Having a designated lunch break is important for everyone, especially children whose bodies are growing and developing. Now experts are examining how the length of school lunch breaks can impact students’ health and their results are surprising.
In schools across the country, students are usually given between 20-30 minutes for their lunch breaks.
However, a number of experts are saying that this amount of time is simply not enough for many children to properly eat.
Once students take a bathroom break, wait in line, and get their food, they’re usually only left with 15 minutes to eat.
With schools incorporating more foods like fresh veggies and fruits, experts told Education Week that they need more time to chew and digest these fibrous foods.
Not having enough time to eat can especially impact children from low-income families.
These children rely on school lunches to get their nutrients, and in some cases, school meals make up the bulk of their diet. Not having enough time to eat can have impacts on their health.
Numerous studies have shown that students leave more uneaten food on their trays when they have less time to eat.
This means that the students aren’t eating a full meal and are wasting perfectly good food.
To address the issue, some schools are experimenting with longer lunch breaks.
So far, students and staff at one of these schools, Trailside Elementary in Alaska, have had positive feedback for their extended lunches.
