a healthy school lunch menu essay

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What Students Are Saying About Making School Lunch Healthier

New nutrition guidelines will mean less salt and sugar in school meals. Teenagers share whether they think students will embrace the changes.

By The Learning Network

School meals will soon contain less salt and sugar under new nutrition guidelines released by the Biden administration. School cafeterias will have to cut sodium levels 15 percent by the 2027-28 academic year. And for the first time, schools will need to limit the amount of added sugars in cereals and yogurts, starting in the 2025-26 academic year.

While many parents and nutritionists applauded the stricter federal regulations, some school lunch administrators fretted that the results will be less tasty to students, reducing consumption and increasing waste.

We asked teenagers for their opinions: Should schools serve healthier meals if it changes students’ favorite foods?

They weighed in on the federal guidelines and whether “healthy” really means “less tasty.” They also shared about their experiences of eating in the school cafeteria, including what works well and what could be improved.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the conversation on our writing prompts this week, including students from schools in Dallas , St. Louis and Seoul .

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.

Many students supported the push for more healthful school lunches.

I feel as though we are being served foods that aren’t good for us because we don’t have all the food groups within the meal. Some students have health problems and need to be served healthier meals but the regular school lunches are all fats and carbs just blended in and quite frankly aren’t appetizing. Yes, some schools can’t afford a better lunch system but we still shouldn’t be served that unhealthy stuff. It’s not good for athletes or people with health problems. Schools can magically afford all this technology and all these fancier things in the school but we can’t afford a more healthy food option or better yet, something that actually tastes good. Me, personally, if we had a healthier school lunch I would eat it every day.

I think the lunches at our school are pretty satisfying. There is healthy and delicious Korean food. There is always a dessert for the students. However, I think the school should change the school lunch to a healthier meal because students need to eat a lot of vegetables, which are essential nutrients. Also, the school should provide more delicious dishes and different kinds of side dishes. The best solution is to have multiple options and dishes for vegan and vegetarians. I think junk food should not be part of a school lunch menu. School lunch is important since it hugely influences the students’ day.

— K K, south korea

Compared to other countries’ meals, America’s school lunches are not the most nourishing. Take a standard Japanese school lunch as an example. A balanced meal should have a source of carbohydrates, protein, dairy, and a source of vitamins and minerals that can be found in an average vegetable. A usual school lunch in Japan contains white rice, meat or fish, soup, a salad, and a bottle of milk. A quality, balanced meal such as this should be the standard for school lunches. Of course, this doesn’t mean that less healthy options should be out of the picture, as, who doesn’t want a treat now and then? But judging from my school’s lunches, which can be found as cheese pizza and spaghetti with meatballs, the concern for nutrition is understandable.

— Malaya, Philadelphia, PA

I think there should be a reduction of the amount of salt and sugar schools put into foods. Personally, I don’t even think many kids are considering it when they eat the food, as some people just eat school lunch every day. That being said, reducing the salts and sugars might make the foods taste better, as I find many foods to be over-sweetened and over-salted. Not only would making a change be healthier, but it might even be an improvement to the current menu.

— Livia, Greenbelt MS, Maryland

Others argued that making school food healthier will mean fewer students will eat it.

I believe that the more objectively correct option for student wellbeing is to make the foods healthier, but personally, I wouldn’t want that. Firstly, I don’t even eat school lunch, so my opinion on it is probably different from other people’s opinions … I think that more people might pack lunches if healthier meals that may not taste as good replace the current school lunches. Also, from what I can see, a lot of food gets thrown out, left behind, or just scattered all over the place. Replacing good (sometimes) tasting meals with foods that tend to not taste as good might increase the amount of food not eaten. In conclusion, healthier meals are objectively better for students, however, students may not prefer the healthier options.

— Max, J.R. Masterman School

Students will not embrace the change. Sadly if you take away the foods that taste good and swap them for foods that are healthy but don’t taste as good, there will be some dissatisfaction. I do think it’s important for students to have healthier diets but they might not think the same.

