{"id":10676,"date":"2025-05-16T08:47:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T14:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/?page_id=10676"},"modified":"2025-09-25T08:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:25:11","slug":"why-eat-school-lunch","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/why-eat-school-lunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Eat School Lunch?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research shows that school lunch is <em>more<\/em> <strong>nutritious<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tufts University: <a href=\"https:\/\/now.tufts.edu\/2021\/04\/12\/study-finds-americans-eat-food-mostly-poor-nutritional-quality-except-school\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/now.tufts.edu\/2021\/04\/12\/study-finds-americans-eat-food-mostly-poor-nutritional-quality-except-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Study finds Americans eat food of mostly poor nutritional quality \u2013 except at school<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cambridge University: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/public-health-nutrition\/article\/comparisons-of-school-and-homepacked-lunches-for-fruit-and-vegetable-dietary-behaviours-among-schoolaged-youths\/E92C9EFEBF674A92DAD8DEAA79D09614\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/public-health-nutrition\/article\/comparisons-of-school-and-homepacked-lunches-for-fruit-and-vegetable-dietary-behaviours-among-schoolaged-youths\/E92C9EFEBF674A92DAD8DEAA79D09614\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Study finds that students that bring home lunch may be consuming less fruits and vegetables than their peers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>School Nutrition Association Position: <a href=\"https:\/\/schoolnutrition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Lunch-Benefits.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/schoolnutrition.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Lunch-Benefits.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">School lunch nourishes students (PDF),<\/a> promoting healthy body weight and diet diversity while reducing food insecurity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>School lunch meals follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fns.usda.gov\/school-meals\/nutrition-standards\/nslp-meal-pattern\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.fns.usda.gov\/school-meals\/nutrition-standards\/nslp-meal-pattern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strict nutritional requirements for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12<\/a>. Schools are required to offer students fruits, vegetables, grains (primarily whole), protein, and dairy in designated amounts weekly. Limits are placed on saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>School lunch requirements align with the framework detailed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dietaryguidelines.gov\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.dietaryguidelines.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dietary Guidelines for Americans<\/a>, which is updated every 5 years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We recommend students receive at least<strong> 20 minutes seated time<\/strong> for eating lunch. Mealtimes and bell schedules are decided annually by individual school administrators and not Granite Nutrition Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Centers for Disease recommends administrations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/school-nutrition\/school-meals\/time-for-lunch.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthyschools\/nutrition\/school_lunch.htm?fbclid=IwAR1VelUqJA13ihwnc69wTaaJcnLDRsOI7stJaqyN60I_Lxwh52vKudoXVLA\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/school-nutrition\/school-meals\/time-for-lunch.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthyschools\/nutrition\/school_lunch.htm?fbclid=IwAR1VelUqJA13ihwnc69wTaaJcnLDRsOI7stJaqyN60I_Lxwh52vKudoXVLA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make time for school lunch<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upcoming Changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div 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srcset=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"11980\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/why-eat-school-lunch\/image-1-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1.png\" data-orig-size=\"1200,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"image-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1-1024x1024.png\" src=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Image stating added sugar restrictions\" class=\"wp-image-11980\" style=\"width:273px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"11983\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/why-eat-school-lunch\/image-4-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-4.png\" data-orig-size=\"1200,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"image-4\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-4-1024x1024.png\" src=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-4-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Image stating new sodium reduction rule\" class=\"wp-image-11983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/05\/image-4-300x300.png 300w, 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gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div style=\"padding-right:1.5%;margin-top:3%;margin-bottom:1.5%\" class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\" style=\"max-width:1419px\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_gsd_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10676","page","type-page","status-publish","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10676"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12690,"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10676\/revisions\/12690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.graniteschools.org\/nutritionservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}