Cafeteria Food: Is it REALLY Good for you?

An analysis of the cafeteria lunches and their nutritional value.

Schools claim that the lunch they serve is healthy, but is that really just a claim? According to the online menu for Noe Middle School, some of the foods aren't as healthy as they seem. Is it healthier to bring a homemade lunch to school?

Did you know that the peanut butter and jelly served in the cafeteria is 630 calories? Imagine you are going through the lunch line and you pick out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sounds okay, right? Little do you know that bringing a homemade sandwich would be better for not only your taste buds, but also healthier. A typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich (made from generic peanut butter, welsh grape jelly, and white bread) has around 317 calories. This makes the sandwich served at Noe almost double in calories.

So why doesn’t everyone just bring their lunch? The main factor is cost. Some people can't afford to bring a lunch to school, so they rely on the free breakfast and lunch served. If most food that is served in the cafeteria is unhealthy, this can affect how students perform in school. Studies show that after eating unhealthy food, students seem more tired, and tend to do worse on tests.

In conclusion, data proves that school lunches might not be as healthy as they seem. This can affect students who can't afford to bring their own lunch to school. Overall this can affect the health of JCPS students.

#LillianMetzmeier