m 50 years ago as a "measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's children." During World War 2 while they were drafting men, they found that they had to turn away many young men because of serious nutritional deficiencies. The NSLP was determined to provide the opportunity for children across the United States to receive at least one healthful meal every school day (Food and Consumer Service, 2). I thought that my school lunch was bad, obviously it has come quite a way because I was never left feeling malnourished.The NSLP provided meals to 26.1 million children in 1998. Over 93,000 schools currently participate in the National School Lunch Program. About 95 percent of all elementary and secondary school students partake in school lunches. Where does the money come from in order for schools to provide nutritious meals at low cost? Why the federal government of course. In 1997, the federal cost for the National School Lunch Program was $5.5 million. If you ask me, it's a small price to pay for the education and well being of our children (Food and Consumer Service, 3).No matter what the school-based program is for school lunches, they can all "play an important role in promoting lifelong healthy eating" (Journal of School Health, 9). Diet influences the potential for learning as well as health. Healthy eating from preschool to the 12th grade is very important, because the effects it has on the "health, growth and intellectual development" of our youth (Journal of School Health, 9). The effects of unhealthy eating patterns include undernutrition, iron deficiency anemia, and overweight and obesity. Even just a little bit of undernutriton can have a lasting effect on a child's thinking skills. They can attain lower scores on standardized achievement tests, especially those on language ability.I hate feeling hungry, when you get cranky and then begin to feel sick. When you become "so hu...
