Throughout our world, child obesity has become a prominent issue that is in need of greater attention and focus in order for positive resolution and impact to occur. Child obesity is influenced by many different factors, and school lunches that children are eating each day while achieving an education is one of the many factors that can ultimately lead a child in the direction of becoming obese. Implementation of healthier eating and the incorporation of healthier food options for children to have access to is necessary amongst public health in order to keep this issue from continuing to occur. Early habits of unhealthy eating can create large affects on a child’s life overtime, but making influential and effective changes to school lunches
…show more content…
School lunches are linked to this increase in weight gain, as children spend a large amount of time eating breakfast, lunch, and having snacks that the school provides throughout the day. Cafeteria food is ordered in large amounts in order to feed a large amount of students, so cost-effectiveness typically overrules the idea of choosing healthy food items in order to prevent financial instability within school systems. The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion mentions that the most nutritious foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, unsalted nuts and seeds, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and lean meats with little sodium and added sugars (USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2016). Although these foods are essential in order to positively influence a child’s health, these are foods that are rarely seen being eaten. Ultimately, frozen and processed foods have become easier for schools to serve and are more enthusing to children to eat when compared to fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food …show more content…
Healthy People 2020’s overall goal is to “promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through the consumption of healthful diets and achievements and maintenance of healthy body weights (Healthy People 2020, 2016). When a child is beginning to gain weight at a young age, it is easier to notice. Completely depriving children from having access to foods they enjoy eating can push children further away from wanting to be nutritious, but finding ways to incorporate healthy food options into meals that children enjoy eating can better promote health and nutritious and living a healthy lifestyle. Within the past four years, Congress has focused on strengthening the nutrition standards for school meals and helped make a positive impact towards expanding healthy food options amongst school systems to provide students each day (Black, 2016). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has created procedures and plans based on bettering the health of children by ensuring that a child is receiving a third of the daily calories and nutrients needed in order to grow up healthy. These guidelines involve filling half of a child’s plate with fruits and vegetables, eating vegetables that range in color in order to ensure variety, incorporating whole grains,
School lunches are linked to this increase in weight gain, as children spend a large amount of time eating breakfast, lunch, and having snacks that the school provides throughout the day. Cafeteria food is ordered in large amounts in order to feed a large amount of students, so cost-effectiveness typically overrules the idea of choosing healthy food items in order to prevent financial instability within school systems. The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion mentions that the most nutritious foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, unsalted nuts and seeds, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and lean meats with little sodium and added sugars (USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2016). Although these foods are essential in order to positively influence a child’s health, these are foods that are rarely seen being eaten. Ultimately, frozen and processed foods have become easier for schools to serve and are more enthusing to children to eat when compared to fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food …show more content…
Healthy People 2020’s overall goal is to “promote health and reduce chronic disease risk through the consumption of healthful diets and achievements and maintenance of healthy body weights (Healthy People 2020, 2016). When a child is beginning to gain weight at a young age, it is easier to notice. Completely depriving children from having access to foods they enjoy eating can push children further away from wanting to be nutritious, but finding ways to incorporate healthy food options into meals that children enjoy eating can better promote health and nutritious and living a healthy lifestyle. Within the past four years, Congress has focused on strengthening the nutrition standards for school meals and helped make a positive impact towards expanding healthy food options amongst school systems to provide students each day (Black, 2016). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has created procedures and plans based on bettering the health of children by ensuring that a child is receiving a third of the daily calories and nutrients needed in order to grow up healthy. These guidelines involve filling half of a child’s plate with fruits and vegetables, eating vegetables that range in color in order to ensure variety, incorporating whole grains,