Essay On Why Students Should Have Longer Lunches

Are you tired of having to quickly scarf down your food as the bell rings for class? Don´t worry, you’re not alone! Kids around the world are leaving lunch hungry, wasting food, and not having enough time to take a break. School lunch needs to be longer because short lunch doesn’t give students enough time to take a break, eat proper food, or save food. A longer lunch encourages healthy eating habits, decreases the amount of food waste, and gives kids a break from school and computer screens.

The first reason why school lunch should be longer is because a longer school lunch prompts healthy eating. Lots of kids are having to leave lunchtime feeling hungry, because they didn't have enough time to eat, or they weren't eating the proper foods. The article Pros & Cons Of Longer School Lunches states, ¨With a longer lunch day, students can have more time to eat slowly and recognize signs of fullness, which do not develop until 20 minutes after eating.¨ Healthy eating habits are commonly encouraged at school, yet kids are not getting the proper nutrition they need, because of how short lunch is. If lunchtime was longer, kids would be able to have the energy to go through the day without feeling hungry and tired.  The Article, Lunchtime at School, How Much Time Is Enough? States, ¨Students with longer lunchtimes eat more nutrients than students with a shorter lunchtime.¨ A short lunchtime doesn't give schools enough time to prepare healthy meals. This results in students eating quick and unhealthy foods.  The article, Pros, And Cons Of Longer School Lunches states, ¨The nutrition of school lunches- or lack thereof- is a hotly contested debate as childhood obesity rates have risen in the United States.¨ This means that a longer lunch would give schools enough time to prepare healthy meals, instead of fast food, this also teaches kids to take the time to make a healthy and proper meal instead of making a fast and high-fat meal. Overall, a longer lunch encourages healthy eating habits.

 Next, another reason why school lunch should be longer is because it gives students a break from school and computer screens. Students are constantly under stress at school with tests and due dates. For some kids, lunchtime is when they can take breaks from class time and electronics. According to the article, Screen Time And Children teens spend up to 9 hours a day on electronic devices, 2-to 4 of these hours are at school. Lunch is also a great break from school and homework. In the article Pros and Cons Of A Longer School Lunch, It states, ¨Proponents might cite the benefit of an extended break for students from the rigors of schoolwork.¨ When students are given time to relax, they can perform better academically. For example, the article The Neuroscience Behind Stress And Learning states, ¨When teachers use strategies to reduce stress and build a positive emotional environment, students gain emotional resilience and learn more efficiently.¨ This means making lunch-time longer would give students time to relax, and make it a stress-free zone. As you can see, a longer school lunch gives students a break from school, stress, and electronics.

The final reason why school lunch should be longer is because a longer school lunch decreases the amount of food wasted at school. Studies show that up to half of school lunch is wasted per day. Wasting food is the same thing as wasting the energy and water used to grow the food, which is not good. The article, U.S school cafeterias waste more food than those in developed countries states ¨In our study, we found plate waste ranging from 27% to 53% of the food served¨ This means that students are not given enough time to finish their lunch, resulting in students throwing away their food when the bell rings. This results in kids not getting enough food and nutrients to get them through the day. In Effect Of Longer Seated Lunch Time On Food Consumption And Waste In Elementary and Middle School-age Children, A school ran a test, to see if the length of lunchtime affected the amount of food waste, and the article stated, ¨When lunchtime increased, Participants also consumed significantly more and wasted significantly less calories¨ This proves that a longer lunch gives students enough time to eat and helps the environment with less food waste. The best way to solve food waste issues is to give kids the time they need to finish meals. Overall, a longer lunch decreases the amount of school lunch food waste.

On the other hand, some people may debate that a longer lunch takes time out of school, or increases the school day leading to not enough time for after-school activities. With long school days and homework, students are already left with little time to do sports, or hang out with friends, and increasing the school day would add lots of stress to a student's life. A solution would be to get rid of classes like advisory. A lot of students use advisory as a time to hang out with friends, rather than get school work done, and they don't spend their time wisely. I don't think schools must increase the school day for lunch, but instead shorten classes or remove advisory. This teaches students that lunch is not something that needs to be rushed, but instead an important part of the day. Another idea would be to give students time to play sports during lunch, so they can get in exercise and stay focused through the rest of the school day. Altogether, I think the benefits of a longer lunch outweigh the problem of a longer school lunch.

In conclusion, a longer lunch is a great solution for kids wasting food, feeling stressed, and not eating healthy. Although some people may think the school day will have to be longer, there are plenty of solutions for every school. With a longer lunch, students will have healthy eating habits, time to relax, and help the environment as well. Giving a longer lunch to students is the key to successful students, so what are we waiting for?