According to recent findings published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shorter lunch periods can have an impact on whether students make healthier food choices. Researchers at Harvard University discovered that students who had less than 20 minutes for eating their lunches ate significantly less of their entrees, milk and/or vegetables in comparison to those, who were not in a hurry and had more time.

In a statement, lead study author Juliana Cohen, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, said, “Many children, especially those from low-income families, rely on school meals for up to half their daily energy intake so it is essential that we give students a sufficient amount of time to eat their lunches”.

For the research, they gathered data from over 1,000 students attending six elementary and middle schools having lunch periods ranging from 20 to 30 minutes. Some of the participants belonged to low-income urban school districts in Massachusetts. Researchers studied their food selection and consumption by monitoring what they left on their plates at the end of the lunch period.

Researchers found that the students with less than 20 minutes to eat were less likely to eat something filling. In addition, researchers discovered they consumed less than 13% of their entrees, 12% less of their vegetables and 10% less of their milk than the participants who had at least 25 minutes to eat. Researchers found that there was more food waste in groups with less time for lunch break.