Take a look inside kids lunchboxes from around the world!

• More than one-third of kids in America are obese or overweight. In 2013, the National School Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools, served 5.1 billion lunches, Bloomberg reports. The quality of these lunches must somehow correlate to the health of America’s youth, considering more than 32 million children are served NSLP every day.

It is safe to say that here in the US in particular, we are facing an obesity crisis, with over thirty per cent of kids in America being classed as obese or overweight. With more than 32 million children served NSLP (National School Lunch Program) every day, a closer look was taken at the meals served to the youth, from other parts of the world.

Sweetgreen, a health focused quick serve restaurant, confirmed the differences between the US student lunches and those of other countries, by photographing typical school lunches, and the results truly are eye opening!

A typical lunch served in the U.S.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Fried “popcorn” chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, fruit cup and a chocolate chip cookie.

Brazil

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Pork with mixed veggies, black beans and rice, salad, bread and baked plantains.

Italy

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Local fish on a bed of arugula, pasta with tomato sauce, caprese salad, baguette and some grapes.

Finland

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Pea soup, beet salad, carrot salad, bread and pannakkau (dessert pancake) with fresh berries.

South Korea

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Fish soup, tofu over rice, kimchi and fresh veggies.

France

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Steak, carrots, green beans, cheese and fresh fruit.

Greece

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Baked chicken over orzo, stuffed grape leaves, tomato and cucumber salad, fresh oranges, and Greek yogurt with pomegranate seeds.

Ukraine

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Mashed potatoes with sausage, borscht, cabbage and syrniki (a dessert pancake).

Spain

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com.au

Sautéed shrimp over brown rice and vegetables, gazpacho, fresh peppers, bread and an orange.

This really does show a stark difference in the quality of our meals compared to the rest of the world. While our main protein source is commonly something such as processed chicken nuggets, other countries are opting for local fish, cheeses and soups.

Perhaps we need another visit from Jamie Oliver…

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/02/25/school-lunches-around-the-world_n_6746164.html?ir=Australia

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/what-school-lunches-look-like-in-20-countries-arou#.rfy66Pj8a