US School Lunch Needs To Get Healthier

Obesity seems to be a worrying and obsessive problem in the US. About one-third of American schoolchildren are overweight. It is felt that most American school meals contribute to children's obesity. Though the US government gives a lot of importance and emphasis to children's diets, it has so far not given adequate value to improving the current quality of lunches.

Sweetgreen is reputed to be a healthy restaurant that bases its meals on local, organic ingredients, and has shown the difference between US and other global lunches.

In 2013, the National School Lunch Program, which was a federally assisted meal program that was active in public and nonprofit private schools, served 5.1 billion lunches. As more than 32 million children are served NSLP every day, according to huffingtonpost.com, these lunches seem to be related to the health of the children.

By 2013, the 1,300 public elementary schools from New York City got fresh salad bars in their cafeterias, and it is expected that they will improve, as First Lady Michelle Obama works hard to streamline and increase healthy meals and snacks for children. In 2010, President Obama signed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, requiring child nutrition programs to improve, so that schools can add to fruits and vegetables, yet shots of school lunches from other parts of the world show that their food seems to be better.

Most of the food consists of trans fats, salts and sodas. Children get half their daily calories at school, so the lunch plate makes an impact on health and eating habits, according to scientificamerican.com.

In the US, the typical school lunch consists of fried "popcorn" chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, fruit cup and a chocolate chip cookie. However, lunches from other parts of the world look healthier, with less fried food and less mush. In Brazil, for instance, the meal consists of pork with mixed veggies, black beans and rice, salad, bread and baked plantains.

Italy serves fish on arugula, pasta with tomato sauce, caprese salad, baguette and some grapes. Finland offers pea soup, beet salad, carrot salad, bread and pannakkau (dessert pancake) with fresh berries.

South Korea's plate consists of fish soup, tofu over rice, kimchi and fresh veggies. A French platter shows steak, carrots, green beans, cheese and fresh fruit.

Hence, the lunch plates from other parts of the world look distinctly better, and the message is clear. The US needs to improve its health component in school lunches, if it values brain development.