Change

Can you remember what your elementary school cafeteria served for lunch? For most of you it probably consisted of an unidentified meat, a few flavorless, gray, green beans, a chocolate chip cookie, and a small carton of milk. The sad fact is that the “meal” you are remembering would top the nutritional value of a lunch present in many elementary school cafeterias today. Though some school districts have raised their nutritional standards of lunches, most have not, and this needs to change.

With the number of obese children on the rise something has to be done. It is not fair to the kids. Schools are an establishment whose goals are to foster the education of children. But what education are elementary school children receiving in regards to nutrition? And how attentive can they be with their stomachs full of innutritious foods?

Though some states have raised their standards in regards to the minimum amount of nutritional value, and lowered the amount of fats and sugars allowed, not all have taken such a positive action. Through research I found that South Dakota is among the bottom 10 states in their regards to children’s health. Though this involves other factors such as required gym time during school hours and length of recess activities, a large factor it takes into consideration are the lunches the school provides. This is why I am advocating the revision of the Aberdeen, South Dakota elementary school nutrition standards to mandate that student meals meet specific guidelines in fat, sugar and cholesterol content.