Short Lunch Time in Schools May Lead To Obesity

<(usa today)="" -="" school="" districts="" across="" the="" country="" are="" revamping="" their="" menus="" to="" serve="" healthier="" fare,="" but="" most="" schools="" give="" students="" so="" little="" time="" to="" eat="" that="" they="" could="" be="" contributing="" unwittingly="" to="" the="" childhood="" obesity="" problem.healthy="" food="" can="" take="" longer="" to="" eat,="" and="" research="" shows="" that="" wolfing="" down="" a="" meal="" in="" a="" hurry="" often="" means="" people="" eat="" more.a="" new="" national="" survey="" by="" the="" school="" nutrition="" association="" shows="" elementary="" kids="" have="" about="" 25="" minutes="" for="" lunch;="" middle="" school="" and="" high="" school="" students="" about="" 30="" minutes.="" that="" includes="" the="" time="" students="" need="" to="" go="" to="" the="" restroom,="" wash="" their="" hands,="" walk="" to="" the="" cafeteria="" and="" stand="" in="" line="" for="" their="" meals.many="" students="" may="" have="" only="" about="" 10="" to="" 15="" minutes="" left="" to="" eat="" their="" meals,="" school="" nutrition="" directors="" say.="" but="" students="" should="" have="" at="" least="" 20="" minutes="" to="" eat="" their="" lunch,="" the="" government="" recommends."it's="" a="" problem="" in="" a="" lot="" of="" districts.="" there's="" not="" a="" lot="" of="" time="" to="" get="" their="" food,="" sit="" down="" and="" eat="" their="" fill,"="" says="" helen="" phillips,="" president="" of="" the="" school="" nutrition="" association,="" and="" senior="" director="" of="" school="" nutrition="" for="" norfolk="" (va.)="" public="" schools.many="" students="" feel="" rushed,="" says="" deborah="" taylor,="" director="" of="" the="" shawnee="" (okla.)="" school="" nutrition="" services.the="" typical="" length="" of="" the="" lunch="" has="" been="" about="" the="" same="" since="" 2009,="" but="" it's="" shorter="" than="" in="" 2003="" when="" kids="" got="" up="" to="" five="" more="" minutes.="" children="" in="" some="" countries,="" such="" as="" france,="" get="" as="" long="" as="" one="" to="" two="" hours="" to="" eat="" lunch.u.s.="" research="" shows="" that="" when="" people="" eat="" quickly,="" they="" consume="" more="" calories,="" enjoy="" the="" meal="" less="" and="" feel="" hungrier="" an="" hour="" later="" .this="" lunch-period="" dilemma="" comes="" at="" a="" time="" when="" about="" a="" third="" of="" children="" and="" adolescents="" -="" 25="" million="" kids="" -="" are="" obese="" or="" overweight,="" government="" statistics="" show.="" almost="" 32="" million="" kids="" eat="" the="" school="" lunch="" every="" day,="" and="" more="" than="" 11="" million="" eat="" the="" breakfast="" served="" there.="" overall,="" kids="" consume="" about="" 30%="" to="" 50%="" of="" their="" calories="" in="" the="" school="" meal="" programs.the="" healthy,="" hunger-free="" kids="" act="" of="" 2010="" directs="" the="" u.s.="" department="" of="" agriculture="" to="" set="" new="" nutrition="" standards="" for="" all="" food="" served="" in="" schools,="" from="" lunchrooms="" to="" vending="" machines.those="" standards="" are="" being="" developed="" now,="" but="" in="" the="" meantime,="" the="" school="" food="" service="" directors="" have="" already="" made="" lots="" of="" improvements,="" phillips="" says.="" the="" new="" survey="" of="" 1,294="" school="" nutrition="" directors="" from="" the="" school="" nutrition="" association="" found="" that="" most="" schools="" are="" offering="" fresh="" fruits="" and="" vegetables,="" whole="" grains,="" salad="" bars="" or="" entree="" salads,="" and="" fat-free="" and="" 1%="" milk.but="" those="" kinds="" of="" foods="" often="" take="" more="" time="" to="" eat,="" phillips="" says.="" "it="" takes="" more="" time="" to="" chew="" a="" whole="" apple="" than="" applesauce.="" eating="" an="" entree="" salad="" takes="" longer="" than="" eating="" a="" cheeseburger="" or="" chicken="" nuggets,="" because="" of="" the="" crunching="" and="" chewing="" of="" the="" raw="" vegetables."sometimes="" kids="" eat="" their="" favorite="" foods="" first,="" and="" if="" they="" run="" out="" of="" time,="" those="" vegetables="" may="" land="" in="" the="" trash,="" she="" says.children="" who="" bring="" their="" lunch="" would="" typically="" have="" a="" little="" more="" time="" to="" eat="" because="" they="" don't="" have="" to="" stand="" in="" line="" to="" get="" their="" meal,="" she="" says.="" whether="" or="" not="" it's="" enough="" time="" depends="" on="" the="" child="" and="" the="" length="" of="" the="" period.="" "the="" younger="" elementary="" kids="" tend="" to="" eat="" slowly."the="" pressure="" of="" all="" the="" different="" academic="" demands="" affects="" the="" lunch="" schedules,="" phillips="" says,="" so="" food="" service="" directors="" work="" with="" principals="" to="" make="" sure="" lunch="" hours="" are="" staggered="" so="" everyone="" is="" served="" quickly.many="" factors="" come="" into="" play="" when="" determining="" lunch="" periods,="" including="" building="" size,="" the="" number="" of="" serving="" lines,="" the="" seating="" in="" the="" cafeteria="" and="" the="" number="" of="" students="" coming="" to="" the="" cafeteria="" at="" any="" given="" time,="" she="" says.taylor="" adds:="" "i="" don't="" know="" if="" there="" is="" a="" perfect="" answer.="" every="" building="" is="" different,="" every="" principal="" is="" different."when="" people="" look="" back="" on="" the="" childhood="" obesity="" epidemic="" in="" this="" country="" and="" wonder="" how="" it="" spiraled="" out="" of="" control,="" they="" may="" blame="" the="" way="" kids="" were="" rushed="" to="" eat="" too="" fast,="" not="" just="" at="" school="" but="" at="" home,="" taylor="" says."i="" think="" we="" have="" diminished="" the="" joy="" of="" sitting="" down="" and="" enjoying="" a="" meal.="" now,="" the="" attitude="" is="" we="" should="" sit="" down="" and="" eat="" and="" get="" it="" over="" with."/span="">Advice For ParentsFood service workers try to make it easy for kids to eat healthful foods. Parents can do the same when packing their lunches, they say.For instance, Helen Phillips, senior director of school nutrition for Norfolk (Va.) Public Schools says her staff uses packaged fresh produce, such as baby carrots, apple slices, grapes and pineapple spears, so if a child runs out of time to eat the food at lunch, they can take the food with them in their backpack and eat them on their way home, at snack time or between classes, if the school allows that. She recommends that parents cut most fruits and vegetables into small bite-size pieces for elementary children. "Elementary kids are often missing their front teeth and can't easily bite into an apple or peach."Sometimes kids this age have a hard time manipulating the straws into their juice or milk boxes so it may be easier for them if parents choose a reusable containers with a pullup spout, she says. By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY/>