Are School Lunches at Colonie Central High Just That Good?

By Todd Lawson

It seems that public high schools have strayed away from a more nutritious approach when serving meals. Are public schools delivering an adequate lunch for students? Eric Downey, a Colonie High School junior answered this question in the West Wing Cafeteria at Colonie High. He seemed eager to give out his opinion. He simply responded and said, “I’d like to see more variety, nothing less.”

When it comes to eating healthy at CCHS, it seems very difficult to find a regular student that goes with the lunch from home approach. Many students go with the buying lunch choice. Typical foods, bought by most students, are the wraps, pizza, chicken and french fries, nachos, ice cream, and pretzels. All of which, with the exception of the wrap, are unhealthy lunch choices according to most dieticians. Downey believes there should be a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins in our lunch menus. In his opinion he believes students are being denied the basic principle of a healthy choice when sitting down for lunch. Downey said, “Athletes tend to eat healthier at lunch.”

Athletes are not the only ones who can make a healthy lunch choice, anybody can. That difference is what separates a healthy student from an obese one. For Downey, more options at the lunch table are a want for him. He’d love to see a salad bar, pasta bar, and sushi bar at CCHS before he graduates in 2013. He said, “Lunches are good depending on the type of day,” but why can’t our public schools change his saying to, “Lunches are good, every day?” Nutrition is something that most Americans in the United States have struggled with in the past decade. We are becoming more of an obese nation. If we can fix nutrition in our public schools by offering healthier foods and supplying more options, then the healthy nutritious choices can be made easier for a student like Downey. The ultimate goal is a healthier lunch. Before he left West Wing Cafeteria though, Eric picked up his wrap and said, “Lunch is a mouthful.” With that last saying, you are left with a single question: what will happen to improve our cafeteria here at CCHS?