The School Lunch Reform-How School Lunches Have Changed Over The Years

The school lunch system in the U.S. has changed over the years in lots of ways. The school lunch program began under Harry S. Truman in 1946 as a way to help every child have a nutritious lunch. It was believed if children had the fuel they needed to get them through the day, they would learn better with their studies. President Lyndon Johnson began a pilot program which included breakfast in 1966.

Underprivileged and poor children were given either free lunches or a reduced rate to make certain everyone had an opportunity to have meals in school. Almost 30 million children participated in the school meal plan in 2010, which is certainly higher compared to 9 million in 2005. With this type of drastic rise in children who require schools to serve daily meals, healthier meals will benefit everyone.

Over the Years, a cause for concern over the amount of fat the school lunches and breakfasts were providing the children. The high-fat burgers, pizzas, and French fries schools serve give children unhealthy eating habits. Efforts were created to include more vegetables and fruit and less fat, but the meals still contained a lot of fat and may have contributed to childhood obesity.

President Obama has undertaken a school lunch reform in an effort to overhaul the foods which are served and supply healthier alternatives. This reform is attempting to reduce childhood obesity, which will reduce all of the health conditions that come with obesity. Those parents that rely on the school lunch program are often the exact children that have eaten high-fat foods which are less nutritious.

Nearly 1/2 the calories children eat during the day are eaten at school. The school lunch reform is one way to provide millions of American children healthier lunch options yet still be tasty. Children might not do so well if served vegetables, fruits, and grains when they are used to eating burgers, pizza, and sweets. Alternatively, if the school meals aren't made better, it'll only continue to add to childhood obesity.

The Task Force on Childhood Obesity, which happens to be the first of its kind, was developed by President Obama. It is clear that the administration takes the obesity issue serious since just twenty years ago, obese children was not an epidemic the way it is today with American children. Teaching children to eat healthier choices at school, where they spend the majority of their time, it is going to hopefully spill over to life outside school.

School lunches have certainly changed since Harry S. Truman passed the law that helped children have lunches while at school. The school lunch reform will inevitably keep changing as America attempts to stop obesity and poor eating habits among its youth.