In the past, asking a student what their favorite school subject is would often result in the same answer; “lunch.” The lunch break was a time to see friends, soothe those midday hunger pangs and celebrate surviving the first half of a school day. In modern times, it has become a time to make up missed assignments, and, for some students, take additional courses.

In some school systems students are being given the opportunity to forego their given lunch break to take elective courses or get ahead for college. While the students who would take advantage of this opportunity — generally those who want to get ahead on their future endeavors — are choosing this path with good intentions, the choice will end up hurting students in the long run.

Skipping a midday lunch break is not only detrimental to physical health, but mental health as well. The workload that is placed on high school students is already strenuous enough; inserting yet another class into a student’s daily schedule only adds undue stress. Students are continually taxed without adequate time to recuperate.

In addition, skipping lunch promotes an unhealthy lifestyle that will continue later in life. Teens need the nutrition of three meals per day. Cramming meals in running from class to class, or skipping them all together, will cancel out any learning that the student is trying to accomplish. It is nearly impossible to concentrate on schoolwork while experiencing tummy grumbling and hunger-induced headaches.

In the end, the long-term consequences outweigh the short-term benefits. Students should evaluate how much their health is worth to them before choosing to take extra courses in place of a lunch break.