It’s been recommended over and over: If you only offer healthy food in the cafeteria and vending machines, children will make better choices, ultimately maintaining a reasonable body mass index (BMI).
Dr. Michael Yedidia’s research backs that idea up once again. The research professor at Rutgers University co-authored a study among 19,000 New Jersey students, which found healthier food choices resulted in lower BMIs.
“Assessing what is served, the numbers of healthy items — both in the meals programs and the vending machines, as well as what is served à la carte — we found the schools that had healthier items than other schools, that the weight status was healthier,” he said.
“There has been a federal initiative to the (National School Lunch Program) … to upgrade the nutritional standards of meals, and there are proposals to roll them back.”
Yedidia said policymakers need proof that shows healthy food programs should not be cut or rolled back.
His research also concluded that educators should think twice before cutting recess and gym class, because those programs also had a positive effect on a student’s weight.
The rest of Yedidia's findings are outlined below: