Chairs scrape tile and papers flutter as students scramble from their first hour classes. Some plow on to their next block, but a considerable herd of feet scuffles through the halls to claim benches, tables or spots in the lunch line.
In the cafeteria, cashiers ring up trays of salads, fries and fruits. Hasty hands snatch napkins and silverware. Elsewhere, the sound of lunch bags zipping open mingles with the clatter of bento boxes and metal thermoses.
The A lunch rush has begun. It’s 10:30 a.m.
Two lunch times exist at the high school level: one at 10:30 a.m. (A lunch) and one at 12:15 p.m (B lunch). Whichever lunch or lunch combination students have depends on their assigned schedules. Some students have both lunches on alternating days.
While the exact details of when, where and what one eats vary from person to person, all students need energy to get through school and subsequent activities. Eating at an early or different lunch time each day creates challenges, such as staying focused and managing hunger, for students, such as sophomore Brooke Walker.
Walker, who eats A lunch on A days and B lunch on B days, said she prefers B lunch over A lunch because of the balance it creates in her schedule. In addition, she said she does not feel hungry at 10:30 a.m. when A lunch begins.
“B lunch splits my classes up in half, so I get a break in the middle,” Walker said, “while A lunch provides me with a small break in the morning, which doesn’t allow me to stay as focused in class throughout the day with having three classes after I eat my lunch.”
Besides struggling to stay engaged throughout the afternoon, Walker said A lunch makes running cross country difficult. She said the sport is “very exhausting and draining” and “staying refreshed and hydrated throughout the day is crucial for success in the sport.”
Jennifer Polniak, who is a board certified physician assistant and has a Masters of Science in public health nutrition and physician assistant studies, said A lunch is very early and would advise highschool students with A lunch to eat a snack later in the day, especially if they participate in sports.
“Having that kind of lunch and then trying to do any kind of athletic or good academic performance without having something else in your body, especially when you’re in high school and your metabolism is high, I wouldn’t call that a lunch, I’d call that a brunch,” Polniak said, “and then you’d need to have something else to eat about two in the afternoon.”
Walker, however, said many of her teachers do not permit food in class. To compensate she must eat during the assigned lunch times or snack during passing periods.
For students whose teachers won’t let them eat during an academic block, Polniak suggests they carry a protein bar to make up for eating an early lunch. She said going all day without eating negatively impacts one’s ability to function.
“I think what the worst thing that you can do is just fast all day and eat one meal,” Polniak said. “I think that kind of puts your body in a starvation state, so you end up really not using your nutrients as well as you could, and your energy levels can really peak and fall.”
To avoid energy fluctuations throughout the day, senior Yaser Al-Rawi brings a snack on the days he eats A lunch. He said most of his teachers permit food in class.
“I normally don’t eat a large breakfast anyways, but I’m definitely more likely to grab something to eat for breakfast on B days,” Al-Rawi said, “and on A days I’ll sometimes bring a snack and not eat breakfast since A lunch is so early.”
Though not committed to athletics, Al-Rawi said he is hungry by the end of the day. An early A lunch exacerbates his hunger, but he eats snacks and the school-provided dinners to tide him over.
“I used to do nothing differently on days with A lunch, but if I had a club after school, I was really hungry during that time,” Al-Rawi said. “I learned that Rock Bridge has an after-school dinner, so if the club wasn’t providing any snacks, I would just get one of those.”
Regardless of when students chose to eat, Polniak said all meals, including snacks, should be nutritious. Examples of both satiatiating and nutritious foods include fruits, vegetables, protein and whole-grains as opposed to simple sugars, such as candy according to Harvard Health.
An article from Mayo Clinic states that whole grains include foods such as popcorn and brown rice and appear in their original form or “retain all parts of the seed” when ground into flour. Whole grains contain higher amounts of fiber and nutrients than refined grains. Polniak further explained the importance of incorporating healthy foods into one’s diet.
“I think if you do snack, you know, making sure that they’re quality snacks and that they’re protein or fruits and nuts [and] just not junk food,” Polniak said, “because that’s the kind of food that doesn’t really stick with you, doesn’t really offer you any good nutrition and tends to do more harm than good.”
Polniak said whether one chooses to eat small snacks versus three defined meals throughout the day is a matter of individual needs and preferences. As far different lunch times each day, she said the time difference is negligible for most students.
“In the real world, most of us aren’t like, ‘It’s 9:04 and 38 seconds. I must eat’,” Polniak said. “I mean, most of us don’t follow that kind of a regimen.”
In certain cases, however, following an agenda may benefit those who struggle with making healthy choices. According to eatright.org, eating at regular intervals prevents hunger between meals, decreasing the likelihood one may reach for that cookie. In addition, a stricter meal times promotes a healthy metabolism.
“[Eating on a schedule] really depends on your goals and what your activity level is. If you’re somebody who’s very athletic and you need to frequently fuel your body, then listening to your body is probably more important,” Polniak said. “If you’re somebody who maybe has a tendency to overeat or not make the best choices, then trying to follow a regimented schedule might be a better idea for you.”
Ultimately, Polniak said most students can compensate for the time difference between A and B lunch naturally or with a snack. When given a choice, however, both Al-Rawi and Walker said they prefer B lunch over A lunch.
“[B lunch] is closer to the normal lunch time for people, and you don’t really get hungry by the time you’re in fourth hour, so it’s a bit better,” Al-Rawi said. “It’s more balanced in the middle of the day, so you don’t get hungry later.”
In addition, Walker said she would prefer a consistent lunch every day at a later time. She said this would keep her fueled during both school and sports.
“I would rather have B lunch everyday,” Walker said, “so my meal schedule stays consistent everyday, which allows me to stay happy and healthy while enjoying things I love, like cross country.”
Which lunch do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.
