find out. In light of my lunchroom observations, I have a few comments and questions:

• What can we do as future/current educators to improve the quality of food that children are eating on a daily basis? It seems ludacris to think that foods like cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets are good foods for kids to have on a daily basis.


• How can school systems make the fruits and veggies that they do offer more appealing to students? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure bland veggies and rock-hard fruit isn't the best way to go about getting children to expand their diet.


• How can nutrition and food education be made a more integral part of the classroom experience for students? There is no question that students today are in need of direct education in basic nutrition and what food can and should do for the body, but how can it be integrated into the basic curriculum?


• What's with all the carbs? Chicken filet (breading = carb), nuggets (breading), breadsticks (as an ENTEE for crying out loud!), items on a bun, corn, fries, etc. Even though I don't necessarily agree with a recent effort by some lawmakers to outright outlaw potatoes from school lunches (which was defeated in the Senate), it does bring to mind just how much of school lunches consist of carb-filled foods.

I'm SURE I'll post more about school food and all the issues that come with it - this post doesn't even touch on school breakfast or snacks. Those topics deserve posts to themselves. I hope I'm not the only one who sees school food as a major issue today - what students put into their bodies and how it impacts their time in the classroom is important to me.