Longer Lunch Periods May Lead to Healthier Kids

Should kids in school be given more time to eat lunch? When given a few extra minutes, they might make healthier choices. A recent study published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics showed that food selection and the amount of food consumed are related to the amount of time students are given to eat.

The study measured the food selections and plate waste of 1,001 students in grades three through eight. The students were spread across six elementary schools located in an urban, low-income school district in Massachusetts.

The six participating schools had set lunch periods of 20, 25 and 30 minutes. Students were able to pick three out of five offered food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, milk and protein. When researchers looked at the selection of foods, 57 percent of students chose a fruit when given at least 25 minutes to eat, while only 44 percent of students with less than 20 minutes to eat chose a fruit (timing started when students left the lunch line and stopped at the end of the lunch period).

Although there was no significant relationship between the amount of time and the selection of the entree, vegetable and milk components, results showed that more of these options were consumed when children were given more time to eat. Using plate-waste methodology researchers found that when students had less than 20 minutes for lunch (meaning they were at the end of the lunch line or arrived late for other reasons) they consumed, on average, 13 percent less of their entrees, 12 percent less of their vegetable and 10 percent less of their milk compared with students who had at least 25 minutes to eat.

Bottom Line: The quality of school lunches has been a recent topic for policy makers, but there are currently no national standards for the length of school lunch periods. These findings show that when students aren’t given enough time to eat, their choices and intake are affected. If schools provide at least 30 minutes for a lunch period, students will have the time they need to travel to the cafeteria, wait in line, and eat their lunch, leading to less plate waste and improved dietary intake. 

Source

Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs