The news article Lessons from the Lunchroom: Childhood Obesity, School Lunch, and the Way to a Healthier Future by UCSUSA highlights the issues and concerns of growing childhood obesity and how school lunches can help decrease it. Obesity rates among children have more than tripled since 1970.

About 16 percent of children in America are clinically obese. The cause of this may be school lunches. School lunches in the United States are some of the most unhealthy in the world. In places like Brazil and Japan along with other countries, children are served an appropriate portion of lean protein, vegetables, and milk. Their obesity rates in children are significantly lower than that of America. A start to abolishing child obesity is improving their lunches to ensure that they get a balanced mid-day meal. Due to the appalling (and growing) statistics regarding childhood obesity in America, schools should invest the time and money into nutritionally improving school lunches.

Childhood obesity leads to even greater consequences in the future. The article states that “obese children are 10 times more likely than their peers to become obese adults.” As they get older, their risks for chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and more, significantly increase with age and as they enter adulthood.

Teachers and school administrators often argue that new school lunch plans are expensive. However, poor nutrition at school “results in lower academic achievement, which leads to lower-paying jobs which make it harder to maintain healthy lifestyles.” The expenses of decreasing class size and more tutors, more standardized tests, etc. to improve academic achievement would be much more than simply nutritionally improving the lunches. Not being provided the proper nutrients is clearly significantly detrimental to children and the way they grow up. Obesity could ruin someone’s life physically, medically, and financially.

The role of school lunches in child obesity is larger than one may think, as for some students it is their only meal of the day. There are many children who eat the lunch as well as depend on it, for the article states, “School lunches can be a powerful tool to improve the diets of 30 million + children who eat them.” In addition to millions of children eating the lunches, it is said that “children consume half of their daily calories at school” but even so, “On average, U.S. children only eat ⅓ of the recommended amount of daily fruits and vegetables.” One meal may not seem like it could make such a great impact to one’s health, but clearly it is. The statistics speak loud and clear. As this meal is some kids’ only one, proper nutrients should be provided.

We as outsiders can do a lot more about this growing issue than we think. President Trump wants to rid of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). “President Trump’s proposed budget is a threat to food and farm programs that support public health. Slashing SNAP would lead to hunger and suffering for millions of Americans.”

With this proposal, the rates of child obesity are going to become even worse as the “nutrition” children are given know will be heavily decreased. However, there is something we can do, for “92% of Congress members report that individualized emails have some or a lot of influence.” Congress ultimately writes the federal budget-not the president. Write today (for the sake of childhood obesity) and tell your members of Congress that these cuts are unacceptable.