I went through quite a few research options while deciding on a research topic that would be both interesting and important to me. I began this assignment writing about the effects of reality TV on society, and after doing the first ILP, I realized this topic wasn't interesting for me. While it was relevant to what we were studying in class at the time, I had no personal connection to the effects of technology. However, as a personal trainer, and someone whose always been interested in health, and the effects of bad nutrition I wanted to choose a topic I could use to further educate myself. The topic of nutrition is one that can be approached in a variety of ways, but I wanted to choose a topic that I saw affecting a large amount of the population. I also wanted to choose a subject which I could have some relation to whether it be through friends, or siblings. I personally never went to a public school; however, after watching many documentaries such as "Fed Up" and "Vegucated" along with reading books such as "Free For All" and "Fast Food Nation" I knew I wanted to research and write about a healthy related topic, specifically a topic focused on nutrition. As college students we may think that public school nutrition has no effect on us. However, many of students have younger siblings still in school, and many students in the future will have children who will eat at public schools. According to studies, while our generation is the most educated on topics concerning nutrition and exercise, obesity rates have doubled and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. 

While researching this topic it's difficult not to form a bias against government entities such as the USDA, and families who do not stand up for their children's health.  While researching I have read about many parents who are organizing programs to ensure their children have access to proper nutrients. This made me wonder why all parents are not doing this across the nation, but after further research I realized there were many different factors that I needed to consider.  The government is responsible for school lunches, and while one would think there would be a committee dedicated solely to ensuring school lunches are healthy and well balanced. The USDA is responsible for handling school lunch programs. The USDA is the same organization that ensures the health of all food across the US, along with the sanitation of farms. Therefore, while the USDA may be qualified, it doesn't have the time or resources to dedicate to school nutrition.  Furthermore, many working families do not have the time or resources to worry about their children receiving proper nutrition. Therefore, I need to maintain an open mind about the different variables behind the school lunch programs across America.

I want to learn as much as I can about the school lunch program in America, and how the government standards compare to actual nutrition standards. The USDA states that a potato is considered a healthy vegetable along with items such as pizza and lasagna. I also hope to learn why the school lunch program is so unhealthy, and what can be done to improve it. While I do not want to focus on the tie in between school lunches and obesity I do hope to expand my knowledge on the subject. I realize focusing on this connection would open up the scope of my essay to more than I could manage in an 8-10 page paper. Furthermore,  I want to research how healthy foods can be made more appealable to students. Many lunch programs are trying to pull "junk food" from lunch rooms; however, many social scientists argue that this will not do any good as the "healthy" food supplied in lunch rooms is often passed over due to its lack of flavor or overall "gross" appearance.  

While this research project started out small, when I spend time looking into different facets of school nutrition, the paper tends to grow in many different directions. I need to work on choosing one specific topic about school lunches and nutrition to talk about. Whether that is the cause of poor nutrition, how they can be improved, or even what can be done in one specific area. I want to be able to write a well-educated paper, which focuses on one idea and clearly communicates my argument about the topic. I do not want a paper that touches on a lot of subjects and leaves a lot go questions unanswered. Therefore, I am going to do a little research into each sub-topic both in nutrition and school lunch politics to choose a strong, supportable topic.

I have found a lot of varying opinions on the governments involvement in school lunches whether it be the good they do by providing funding, or the bad they do be integrating themselves in the food industry, and I don't want to write an entire paper that's lost in political opinions. Furthermore, I really want to focus on the children and the effect bad nutrition is having on the younger generations, and how these bad habits will affect them later in life. It is important that something be done as the rates of childhood obesity and diabetes are higher than ever, and no one realizes that the same place children are sent to gain an education is also educating them on how to make incorrect food choices.  Through researching this topic further I plan to figure out what specific topic interests me the most, and really focus on that specific facet of school nutrition.

I hope through writing an essay on the topic of nutrition in public school cafeterias I will be able to further educate myself on nutrition, and how nutrition in schools is controlled. I also hope to be able to use the information gained to help change nutrition in schools once I personally further my education on the topic. 
