Starting this month, be sure to participate in our monthly poll! See the sidebar to vote and view results. This month's poll, just in time for back to school, concerns how happy you are with the food offered in your children's cafeteria.
When I was a student, I rarely purchased my lunch. The lines were always so long that there wasn't enough time to buy the food and then eat it leisurely, and the healthfulness of the meals served was questionable. Soda machines were not available to students, but anyone could purchase prepackaged brownies, cookies, and other treats, and many of my classmates ate only those offerings for lunch.
Share with us your feelings about school lunches. Do you kids like to buy their lunch? Are the prices to buy lunch affordable? How do you feel about the timing and length of your child's lunch period? What sort of food is available to buy?
Check back in a month for our round up and discussion of the voting results and also to view the next poll.
4 comments:
My kids aren't in school yet, but I voted based on the school lunch menus I saw when I was working in the schools. I know they have a set list of nutrients, calories, etc they have to supply, but it looked like junk to me-chicken nuggets, canned peaches in syrup, brownie & milk type of thing.
I have five kids in school and am disgusted with school lunches. Many of the foods are pre-packaged junk food items (potato chips, rice krispy treats, etc.) or high carb (cinnamon rolls, pizza, corn dogs). Plus they allow the children to serve themselves so they don't have to put veggies on their plates. I once walked into the cafeteria and just saw sea of yellow foods on everyone's trays.
I rarely let my kids buy lunches one because of how unhealthy they are and two because of the expense. If all of my children bought lunch every day it would cost me well over $125 a month. For much less I can offer healthy lunches made from home.
As far as time to finish their lunch, when I was PTA president that was a common complaint "My kid comes home hungry because there wasn't enough time to eat." But children actually typically eat quite quickly, I bet the kids come home hungry because their lunch was a carbo load and they're coming off the sugar high and starving. My kids eat fairly slowly but the school allows them to stay as long as they need to finish, it just shortens their recess afterwards.
Great topic!
Heather-last year in NV they started a new rule for the schools where kids have to stay seated during lunch for 20 minutes, and lunch has to be followed by a recess. I wonder if its because people were complaining about kids not having time to eat...
I don't have kids in school either, but I voted based on what my friends with older kids tell me about what the schools offer.
Most have some healthy choices, but like Heather mentioned, that doesn't mean much if the students choose junk over fruit and vegetables.
When I was in high school, the lines for a hot lunch were so long that you literally had to scarf down your food if you wanted to get to your next class on time. Considering that lunch periods were 40 minutes long, that is inexcusable.
Also, just recently, a county here shortened elem. schools lunch/recess period by ten minutes. So the kids either have to eat quickly if they want to get outside, or they have less time to exercise.
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