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Generation Fast Food
Deficiencies in the American Teen Diet
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
Vending machines and fast food venues in school cafeterias, combined with the minimal amount of time teens have for lunch, contributes to the problem. "The school cafeterias are bringing in outside vendors -- not just vending machines, but fast food outlets now have a place in school cafeterias as well," says Burke. "A lot of schools actually have Pizza Hut, they have Dominos and they have Burger King and so on in the schools themselves. Add in the aspect of the decrease in time that teens have for lunch -- some have as little as 15 minutes for lunch. They are using vending machines as they are quicker and offer a shorter waiting time to get their lunch or taking advantage of the fast food venues that are in the schools today."
"In order to get a good place in the lunch line to make sure I can get my lunch, I have to run -- literally," says Alec Shoemaker, an eighth grader from Chester, Va. "But if my class is late getting out or I'm late getting to the cafeteria, I have to wait up to 15 minutes just to get my lunch. Then, after waiting in line, I have about five minutes to eat it. So, it's easier to just put some coins in the vending machines and be able to sit down to eat it all without having to hurry. Most kids don't even get lunch because there isn't enough time."
To combat the threat of school lunches attributing to the deficiencies in the American teen's diet, parents could choose to have teens "pack" or take their lunch to school. By bringing their own lunch, they no longer need to wait in a long linewhich decreases the amount of time they have to eat. Thermal lunch boxes, thermoses and lunch-box-size ice packs make it possible to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold allowing a wider variety of foods to be chosen and taken for a healthy, well-balanced school lunch.
