I have found several times that my son returns home from school with most of his lunch still in his bag.
It baffled me at first because when he’s at home he always finishes his meals and I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t eating at school. When I asked him about it he said that he didn’t have time to eat it all before he was sent out to play.
Thinking back on it I remember having to throw my lunch into me at break time at school before heading out to the yard.
We were often only given a few minutes to eat before it was time to go outside. With so many changes and improvements being made in Irish schools I thought for sure these ‘rushed lunches’ would be a thing of the past but apparently, they aren’t and they could be causing major health problems.
Research has shown that eating too quickly can cause serious harm to our health and can lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
A study conducted on adults showed that their bodies could not handle rushed lunches over a long period of time without suffering health issues, so what might it do to the health of our children?
Childhood obesity is on the rise in Ireland and many schools are trying to stamp this out by encouraging healthy meals and banning sweets from school grounds.
While this is a fantastic initiative it could be damaged by the fact that even though the food being consumed is healthy, the manner in which is being consumed is not healthy.
Researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan followed up 642 men and 441 women over five years and found that fast eaters were 11.6 percent more likely to have developed metabolic syndrome.
Part of this is due to the fact that you are eating too quickly for your brain to tell your body that you are full. Because of this fast eaters are more likely to overeat.
The link between eating too quickly and obesity is not new news with many studies being conducted on its effects over the years. Why then are school children still forced to eat in a rushed manner?
As a parent its extremely concerning and something I hope schools across the country will look into and change their attitude too, sooner rather than later.
