Lunch is something most students look forward to, you get to eat, and it also provides a break away from class. 

Even though it provides a break, lunch is not as long as it should be, and this could be something we look further into. 

Studies have shown that the longer students have to eat lunch, the better they perform in class. According to kingcounty.gov, “Longer school lunch periods, especially longer seated lunch times, result in less food waste as well as improved student performance, cognitive function, physical health, and social/emotional health.” Less food waste could solve many problems not just involving student performance but students’ health would improve by putting food into their bodies. Student performance is visibly increasing when students have more time to eat, as stated in an article by Arianna Prothero from edweek.org where she points out that “by the time students walk to the cafeteria, maybe run to the bathroom, and wait in line for their food, they often don’t have enough time to eat all of their meal—especially the healthy, more fibrous parts—which can have long-lasting effects on their academic performance and behavior.” This explains how when students get longer lunch periods it provides many benefits from school to personal health. Normal periods in school are usually an hour long, and lunch is not as long as the regular even though it is counted as a period. If lunch is going to be counted as an extra period it should get the same time as any other period because it is just as important to students as learning is. 

Also, some people believe that the amount of time for lunch is fine,  for example vancopayments.com stated, “there’s no doubt that any food is better than no food”. Other studies have shown that students who regularly eat hot lunches are more likely to be overweight and obese as opposed to kids who bring their lunches. And poor nutrition can cause cognitive delays in children.” This is wrong because becoming overweight is a consumption of all meals throughout the day which the school does not provide for you, it is up to the students to choose what they want to eat or the amount of physical activity they want to do after school. 

The question, “Do students get enough time for lunch?” was asked to freshman student Christian Williams where he started, “no because we don’t get time to really hang out with our friends and eat at the same time.” Students don’t have enough time to socialize along with eating at lunch and that needs to change. 

School lunches are a huge part of every student’s day and it needs to be a topic of discussion for all schools with short lunch periods as students need a longer time to eat and take a mental break from class.