Every day, Lakeland High School students go off campus for lunch and wait in long lines for fast food or drinks. Most students go to coffee stands or one of the variety of fast food restaurants. The only problem is that consuming these types of food daily is not very healthy for teens.
A well-balanced diet may take a lot of work to maintain, given the unhealthy food options in Rathdrum, especially for student-athletes who have stricter diets depending on their sport. If Rathdrum were to have a healthier “fast food” option while maintaining similar prices, I feel that it would do well and benefit the students.
“If the prices were similar or even cheaper, I would try the healthier option,” LHS sophomore Charlie Mattila said.
If Rathdrum were to put in a place with healthier food options, pricing would be a big factor. Teenagers more than likely would not go for the healthier option if it was super pricey. If it were to stay in a similar price range and have a wide variety of options, it could attract more teens and even adults in the area.
“I usually just go to Golden Glo for lunch,” LHS junior Liberty Hatcher said, “If there were a healthier option, I would probably try it out or go when I feel like something other than Golden Glo.”
Lots of students see Golden Glo or San Francisco Sourdough as the healthier option off campus, but both are still not very good for you. They are not as bad as McDonald’s or Taco Bell, but they still contain unwanted sugars and tempt you with other unhealthy choices.
I go off campus every day for lunch and fall victim to the unhealthy food options. After a while, it grosses me out, and eating the same things every day makes me hate it.
If there were a healthier option, I would try it out for a change and a better food source. I also agree with the price range, though. If it is similar to the other options in town, then I would go a couple of times, but if it were too expensive, being a broke high school student, I would go with the cheaper option.
A wide variety of options would be a deal breaker, too; if they have a lot to choose from and more than just one thing in a couple of different flavors, I would be more interested. If they only had a few options on their menu and not many different types of healthy food or drinks, it would be less appealing.
Opening up a new food option in Rathdrum may not be appealing or interesting to everyone, but there are a few people who would love to have healthier options or at least feel like they have that choice. It would also be a nice change for people who are sick of having the same things over and over again.
Not only will this be a good change for teenagers in the Lakeland school district, but it would also be a good choice for the community.
