The Debate Over School Lunches with Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is quickly becoming a major crisis for children across America. With the rate of obese children reaching 12%, it seems as though something must be done before the lives and health of America's children are seriously impacted. However, much of the debate regarding childhood obesity deals strongly with who is at fault. While there are many different answers, perhaps one of the most commonly blamed sources for childhood obesity are the lunches and other food provided by schools attended by children.

Of course, anyone who has been to any K-12 school in the past few years is likely well aware that lunches do not always represent the healthiest fare available. With many menu choices being fried, greasy, unhealthy or loaded with calories, it should not be a surprise that children and parents may be taking a gamble when it comes to the healthiness of school lunches. However, we must ask ourselves if this is really the leading cause of obesity, or if it is simply another factor or even worth noticing.

Of course, it should definitely be taken into consideration whether or not the food that students eat on a daily basis is having a negative impact on their health. At the same time though, we must be careful in placing blame solely on the school districts. It is worth noting that the majority of schools offer some sort of healthy choice option for students, or at least give students a choice when it comes to what they would like to eat. Yes, students can choose to get pizza and soda everyday, but at the same time, many are also offered the option of going with the healthier options.

There is compelling evidence to suggest that school lunch is not the major source of obesity among students. In fact, perhaps we can even attribute the structure and relative health qualities of school food as one of the reasons that weight gain is so common during the first year of college; a time period when students are able to eat whatever they want in whatever quantities they choose to. While it may be said that high school lunches are unhealthy, it is not necessarily the job of schools to teach children proper eating habits.