School Lunches: A Systemic Failure

Most of us don't really think about what we ate as a kid until we're older and dealing with the consequences of it. The food you eat during those early years of development is more than just your source of energy. It builds your body, your brain, and most importantly, the habits you will continue for the rest of your life. But what should kids actually be eating?

As a child, your nutrient needs are not just a scaled down version of what you're supposed to eat as an adult. For example, you need more calcium and vitamin D because 90% of your bone mass is built before the age of 18. This means that if you're not getting enough calcium as a kid, your bones aren't as strong as they can be and your risk of osteoporosis in the future goes up.

If that didn't scare you enough, iron supports brain development and oxygen transport, and iron deficiency in childhood is one of the leading causes of impaired cognitive development globally.

So it's not really about the child's weight or energy levels. What's more important is the development of the brain and body, which are heavily impacted by what you eat as a kid.

Eating patterns are mainly established in childhood and are among the strongest predictors of adult dietary habits. For example, kids who grow up eating whole foods are more likely to continue that way as adults. The opposite is also true: kids who grow up eating ultra-processed foods develop a preference for foods rich in salt, sugar, or saturated fat. This makes whole foods feel bland by comparison and discourages you from eating them.

This isn't really talked about, but I've seen the opposite of this from personal experience. I grew up fortunate enough to be eating organic foods and never actually had my first Dorito until I was 12. I generally still stay away from ultra-processed foods, but I have noticed that whenever I do try them, I find them unappealing and just think that they taste like chemicals, which they pretty much are.

I'm not blaming anyone though. Kids eat whatever's in the house, whatever's served at school, whatever their friends share with them. What I am trying to say is that the food environment children grow up in has significant effects beyond just their childhood, which is exactly why school lunch is such an important public health issue.

For a lot of kids growing up in households of a lower socioeconomic status, school lunch is their main meal of the day and sometimes all they can afford. When school lunch is nutritionally inadequate, the consequences extend beyond just their weight. Research shows that poor nutrition is linked to poor academic performance and issues with concentration and behavior. This is quite intuitive, as nobody learns well when they're hungry, malnourished, or just running on empty carbs that spike and crash your blood sugar.

Studies have found that improvements in the quality of school meals are linked with better test scores and mental health outcomes.

So what does the ideal school lunch actually look like?

First, it needs a good source of protein. Examples are grilled chicken, lentils, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy. Protein keeps kids full for longer, reducing cravings for junk food, and it supports muscle and brain development. Something to note is that the meat should not be heavily processed. Foods to avoid that do not count as good protein sources are things like chicken nuggets and hot dogs.

A good meal also needs a whole grain base. What does whole grain mean though? A grain has three parts: the germ, endosperm, and bran. A refined grain only has the endosperm, which is just empty carbs stripped of nutrients and fiber. This means making a switch from white rice, white bread, and refined flour tortillas to whole grain bread, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta.

The meal should also have at least one or two servings of real vegetables, more than just iceberg lettuce or coleslaw. Ideally it should include more color and variety, such as leafy greens, carrots, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes, as different colors usually reflect a variety of nutrients. Like the meat, vegetables should be minimally processed, as french fries do not count as a vegetable.

Fruit should be fresh or minimally processed, and ideally not in the form of a juice made from concentrate. Although juice can provide vitamins, it provides sugar without the fiber that you get from eating the whole fruit.

For a source of calcium, include milk, yogurt, or a fortified plant-based alternative for those who can't eat dairy.

The USDA has improved their national nutrition standards for school lunches by including more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. But what's set on paper doesn't always translate into practice.

One of the main issues is a lack of sufficient funding. Many public schools have per-meal budgets so tight that it makes it very hard to serve fresh whole foods consistently. Processed foods are much easier to store, cheaper to buy, and faster to prepare. So when a school has to decide between a healthy option and a processed option, the processed option often wins due to its convenience.

There's also the issue of what kids actually like to eat, since there's no point in preparing a nutritious meal if it's just going to end up in the trash. Schools have to find a good balance of what's healthy and what actually tastes good to students. Maybe they could offer different types of vegetables and have students try them and give their input, rather than just putting a vegetable on the tray because it's healthy.

School lunch isn't just a nutrition problem, it's also a funding problem. To make a difference, the government should allocate more money per meal so that schools can afford real food and not just chemicals. It's also important to educate children on nutrition so that they understand why they can't just eat whatever tastes good.

What kids eat in childhood shapes their physical and mental development, as well as the habits they will carry for the rest of their life. School lunch, for millions of children, is the most important meal of the day, and currently a lot of schools are not treating that responsibility the way they should. Kids deserve better than that, and so do their futures.