— Tanae, Greenbelt Middle School

I think that enforcing healthy eating habits at school is incredibly important, but flavorless green beans or corn might not be the best solution. For me, I don’t think that the fact that we are served healthy foods is an issue — I dislike many of the foods because they are simply not appetizing. I often enjoy salads at restaurants or at home, but the school cafeteria just seems to make everything taste worse. Judging by the amount of food left in trash cans around the steaming hot cafeteria, it is clear that my peers may feel similarly. Many people I know simply wait until they arrive home to eat, rather than indulge in the school’s delicacies. Snacks from home or vending machines are common ways to avoid cafeteria food. Healthy food is a good idea, but more needs to be done to make it both appetizing and energizing for the student body.

— Calla, Julia R. Masterman, Philadelphia, PA

Some suggested a middle ground, one in which nutritious options exist beside student favorites.

I have seen some school lunches some days in which I wonder how the school is able to serve considering how unhealthy it is. I put a big emphasis on healthy nutrition, so these types of lunches are unfortunate for me. However, we are kids and I do think we could be treated to things that are unhealthy at times. Making school lunches healthier could also build healthier habits for students when they are by themselves at home. This is because they could possibly get used to the health foods they are consuming everyday at lunch and make them want to crave healthier foods at home. Overall, I think it’s a good idea to give students healthier foods, but I don’t think it should be 100% healthy.

— Brendan, Baker High School

It really depends on the student body. Different people have different preferences. The best solution would be to have multiple options, including vegan, halal, healthy, and junk food for students. However, this can often lead to food waste. Junk food is unhealthy, but most students like it and food isn’t wasted a lot. On the other hand, not a lot of teenagers choose to eat vegetables and fruits. Food waste would be a huge problem if schools decide to serve healthier menus, and even worse, fresh fruit and vegetables are way more expensive than junk food and fast food, which not many educational districts can provide for.

— Jimin, Seoul

Students either look forward to school lunch or despise it, both breakfast and lunch: the school offers various options for one to choose from. However, within the options, they are not the best in a healthy manner. Therefore schools should consider serving healthier food to an extent. The reason is that students may complain about the lack of flavor, low salt, etc but in the long run it would be more beneficial to one’s health. A well-balanced mixture of a lunch tray that serves both nutrients and salt would be amazing and satisfy students.

— Valeria, John H. Francis Polytechnic High School

Schools should serve healthier food choices but not remove any of students’ favorite food options. Healthier food choices should increase since approximately 19.7% of children are obese. With the food provided, schools should set the demonstration of a healthy diet however not remove students’ favorite food choices. With healthier food choices for their bodies, the students will have the nutrients and the energy they need to learn since with unhealthy food, the children can have stomach aches and a lack of energy, which would affect them in their education, so I believe they should serve healthy options for students.

— Jose, Sun Valley

Several said teaching students about nutrition and letting them have a say in the menu would help them make healthier choices.

I have a mixed opinion about this topic. While I do believe promoting better health and nutrition among students is important, respecting students’ preferences is also important. Schools can introduce healthier foods slowly and involve students in the process. By finding ways to make healthy foods appealing and enjoyable, schools can help students develop a taste for nutritious foods they will carry into adulthood.

— Anngelin, Dallas, Texas

If I were responsible for keeping food waste to a minimum, step one would be to listen to students and serve what they like. There’s no reason to throw the food away if it is good. It’s impossible to cater to every student, so why not make sides available? If people, for example, like the breadstick that comes with the macaroni and cheese, why not give students the option to order a side and nothing else? This also works if someone hates the breadstick but loves the macaroni. Giving students options is a great way to prevent unnecessary food waste.

— Tate, Julia R. Masterman, Philadelphia, PA

I feel that throughout my school many food ends up getting wasted because of the lack of attention brought to people with regards to healthy eating. Because so many fruits and vegetables get thrown out on the daily at my school, many people are getting fueled on the unhealthy salt and sugar-filled items that are getting processed in places that aren’t good for you. If there were to be teachings about why it is so important to keep fruits and veggies in your day to day diet, it can really benefit you a lot. Also, lots of people around the world can afford healthy food items, so if schools were to start to make meals more healthy, it could really help not only American obesity but also help people get new healthy eating habits.

— Maddie, Connecticut

Educating students about the benefits of a low-salt, low-sugar diet and introducing flavorful alternatives could help promote acceptance of the new guidelines. Ultimately, it will be important for schools to engage with students, gather feedback, and involve them in the process of creating nutritious and appealing menu options to encourage healthier eating habits.

— Nebeyu, Greenbelt Middle

Students also told us what’s working in their own school cafeterias.

As a student attending public school, I was made aware of how the federal government regulated schools to follow specific nutritional guidelines, such as the healthy eating plate, which depicts a perfectly balanced meal consisting of ½ vegetables and fruits, ¼ carbohydrates, and ¼ protein. Most of the schools I attended followed this guideline. However, after switching to private schools, I noticed that their meal plans were more lenient, as they had more freedom to do what they wanted … At my school, our salad bar is very successful. Students can customize their salad with fresh fruits and vegetables that create a great food source that brings the body energy. Therefore, schools should have a balanced meal that includes healthy options, without eliminating all of students’ favorites. I personally think the healthy eating plate is a good guide to see if your main lunch source is pulling from all food types and energy sources.

— Sophia, St. Louis

I believe eating healthy, even if it is forced, is important. My previous school food, for example, had many options, including Asian, western, a salad bar, and different bread options. This helped students choose what kind of food they wanted. For breakfast and dinner, they balanced the sodium levels by giving under-seasoned food for breakfast if the dinner was going to have salty or sugary food. To help parents and students know how much sodium they are taking that day, they posted pictures with the sodium levels for every meal.

— Melinda, Korea

And what needs improvement.

I believe schools can improve on healthier food options. There are students who buy lunch everyday, some who don’t have a choice in this, so having higher quality food for them would be beneficial. I’ve seen plenty of questionable food in my cafeteria and they’re usually the healthier options. No student actively wants to eat a rotting salad or a fruit cup that has been sitting out for a few hours; it’s gross. So these usually get thrown away. Burgers, pizza, fries, etc. are always going to be served in school cafeterias. Those foods could also be improved with their high sodium levels. But, if schools offer good quality, healthier options, students may actually choose them. Overall, school lunches are tolerable in their current state, but I’m sure there can be steps taken to improve them.

— Ren, New York

To be honest, I am not completely satisfied with the food at my school. In our dining room, so-called “healthy food” is presented but, in my opinion, it cannot be called healthy. For example, let’s take the same chicken Caesar salad, which has the same fried patty that is served in burgers. The fruits that are presented are often of very questionable freshness. Also, compared to unhealthy food, the amount of healthy food is simply scant, so most students choose standard items: such as pizza, burgers, French fries and nuggets. I have nothing against it, but I don’t think it’s a good diet for every day, especially if you have lunch in the third period like me. I haven’t had lunch at school for a long time and I just take snacks from home, however, considering that we spend eight hours at school, I am always very hungry in the last periods. I wish my school had more healthy food options, even if it tasted worse than regular food.

— Sabrina, Hinsdale, IL

I believe that schools should continue to have healthy food options but improve on what they have. Some of the healthier options my school provides are fruits or small salads that are close to rotting. I think that the food that they give most times just ends up in the trash because the food is about to go bad and people don’t want to eat fruits that have gone brown or lettuce that is soggy. I also believe that if our school has to provide healthy options to students, they should also serve vegan/vegetarian options. Our school does have salads but they almost always have chicken or cheese in them and they aren’t nearly big enough to fill someone. I believe schools should provide free healthy options for students but improve the quality of food that they serve.

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — School — School Lunches: An Persuasive Essay On School Lunches

School Lunches: an Persuasive Essay on School Lunches

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Published: Mar 14, 2024

Words: 681 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

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