• The BELL, Liberty High School, Liberty, MO
  • Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @TheLHSBell
The school news site of Liberty High School

LHS News

The school news site of Liberty High School

LHS News

The school news site of Liberty High School

LHS News

Um, Where’s the Salt?

Um%2C+Where%E2%80%99s+the+Salt%3F

by MacKenzie Sackett |

It’s the first day back to school, and it’s lunchtime. I grab the same lunch that I grab every Thursday and I make my way to the condiments table. To my surprise I see that there is no salt, just pepper sitting there by its lonesome. I figured maybe the school was out of salt and it would return the next day. But day after day there was still no salt. I finally asked one of the lunch ladies what was up. To my horror she replied, “Thank Michelle Obama, the school cut out salt.”
Now, anyone who has sat with me at lunch for the past two years knows that I always put salt on my food at lunch. I have been teased about it by my friends for years but the reason I put salt on my food is because, let’s be honest, the food in our cafeteria can be bland. For me, putting salt on the food helps out the flavor a bit especially when it comes to the popcorn chicken and mashed potatoes. Without salt and pepper on them, it’s like cardboard.
I was so appalled by finding out that our school was no longer going to have salt that I decided to find out what exactly was going through our first lady, Michelle Obama’s, mind in deciding that schools shouldn’t have salt. Suprisingly, I discovered that it was not that our school wasn’t going to allow us to have salt, but that it is from the new health guidelines that the district and other districts all over the country are now starting to follow. According to an article from USA Today, Michelle Obama is campaigning to have schools in the US start becoming healthier by making healthier meal plans and encouraging exercise at school, since obesity in children and adults is now at a staggering 32%, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I will be the first person to admit that, yes, I could be a little healthier, maybe cut down on using too much salt and the almost weekly McDonalds run.  But I am 17 years old and I can make my own decisions about what I decide to put in my stomach. Students are old enough to decide whether they want to put salt on their food and Michelle Obama should not be able to tell them that they cannot eat what they want.
On the bright side, kids like myself who are not happy with the new changes in the cafeteria have some alternatives. They can bring their own lunch from home or, like me, can bring their own saltshaker.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All LHS News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *