School lunches not always healthy

To the editor

   Today’s school lunches could cause numerous health problems for consumers. Each day 27 million public school children buy lunches. The top ten foods teens purchase include ice cream, burgers, pizza, cookies and potato chips.
   Do these sound like healthy choices? I think not! However, public schools across the country sell them.
   Today, school lunch programs are promoting obesity. In the last two decades, the number of overweight children has almost doubled. Schools serve meals with 34 percent of the calories coming from fat when the FDA allows a maximum of 30 percent. Hired catering services commonly offer meat and dairy products but rarely offer fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
   Nutritionists say the high fat content in some dairy products can elevate cholesterol levels, causing heart disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. Schools across the country serving unhealthy foods are enhancing the problem instead of decreasing it.
   A typical lunch at Hillsborough High School consists of a ham and cheese sandwich with minimal lettuce. Iceberg lettuce takes the place of nutritious deep green romaine and white bread substitutes healthful whole grain. The ham and cheese only add artery clogging saturated fat. French fries come with the meal add fat but almost no nutrition.
   Also, schools vending machines offer junk foods such as chips, cookies and sodas. Studies show 43 percent of all elementary schools, 74 percent of all middle schools and virtually all high schools allow Coke or Pepsi vending machines. Even if schools do not allow selling soda, they allow juices, with much sugar, not adding nutritional value and promoting obesity.
   Schools are even offering snack and candy items as fundraising tools for items such as band uniforms, which encourages children to eat them. Therefore, children and teens have adjusted to eating junk food, making a reversal of their eating patterns harder.
   To improve student eating behaviors schools need to include healthy foods in their menus.
   School districts should follow the examples of Maine and California who have banned the sale of soda and junk food in their schools. In Tennessee and Wisconsin, school districts refuse to sign contracts allowing soft drink vending machines. If more schools took this action, children would learn healthy eating habits to make healthy food choices later.
   When students eat healthy, they can concentrate and work more efficiently. Schools need to include fruits, vegetables and whole grains in their menus and ban junk food and sodas. Then, students will receive the nutrition to do well in school, work, and home.

Julie Cornelius
Hillsborough High School