Longer School Lunches Healthier for Kids

In a recent article, written by Karen Kaplan of the Los Angele Times (TNS), a study revealed that if students were given more time to eat lunch then they ate more fruts and vegetables.

The study 'analyzed the eating habits of over one thousand elementary- and middle- school students in Boston-area schools.' Six schools in total participated in this Modifying Eating and Lifestyles at School (MEALS) study.

Lunch Periods

School 1: 20 minutes

Schools 2,3,4: 30 minutes (ranging 10 - 33 minutes to eat)

Schools 5,6: 25 minutes

Ultimately, students ate more food when they were able to sit down longer . "The kids with the longest lunch periods ate 47 percent of their  vegetables and drank 73 percent of their milk, on average. By comparison, the kids with the shortest lunches ate only 35 percent of their vegetables and drank only 62 percent of their milk, on average."

Click here to read more.

Go to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Detetics to read the published study.