At a time when South Carolina is ranked the second highest state for childhood obesity, and the South Carolina high school graduation rate is almost four percent below the national average, it is time to take a step back and look at the basics. These two major issues might seem unrelated, but with closer analysis nutrition links them together. Good nutrition is essential during the early childhood stages in order for children to properly develop mentally and physically, so that they can become successful students and go on to have successful careers. Poor nutrition during childhood can have detrimental effects on brain development, impairing a child's ability to learn, their problem solving tactics, as well as their memorization. Poor nutrition can also be detrimental to a child's physical development, for example their vision, motor skills, language as well as their social skills are affected (Nutrition Can Greatly). In order for children in South Carolina to have an equal opportunity at becoming successful not only academically but in all aspects of their lives, they must be provided with access to healthy, nutritious, well-balanced meals, starting in elementary school development and growth rates are at their peak. 

I have always been fascinated with food and nutrition for many reasons, starting first when I began to run track in middle school and continued to in high school. Running track in high school taught me how important it is to provide my body with nutrient filled, well-balanced meals, so that I could perform my best and feel my best at practice and at meets. During track season, I removed junk food and fast food from my diet, as I found out it was detrimental to my athletic abilities. My fascination with food and nutrition expanded when I grew interested in cooking, so that I was aware of all of the ingredients in what I was eating. I learned that in order to gain the maximum health benefits from cooking and eating, it is important to get fresh ingredients from local farms that refrain form using pesticides, antibiotics, and genetically modified organisms. 

I chose to focus specifically on nutrition and how it affects childhood development because I believe it is essential that everything in the government and community's power should be done to ensure the success of future generations. In high school I was a member of a club called Bright Knights, which tutored elementary school children in a poverty stricken neighborhood every week for an hour and a half. Seeing the impact I had on the child I was paired with was eye opening and inspiring. I learned from this experience that it is the responsibility of the community to provide every child with an equal opportunity to succeed, whether that be with tutoring or access to healthy, well-balanced meals. 

"Opinion: To Combat Malnutrition, Don't Just Produce More Food- Produce Better Food", an article written by Jose Graziano da Silva and published on the National Geographic website, discusses the issue of malnutrition and how he believes we can fix it. Silva states that in order to overcome hunger we cannot just increase the quantity of food, we need to increase the quality as well. He states that the health of two billion malnourished people is affecting their everyday lives, and holding them back from reaching their full potential. Silva is the director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and he served as special minister of food security in Brazil (Silva).  His article is very informative, and showcases his experience with food and agriculture.

Bill Gates expands upon the solution of enriching the quality of food produced, in his essay titled "Why Does Hunger Still Exist in Africa", which is published on his blog. Gates states that the best investment for a child's future is getting them the right nutrition for the first 1,000 days of their lives, so that they can develop physically and mentally. Like Silva in the above article, Gates believes that the answer lies in improving the quality of food produced. He says that when children cannot get the nutrients they need because of a lack of access to foods such as: meat, fruit, and vegetables, they are unable to reach the daily amount of vitamins and minerals they need. A solution Gates is exploring is increasing the amount of nutrients in staple foods, for example creating vitamin-enriched flour. Gates is the founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, which focuses resources on eradicating world hunger in woman and children. His essay explores possible solutions to malnutrition in an unbiased manner, by presenting sufficient evidence to support his claims. 

"A Fresh Look at What School Menus Can be", an article written by Dan Frosch and published in the New York Times newspaper, discusses the progress being made at the annual School Nutrition Association conference. In attendance at the conference included: the First Lady, Michelle Obama, school chefs, food service workers and nutrition experts. The article discusses how many school chefs in Denver are switching to cooking meals on the menu from scratch. The article says that cooking from scratch adds fresher, local fruits and vegetables to the menu, and cuts out a lot of processed food. However, it is stated that cooking from scratch increases the number of laborers needed, as well as money spent on food. Frosch concludes that overall the benefits of cooking from scratch outweigh the added cost, and that great progress is being made for school lunch menus. This article builds credibility by using the support of many accredited chefs and nutritionists to support the author's claims.

Increasing the nutrition of elementary school lunches is arguable because, schools can continue to serve meals that don't meet the nutrition needs of students, which will have long term effects on the students' mental and physical development, or schools can update their menus and cut out processed foods as well and add more fruits and vegetables to their menu. The biggest opposing argument to my question is that it will increase the cost of school lunches, however it should be viewed and presented as in investment in future generations. With the right support, this extra cost can be overlooked by providing statistics and supporting evidence of how nutrition is essential to a child's success. One potential challenge for my research topic will be finding and collecting updated data for local elementary schools in Columbia, South Carolina. 

It is the responsibility of the community, as well as the government to provide each child in America with an equal opportunity to succeed. It is important that the extra cost of improving school lunch menus is viewed as an investment in the future, which will repay itself when South Carolina's obesity rate drops, and the high school graduation rate rises. Providing healthy, nutritious meals for elementary kids will allow them to grow and develop properly, and become successful. 

