Written by: Ingrid

Edited by: Li

School cafeterias are meant to provide students, teachers, and staff throughout the day with the nutrients they need to learn and thrive. However, at our cafeteria, the Kantina, the majority of food provided is far from nutritious. Some ISM students state that healthier food options are available, while others disagree and believe more nutritious and well-balanced meals are needed. What food should the Kantina provide? Should ISM, through its Kantina, force healthy eating upon its students? 

In the Kantina, many meals are high in saturated and trans fats, low in fiber, and lack sufficient vegetables. Jones Jr., a Kantina restaurant that serves a mix of American-style diner and fast food, serves burgers, french fries, mac ’n cheese, and many other meals high in fat and low in nutrients. Additionally, Gokinjo, a restaurant that specializes in Japanese cuisine, serves primarily deep-fried foods accompanied by white rice, a refined, low-in-nutrient grain. While healthier options, such as salads, do exist, they aren’t consistently available and are frequently low in stock. Students have discussed this issue, with some believing that the current Kantina restaurants provide enough choices, while others argue that changes are necessary.

Our school must prioritize healthier food options, as a poor diet greatly impacts physical health, academic performance, and overall well-being. According to the World Health Organisation, “a healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition [as it] protects you against many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.” Thus, the Kantina’s food options should reflect that the key to a healthy diet is “eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats.” A healthy diet, especially as a child or adolescent, is critical, as it supports brain development, muscle function and growth, digestive system function, and much more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 Due to poorly nutritious meals and snacks provided by the Kantina, many students’ diets aren’t balanced. One of the most popular snacks is french fries, flavored with various artificial seasonings. “I eat around three portions of barbeque french fries a week,” says an anonymous grade 11 student. She jokingly says, “I would probably be way healthier if the Kantina didn’t serve french fries.” Another common snack the Kantina serves are diet sodas. According to Jacob Wolf, a naturopathic physician at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health, “although diet soda doesn’t contain sugar, the artificial sweeteners, flavor enhancers and other chemical additives can be harmful to your health.” Additionally, studies have shown a link between diet sodas and Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome, AFib & High Blood Pressure, Weight Gain & Disrupted Hunger Signals, and many other serious health issues, according to University Hospitals. 

Furthermore, healthier meal alternatives are difficult to find. For example, the prepackaged Caesar salads sold at the Pantree is frequently sold out and is rarely served in the first place. The smoothies provided at Corner Tree are overpriced, small portioned, and take a long time to make, and only a few vegetarian options are offered. Ultimately, if nutritious meals were more accessible, more students would opt for them, leading them to have a healthier and more balanced diet. 

Beyond physical health, nutrition affects mental health and brain function. According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, people with diets high in “ultra-processed foods, such as packaged cereals, frozen meals, and sweets, may have a higher chance of feeling depressed and anxious.” Additionally, “during childhood and adolescence, poor nutrition and low diet quality have been shown to harm brain development and cognitive function, leading to poor school performance.”  Similarly, “studies also have found a link between high consumption of fatty foods and sweetened drinks in childhood and problems with executive function,” according to the American Heart Association.

Some argue that the Kantina already offers a range of foods and that students can choose healthier options. Others believe ISM should not dictate its students’ eating habits, and everyone, students and staff alike, should be free to choose what they eat based on preference. “I personally think that ISM offers a wide range of healthy meal options, like, even as a vegetarian, I don’t think it’s too hard to find something relatively healthy and vegetarian to eat,” says an anonymous grade 11 student. 

Ultimately, while our Kantina does provide some healthy and well-balanced meals, like its Caesar salads, Mediterranean salads, smoothies, and cut-up fresh fruit, most meals are high in saturated and trans-fats, low in fiber, and highly processed. Thus, while past efforts have been made to make our Kantina healthier and more inclusive of dietary restrictions, much remains to be done. ISM must rethink and alter the meals it provides by prioritizing whole foods, increasing vegetable portions, and consistently providing nutritious meals. If we at ISM truly value student success, we must acknowledge food’s role in our health and lives. 

Work Cited:

CDC. “Benefits of Healthy Eating for Children.” Nutrition, 14 May 2024, http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/php/resources/healthy-eating-benefits-for-children.html.

UHBlog. “Is Diet Soda a Healthy Choice?” Uhhospitals.org, University Hospitals, 24 June 2024, http://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2024/06/think-diet-soda-is-a-healthy-choice-think-again.

“Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Poorer Brain Health | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.” Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, HSPH, 23 May 2023, hsph.harvard.edu/news/ultra-processed-foods-poorer-brain-health/.

Williamson, Laura. “Food for Thought: How Diet Affects the Brain over a Lifetime.” Www.heart.org, 27 Sept. 2024, http://www.heart.org/en/news/2024/09/27/food-for-thought-how-diet-affects-the-brain-over-a-lifetime.

World Health Organization. “Healthy Diet.” World Health Organization, 2021, http://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/healthy-diet.