Essay On School Lunches

School lunch time lengths from elementary school, middle school, and even high school are on average, about 30 minutes or less. The amount of time given for lunch includes the students leaving the classroom, standing in the lunch line, getting all of the condiments they need, finding a place to sit and actually eating their food. “Some schools have colossal lunch lines, making it extremely difficult for the staff to serve all of the students before the bell rings. This is causing children to go back to class hungry, cranky, and unfocused.” (Bridges) I’m a junior in High School and I only have a 20 minute lunch shift. By the time I actually get my food and sit down I have roughly 10 minutes to eat my meal, but I’m not the only one dealing with this problem. “USA Today reports on recent figures by the School Nutrition Association that show elementary school students have approximately 25 minutes for lunch, while middle and high school
“It has been proven eating more slowly is healthier for the human body. Research suggests, when people consume meals faster, they tend to take in more calories and still feel hungry much sooner.”(Chen) A longer lunch shift would provide students with sufficient time to eat slower and recognize if they are indeed full. 20 minutes also isn’t enough for children to properly digest their food many nutrition experts claim. (Chen) Many schools shorten the lunch shifts as much as they are allowed to so children can get more time in the classroom, but in reality, short lunch shifts could possibly be affecting the amount the child actually learns. It’s hard for children to focus when they are hungry from not getting enough time to eat, not getting enough nutrition, or if their blood sugar is low. When children have trouble focusing they don’t learn their lesson of the day, and they can then perform poorly on tests. An increase in lunch shift times could mean an increase in test