I don’t know if you have kept up on the trends with school lunches, but The National School Lunch program is really trying to offer more healthy options for kids who take hot lunch. The guidelines require kids to take one fruit and one veggie on their lunch plate. Unfortunately, according to an NPR article I read, they are taking it, but not necessarily eating it–which is leading to massive food waste. According to the article, they have estimated that kids are throwing away between 24-35% of what is on their plates each day. Yikes!
NPR sited a study that showed that when kids have recess BEFORE lunch, they ate 54% more fruits an veggies than those when they had lunch then recess. Apparently, a little activity stirred up their appetites, and instead of leaving unwanted items on the plate because they were full enough, they continued eating through the dreaded fruits and veggie stage. In addition, the study found that part of the reason kids didn’t eat their full lunches was because they were eager to get out to recess. When they reversed lunch and recess, kids didn’t rush through their meal. Totally makes sense, when you think about it. From a timing perspective, though, I guess it’s really hard on schools to get all the kids through lunch and recess when the schedules are reversed.
Meanwhile, maybe if schools offered fresh fruits like apples, pears or bananas, they would be able to get kids to eat more fruit…the only fruit I remember being on the lunch tray when I was a kid was canned fruit.
What do you think? Should schools switch the schedules to get kids to eat more nutritiously?
~Mavis
Rosaleen says
It happens that the last elementary school where I worked tried the recess before lunch approach. I can’t say that the kids ate better, but they arrived for lunch with very dirty hands. Officials thought that the kids could “clean” their hands with a squirt of hand sanitizer. What I observed was many kids by-passing the hand sanitizer stations. At least once while I was in the lunchroom, a little guy was squirted in the eye as the product was dispensed by another child. IF the kids used the sanitizer, they were likely to just move the dirt around, rather than get their hands clean. A couple of hand-washing stations might sound like a better answer, but the plumbing cost would be hard for many school districts, and many kids would still by-pass the station to get closer to the head of the line. To prevent this, another staff member (or several) would have to monitor kids as they approached the lunch line for clean hands. Most schools have enough trouble covering playground, cafeteria duty, etc., and still give the staff the legally required half-hour lunch break. A more plausible solution might be providing towelettes of some sort, but if schools run out of sanitizer before the next budgeted supply arrives, they are back to square one.
The answer may lie in the parents’ courts. One child I noticed, who, BTW had BEAUTIFUL skin, brought fresh veggies and Catalina dressing from home every day. He ate it with obvious enjoyment. My guess is that his parents fed him well all along, so he appreciated real food. The kids who turned their noses up at whole wheat pizza and other attempts at more healthful food presentations likely were not eating “the good stuff” at home, either. Kids who eat well at home may occasionally go for junk food, but are more likely to eat better overall.
Madam Chow says
I agree. It begins at home and is reinforced there.
Cecily says
Absolutely agree. Schools can only do so much to encourage kids to make healthier choices. Parents must lead by example and make/offer healthy choices at home.
Lisa says
I just started working at an elementary school in food service after 19 years of being a stay-at-home mom (Domestic Engineer as my father-in-law would say
Lisa says
I guess the rest of my comment is in cyberspace…hmm. I need to leave for work now so I’ll have to send it later. Maybe it will show up in the meantime!!
Kari says
My kids tell me all the time that most of their friends throw out a good chunk of their lunch to get to recess. It breaks my heart, not because I think it’s the most nutritious food in the world, but simply that they are going hungry and wasting so much food. I joined my youngest for lunch recently, and was surprised how TINY the portions were. No wonder our school now requires we pack two snacks a day for our kiddos. Those kids are HUNGRY! Most days my kids take lunch from home, and we pack mostly fruits, nuts, and vegetables for snacks. That doesn’t seem to be the norm, however. It definitely starts at home.
Jillbert says
First, the veggies need to look tasty for kids to even want to try them. My son’s school does put a veggie on every hot meal plate but it’s usually gross and unappetizing canned green beans or slimy corn or something just awful looking. Most does get thrown away. It’s sad. Raw carrots would be a better (alas, more expensive) option. So, even if recess were first, those limp and disgusting veggies would still wind up in the trash. My kids bring a lunch from home — cafeteria food is gross!
Dianna says
My son had school lunch one day last week. I asked him what he had: finger steaks. I asked him what he had for a fruit or vegetable: tater tots. What? He’s also been made fun of for having peppers in his lunch. Evidently not only can the other kids not stand to eat veggies, they can’t stand for other kids to eat them either. Grr. Also, I can’t send him with anything that takes a long time to chew (carrots) because they don’t give the kids enough time to eat. There are so many problems with school lunch.
In any case, I think it’s great if schools adopt policies that help kids eat more healthy food. But they will never work if they aren’t supported at home. Healthy eating starts at home.
Kristine says
I work in the Child Nutrition Dept of a school district and I just wanted to correct one thing. The regulations state that the students have to take either a fruit or a vegetable, not both. I do agree that waste is a huge problem!
