School offers memories to be made, both good and bad, but the worst of them all is the lunch that is served. During the Obama administration, healthy alternatives to “junk” food were implemented into schools. Since then, “unhealthy” foods and large food portions have been eliminated. Some see this as a pro rather than a con, but athletes say otherwise. Healthy food choices and small portion sizes that American schools offer are unfair to athletes because they require more calories than the average person. Athletes require more calories from food to match the amount of calories burned during practices or work outs. The small portions provided to athletes is unfair, because an athlete eats much more than the average person. For roughly the
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School lunches now only consist of lean proteins and 100% whole grain (Julian). This change in the school lunches reduced the amount of calories, sodium, and fats in foods. These are all the necessities that an athlete requires for practice, lifts, and workouts. Without a high calorie intake, athletes are at risk for not having enough energy and losing too much weight. This affects overall performance in school and on the field. I personally am an athlete, that will intake anywhere from three thousand to four thousand calories a day. Not having the normal amount of calories that I usually intake completely changes my performance in practices and games. It also affects my school performance , by making it harder to concentrate and have energy. Portions are based on the average child’s “healthy BMI” which can be inaccurate considering that a 17 year old male that is six foot tall and weighs 185 pounds is considered overweight (Schanzenbach).What this system does not take into account is the four hour practices, two hour lifting sessions, and the six hours of class these types of athletes have to endure. These children are doing a service for the school by playing sports, but the school can not successfully fuel …show more content…
This is proven in the way that schools preserve the food. Schools mainly focus on their main goal, which is to save money. Davenport North is a high school that will freeze and even let food become moldy and serve it to their students and athletes rather than buy new food. This is proven in the partially cooked chicken nuggets and soapy pears that I have personally received. The same districts that claim their main goal is student nutrition and well-being are the ones serving moldy vegetables, hair filled chicken wings, and frozen milk. How can an athlete get their daily supply of calories to fuel their body if a expired lunch is the only option that is available. Athletes are mistreated by the way they are served food at school. An athlete has to worry about their body much more than the average person, foods that they consume have a huge role in how their bodies develop. Food being served like this happens in all schools to save money, but the food being served can cause illnesses. During an interview with a former student athlete Emilio Oliva, I had the chance to ask the question “Did you ever become ill after eating school lunch?”. Emilio replied by saying “Yes, I once had to leave immediately after lunch because I ate bad fruit”(Oliva). Emilio is not the only one who has experienced this, other athletes I have talked to and myself have agreed
School lunches now only consist of lean proteins and 100% whole grain (Julian). This change in the school lunches reduced the amount of calories, sodium, and fats in foods. These are all the necessities that an athlete requires for practice, lifts, and workouts. Without a high calorie intake, athletes are at risk for not having enough energy and losing too much weight. This affects overall performance in school and on the field. I personally am an athlete, that will intake anywhere from three thousand to four thousand calories a day. Not having the normal amount of calories that I usually intake completely changes my performance in practices and games. It also affects my school performance , by making it harder to concentrate and have energy. Portions are based on the average child’s “healthy BMI” which can be inaccurate considering that a 17 year old male that is six foot tall and weighs 185 pounds is considered overweight (Schanzenbach).What this system does not take into account is the four hour practices, two hour lifting sessions, and the six hours of class these types of athletes have to endure. These children are doing a service for the school by playing sports, but the school can not successfully fuel …show more content…
This is proven in the way that schools preserve the food. Schools mainly focus on their main goal, which is to save money. Davenport North is a high school that will freeze and even let food become moldy and serve it to their students and athletes rather than buy new food. This is proven in the partially cooked chicken nuggets and soapy pears that I have personally received. The same districts that claim their main goal is student nutrition and well-being are the ones serving moldy vegetables, hair filled chicken wings, and frozen milk. How can an athlete get their daily supply of calories to fuel their body if a expired lunch is the only option that is available. Athletes are mistreated by the way they are served food at school. An athlete has to worry about their body much more than the average person, foods that they consume have a huge role in how their bodies develop. Food being served like this happens in all schools to save money, but the food being served can cause illnesses. During an interview with a former student athlete Emilio Oliva, I had the chance to ask the question “Did you ever become ill after eating school lunch?”. Emilio replied by saying “Yes, I once had to leave immediately after lunch because I ate bad fruit”(Oliva). Emilio is not the only one who has experienced this, other athletes I have talked to and myself have agreed