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Carleigh Scott

2136 W. Emory Rd

Powell, Tennessee 37849

s1079806@student.knoxschools.org

15 december 2023

Spring Semester English II student

Powell High School

2136 W. Emory Rd

Powell, Tennessee 37849

Dear Dr. Smith,

Not only on my behalf but probably the entire student body would agree that lunch is too

short. Given the amount of knowledge we consume and the extensive amount of learning that a

student goes through in one day we should at least have 35 minutes. Limiting the lunch time to

25 minutes is hurting the little social time we have with our friends, the ability to relax for a

little, and consume a wholesome meal. By the time students get to the lunch room, wait for their

lunch, and sit down and eat it they only have about 5 minutes or less to relax. This also makes

students rush and eat their food fast or don’t eat at all.

A 2015 study from the Harvard School of Public Health, students with less than a 20-

minute lunch break tended to prioritize quick, unhealthy food options. Items like fruits and

vegetables, more nutritious but requiring more time, often ended up untouched and discarded

after the lunch period. This highlights a tendency for students to opt for fast foods and beverages
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in a rush as their lunchtime diminishes. Studies have also shown that sometimes when students

have an inadequate lunch it affects their school performance as well. It is also distracting to other

students when someone's stomach is growling loud enough for people to hear.

A child's ability to learn and manage impulsive behaviors is directly linked to a healthy

diet, with deficiencies in minerals like zinc, protein, and omega-3s impairing cognitive

development. Unhealthy fats in a student's diet can lead to decreased cognition and behavioral

issues. Comprehensive school nutrition planning involves not only making healthy foods

available but also ensuring students have sufficient time to eat. Also another idea that could

improve students' eating habits are allowing students to leave campus. Some students don’t have

a lot of food at home and don’t like the school lunch so they don’t eat. There are also a number

of students that don’t like eating in front of people or they don’t have friends to sit with.
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Annotated Bibliography

Harris School Solutions. (2023/12/15). What Happens When Students Don't Have Time to Eat

Lunch? https://harrisschoolsolutions.com/blogposts/what-happens-when-students-dont-have-

time-to-eat-lunch/

I used this site to help me think of more ideas on how school lunches should be longer. This site

was very useful. It gave great points and mainly talked about how food affects academic

performance.