Kathy says
As the parent of a type 1 diabetic, having recess before lunch would be next to impossible. She would have to eat before playing to keep from passing out or spending the whole time in the nurses office (running and playing can make her blood sugar drop too low). We have always taught the healthy aspects of food to her and required a fruit and veggie at all meals, even before her diagnosis. I know quite a few of the kids in her grade that would throw out most of their food, even home sent lunches, if the lunch ladies did not tell them to eat. They also make them take home the food they do not eat out of their home sent lunch.
Savanna says
I would totally be up for switching schedules. My kids ( I have 3 in primary school) only get to have school lunch one day a week. We don’t get assistance for school lunches and I know I can do way better quality for better price. A school lunch cost $2.45. Totally not worth the chicken burger and canned pears in my opinion. Lucky for me most of my kids choose to bring a lunch from home even when they can buy. The biggest complaint I hear from my kids is everything comes from a can, apples at school are disgusting and if I buy lunch I don’t have much time to eat. If they get fresh fruit or vegetables they are of very bad quality. Plus by the time they get a lunch they usually get about 10-15 minutes to eat. My school does have a sharing table for those foods like apples that they are required to take. The table is then a place for other kids to take from if they wish. And yes…. recess is right after lunch with kids racing through lunch to line up for recess. The middle school is different with lunch and recess in the same time slot so kids can choose to sit and enjoy lunch or to go out and play. One huge thing that has changed since Ive gone to that school that I think is wonderful is they installed three huge garage like doors that open up right to the cafeteria when there is nice weather. But I am in totally agreement that food choices and waste of food starts at home.
Michelle R says
I just put my youngest in school and he usually just skips lunch. He’s in K and won’t drink white milk and the Ks don’t get to dish themselves up so he can’t get choc (which I am ok with him drinking) and sometimes he refuses to eat it. I figure if he’s hungry he’ll eat it.
Janet says
My youngest son started full-day kindergarten this year. They have recess before lunch. He takes a partial lunch of what I would serve at home. They don’t get enough time to eat. He is very hungry when he gets home and finishes his lunch as an afternoon snack. It’s really sad to me to know he is hungry. They are assigned days to bring an afternoon snack to share with the entire class. It is supposed to be somewhat healthy, but a lot of days it is cookies or cupcakes or sweet things my little one doesn’t like.
My older son is in 6th grade (elementary school). He said sometimes the teachers forget it’s lunchtime and the kids get yelled at or punished for reminding them. He also does not eat a full lunch like I would serve at home and sometimes doesn’t get to finish his lunch either. He said when kids buy lunch they throw a lot of it away because they don’t have time to eat it. I think they need more time to eat, but it also needs to start at home with healthy things.
kpullman says
Recess Before Lunch is a great policy and I wish all schools would do that for our kids, dirty hands or no, healthiest food in the world or no. Even parents that are sending great food from home – that food is going in the trash as kids rush out to recess. And I agree, they don’t have enough time to eat as it is. Go, eat lunch with your child, watch. You’ll see what I mean.
Stephanie says
I can attest to this! I have witnessed so many hot lunch trays going in the garbage due to lack of time.
We pack a lunch and thankfully whatever she doesn’t finish comes home and she eats it after school for a snack. I still worry she isn’t eating enough during the day. I pack her the same amount I would give at lunch time on a weekend, but we also allow her 20-30 minutes to eat without the distraction of friends around.
Amy says
I think reversing the schedule would definitely help but there is also another factor that contributes to how much the children get to eat which is time. If the teacher is late bringing them to the cafeteria or the lines are moving extra slow, the children will has less time to have lunch which will leave them eating what tastes best first (burgers, chicken, etc) leaving the other less enticing things on the plate. My son and 2 nieces both attend the same elementary school (different grades) and their lunches are always a balanced home packed lunch. There have been many times in which my son and nieces told me that they had no time at all to finish their lunches. Usually they will eat their hot meal or sandwiches and will have no time left to get to their fruit/veggies. Can you imagine how much less time the kids that get school lunch will have. Its ridiculous. Its almost as though feeding the children is an after thought.
Heidi says
Hi Mavis,
I work as a teacher at an elementary school, and they go out for recess before they eat. It’s not a problem, kids can wash their hands with soap and water. The quality of the lunches is dependent on the parents, and some of the lunches are ridiculous; others are great.
Jamie says
The cafeteria lunches gross me out…I have seen the unappetizing green beans or corns and no wonder the kids don’t want to eat them. They also do not have much time so I agree with someone who said that having something crunchy like carrots or apples even can be hard because the little kids don’t have time to chew! My little guy will finish his lunch at home and then eat again when he gets home because he is so hungry. And he has recess before and they do not have a change to wash hands… just hand sanitizer which I don’t think does anything after being outside!
Kayla says
As a teacher of high school students I can tell you that what they don’t like is that the ranch dressing is fat and sodium free and that “the food has no flavor”. I believe changing their eating habits is necessary but you have to adapt their pallets first. Pulling the band-aid off all at once and having no or low sodium and fat free foods is the reason they do not like it, not the food choices.
I am also the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher so I try to reinforce the healthy eating idea.
As for the elementary (we are a Pre K-12th grade building) the elementary kids get to out to recess after lunch but have to stay in their seats until a certain time so they have plenty of time and opportunity to finish, it just depends on what they like or do not like – kids at our school love the peas but don’t really eat the orange halves.