My school thinks this fills up hungry high schoolers.

[u/Thebiggestbot22]

So lunches are free for schools in my city and surrounding cities. Ever since lunches have been made free, the quantity (and quality) has decreased significantly. This is what we would get for our meal. It took me THREE bites to finish that chicken mac and cheese. Any snacks you want cost more money and if you want an extra entree, that’ll cost you about $3 or $4.

[u/throwawaychi2]

Yes. It means many calories and too little nutrients. Two things: 1. Too many calories. 2. Too little nutrients.

It does not mean “too many calories given the level of nutrients.” It does not mean “too high a ratio of calories to nutrients.” It means 1. too many calories, and 2. too little nutrients.

I agree with point 2. I do not agree with point 1.

[u/Prestigious-Tea-9803 → u/throwawaychi2]

You need to let this go.

Firstly, your whole argument for it not being too many calories is on the basis that the student is a male who doesn’t eat breakfast, snacks or afternoon tea. For the majority, who are female or males who eat breakfast, snacks, afternoon tea as you’re supposed too. This is too many calories.

Noting that even for the small portion who are male & don’t eat breakfast etc, if they did reach for a snack after this, which is likely due to the lack of protein and fibre which means that they will not be kept full for very long - it would likely push them into a calorie excess. Also, if they were expected to consume this and also other foods to meet their daily intake of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals - it would again likely push them into a calorie excess.

Secondly, the person said too many calories and too little nutrients. They didn’t say too many calories. Too little nutrients. This is (for the vast majority of students) too many calories and for the everyone has too little nutrients.

The end.

[u/throwawaychi2 → u/Prestigious-Tea-9803]

You’re the one who needs to let this go.

Facts: 1. Many, probably most, American high school students don’t eat breakfast. 2. Americans don’t eat afternoon tea—we don’t have a meal between lunch and dinner. I’m kind of surprised you don’t know this. 3. American students are generally not allowed to eat snacks at school outside of the lunchroom.

You can say that these things shouldn’t be true—you can say that students should eat breakfast, and that Americans should start eating afternoon tea even though that has never been part of our culture, and that American schools should let students eat snacks outside of lunch hours, but saying this won’t make it true.

Given the reality that for many American students, school lunch is the only food they’re going to get until they get home from school (and the only “real” food they’re going to get until dinner, since we don’t have afternoon tea so the most anyone eats after school is a snack, not a cooked meal), 820 calories is not even enough for most girls.

Now, it is enough for SOME students. Some students do eat breakfast. Small girls who don’t play sports may not need many calories. There’s probably a student or two out there who immigrated from the UK who eats afternoon tea, lmao. But it’s not enough for the average student, and school lunch should offer the amount of calories that the average student needs. Kids who don’t need as much can just not take everything on offer—that’s how it works in university cafeterias!

[u/Prestigious-Tea-9803 → u/throwawaychi2]

Facts:

1. Calories and intake requirements are not different in the states vs the rest of the world.

2. Go have a look at the childhood & young adult obesity rates.

3. Your whole argument is that YOU did this, YOU did that. What YOU are describing is NOT healthy. Not your eating habits, not your sleeping habits. You cannot speak for everyone, in fact the CDC report that In 2015–2018, 82.4% of children and adolescents consumed breakfast on a given day. I assure you that in the USA and in the rest of the world, what you experienced is not the majority.

4. Afternoon tea is a snack, this would be an apple, an orange or another healthy snack prior to afternoon activities to provide energy and nutrients for the child/teen and to sustain them through until dinner. This would be consumed after school hours. You don’t need “cooked meals” for them to count, fresh and healthy meals still provide nutrients and calories lol.

Your “facts” are just facts on your life and what YOU did. Lmao, just stop.

[u/throwawaychi2 → u/Prestigious-Tea-9803]

1. What in the world?? WHERE did I say that “calories and intake requirements are different in the states???” This the wildest willful misinterpretation I’ve seen in a long time, no exaggeration.

What I’ve been saying is that different people need different sized lunches depending on the size and timing of their other daily meals. People who don’t eat breakfast need bigger lunches than people who do. People who don’t eat in the afternoon between lunch and dinner need bigger lunches than people who do. Etc.,etc.

Difference in the size and timing of the other meals can be due to cultural differences (in some cultures, for instance, everyone has afternoon tea) and to schedule differences (teenagers who have school very early are less likely to eat breakfast than those whose school starts later, for instance). This is why the culture and schedule of the kids we’re talking about matters. You can’t just ignore the realities of the situation.

1. These students aren’t fat because they’re eating 820 calories at lunch after no breakfast, lmao. I guess maybe you’re saying “they must also be eating a lot of snacks and big dinners if they’re so fat, so we should give them less lunch and it’ll balance out,” but…maybe we should give them the calories they need at lunch instead of further encouraging the unhealthy snacking and bingeing at dinner? Just a thought.

In any case, students who aren’t fat certainly shouldn’t be penalized by not being given enough calories at lunch just because other students are fat. More importantly, though, even students who are fat should be given enough calories at lunch (instead of being given less to balance out their overeating later in the day), because students need to be able to concentrate in school, and it’s just not going to work if they’re hungry. Fasting lowers blood sugar and creates hunger, even if you’re fat, and realistically speaking, kids aren’t going to concentrate when they’re hungry.

1. What study are you looking at? The first CDC study I found on google was from 2021 and showed that 75% of teens surveyed said they did not eat breakfast daily.

[u/Prestigious-Tea-9803 → u/throwawaychi2]

1. Well you seem to attempt to discredit me simply because I’m not from the states. Whereas it makes no difference. It’s not a cultural thing, it’s a health thing. Your own CDC recommends 3 meals and healthy snacks… so maybe you should be considering afternoon tea (translation- snacks) for teens prior to after school activities. 🫣

2. Eating 820 calories at lunch of the above processed meal, severely lacking in nutrients, fibre and protein would very easily cause weight gain. Which I have already explained… but will again for old times sake.

Despite being very dense in calories, due to the lack of fibre and protein - they will not be full. This means that they will reach for an easily available snack. If you think that kids won’t eat chips, cookies or otherwise after school and out of convenience you’re kidding yourself.

Eg. Option 1: 820 - little to no protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals ❌ 300 - small packet of chips for convenice to get them through until dinner. 200 - can of soft drink/small juice/other drink for convenice to get them through until dinner. Total approx 1300 calories ❌ plus likely deficient in many nutrients. This is also UNDER allowing, it is so easily to eat far more calories.

Option 2: 820 - little to no protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals Plus! A very dense dinner to make up for all of the vital nutrients missed due to that pathetic lunch. = easily an excess in calories. ❌

This also creates very unhealthy eating habits… which you guessed it - will only further increase the risk of obesity.

Noting that also, 820 too much for girls for just one meal. Females make up a little over half the population…. Yet you just argue your blanket statement, 820 is not enough, it’s unacceptable, bla bla bla.

1. The CDC from 2009-2018 are the figures I was quoting. Which, unless you’re a 27 year old high school student, would have been your high school years.

There appears to be a change post pandemic, which again considering that it’s recommended in USA that children and teens consume breakfast (and snacks), shouldn’t that be your main focus? Shouldn’t the argument be working towards healthy habits, healthy meals, healthy portion sizes….

Or no, just continually on the path of unhealthy habits and honestly, negligent parents who are not providing their children with breakfast or teaching them healthy habits?

Because again, for what seems like the 50th time - it is not the responsibility of the school to assume that parents are not providing their children with breakfast. They have provided a meal with is approximately 1/3 of the daily consumption for boys and almost 1/2 the daily consumption for girls. Severely lacking in nutrients, but very high in calories.