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Little Time

Reading this reminded me of J when she was in school. Always a slow eater and chatty person, the shortness of the lunch hour did not serve her well at all. It bothered me that she prioritized socializing over eating her meal but the reality as this article points out, is that even a kid who ate at a faster clip would not find it sufficient time. 

So there was little hope for J. We got into this strange routine of an extra large breakfast and very early dinner to make up for that long gap in between. I used to think this was a problem specific to J because of who she is but I could have been wrong. The recommended 20 minutes is woefully inadequate for any kid. It also explains why healthy options are scarce in school meals

Healthier foods generally take more time to consume—consider the extra effort that goes into peeling and eating an orange versus consuming more processed foods such as canned fruit. And the more kids that participate in school meals programs—the likely outcome from offering them for free—the longer it will take to cycle all those students through the lunch lines, cutting into seat time.


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