Many kids would likely argue that their lunch periods are too short. While the precious breaks from class work are used to relax and chat with friends, students also need to scarf down a full meal to fuel them through the rest of the day.
But it is found that students need more than few minutes to consume those much-needed nutrients. Longer lunch periods relate with students eating healthier lunches, researchers found. The study compared food choices with the amount of time students are given to eat. Students with less than 20 minutes for lunch ate less—including nutritional fruits and veggies.
Nationwide, the average lunch period is about 30 minutes, according to a 2014 report from the School Nutrition Association. But researchers found that the amount of time available to eat can get cut down to less than 10 minutes due to long lunch lines.
Researchers reviewed 1,001 students in low-income neighborhoods in Massachusetts that had lunch periods of between 20 and 30 minutes in length. Students with less than 20 minutes to eat their lunches consumed 13 percent less of their entrées, 12 percent less of their vegetables, and 10 percent less of their milk compared to students who had at least 25 minutes for lunch. Students with shorter lunch periods were less likely to even select a fruit in the lunch line: 44 percent of kids with 20-minute periods picked up an apple or orange.
More than 30 million children—half of all public school children nationwide, a record, according to the Southern Education Foundation—eat low-cost or free lunches every day under the National School Lunch program. With the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, school lunches have seen an overhaul in their nutritional guidelines, with an increase in whole grains, low-fat options, and fruits and vegetables.
While lengthening lunch periods and cutting into class time may not be a choice for many schools whose funding is tied to results of tests, researchers suggested streamlining the lunch lines so that students can make the most out of the time they have.
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