School-made lunches feed children all across the country every day. Yet there is a growing problem of childhood obesity and ill health, making it clear children are not getting the nutrition they need. The heavily-processed food additives should be examined so school meals can be improved.
Processed
Many school lunches are heavily processed. Those are the frozen or otherwise pre-made foods that have been altered. Added sugars are used to make cosmetic changes so food is more appetizing. Packaged food has extra sodium because salt is used to extend shelf life. Adding trans fat is another method to improve shelf life. Unfortunately, it results in raised cholesterol and long-term health concerns. (Koerner, 2012) While the government has recognized the dangers of trans fat, it'll be a little longer before regulation takes effect.Unfulfilling
In order to decrease childhood obesity, calorie limits have been placed on some school lunches. However, this just leaves students with much smaller meals. Small amounts of unhealthy, high-calorie food is given instead of a variety of healthy, low-calorie food. Leaving kids hungry is not any better than giving them unhealthy meals.Preservatives
Sodium Nitrate and Nitrite are used to preserve food. Unfortunately, they can become nitrosamines, which increase risk of cancer. (Song et al, 2015) Nitrates can damage blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease. Further, they are concerns that nitrates change how the body processes sugar. This leads to a higher risk of diabetes.GMO
Most people in the United States eat food that has been genetically modified. It can be a way to make food resistant to harmful bacteria and quickly develop larger quantities of high-quality food for a large population. However, the long-term effects of GMO's are still unknown. There are concerns about the pesticide and chemical use needed for genetically modified food and a call for more naturally-grown alternatives to be at least one part of a typical school meal.Pro-GMO voices insist that GMO’s have not been shown to be connected to known health hazards, and technically they are correct. Still, this remains a deeply emotional issue for many parents who are often not made aware of the inorganic composition of the foods their children are eating.
There are concerns about the unhealthy food choices among people of all ages in this country. However, there should be even greater concern about the meals of school-age children. Their future health, focus and performance in classes, and they're eating habit depend on delivering healthy meals that a nutritionist could support.
References
http://www.health.com/news/are-preservatives-bad-for-health
