School lunches.. the real cause of childhood obesity?

In earlier years, the debate on what high schoolers ate for lunch was little to none. Kennedy High School used to bring in vendors such as Subway or Pizza Hut on certain days that students could buy for lunch. My sister, who graduated in 2005, had a very different lunch menu than what I have today because she had the choice of these vendors that got taken away before I started at Kennedy. Now, the choices all very strict and limited. A lot of students, including me, decide to eat outside of school because all we have to choose from that we actually like are chips, Rice Krispie Treats (that have turned to whole grain…ew), and little snacks that end up making us feel empty by the end of the day. Although there are other choices for full meals, they are very small and people have to end up buying two.

The new idea for a healthier student lunch came with Michelle Obama’s idea to reduce childhood obesity. The fat and sugar that we ate in our school lunches everyday was thought to be the cause of this, but I think not. The same lunches that have been in schools for years have not caused as much childhood obesity until now so it’s not logical to blame the lunch food. Instead of eating at school, where kids could also get fruit or vegetables with their meal, students just wait until they get home to binge on junk food. A dollar menu McDonald’s hamburger looks and taste more appealing than a school hamburger, and the new school lunch is just making the decision between these two more easier for students.

Children’s parents and home environment also have a huge impact on their weight and eating habits. If a child’s parents continue to only buy foods with a high fat level, how is the child supposed to know how to properly balance their nutrition? I see how taking unnecessary fats and sugars out of school lunch seems like it is showing the kids how to eat healthy, but all it is doing is stopping them from eating until they get home. Also, what people don’t realize is, home is where it all starts. We don’t learn our bad eating habits at home. In my strong opinion, obese parents and parents who don’t care lead to obese children. If a parent is not paying attention to their own child’s eating habits than it is the parent’s fault, not the child’s.

In conclusion, I believe that this obesity problem will not be solved by changing up a menu at a child’s school. Parents have to become more involved in their children’s health and want the best for them if they don’t want the children to reach obesity. I believe that obesity starts at home caused by careless eating habits (except for medical conditions, of course), so I’ve always wondered why the school and state believe it is caused by what is served one meal a day. I understand that the level of rising obesity in children is rising, but the solution should not be changing school lunches. It should be changing parent’s mindset.