Does society know that the government can impose restrictions what students are eating for lunch? What foods do students enjoy eating for lunch? The foods that they enjoy the most might not be allowed to be served in their school cafeteria. The government is finding ways to change cafeteria food to be improved and healthier for the consumers. This will result in improved, healthier lunches and breakfasts around the country.
Lunch is an important meal of the day and many children eat it at school. It helps our bodies and brains grow and develop into the way that they are supposed to by boosting our metabolism and giving us energy for the rest of the day. But it's probably one of the biggest problems in schools throughout America. We are told to eat healthy and good but we cannot always do that with the choices we have at the school. Students are being fed unhealthy lunches at school cafeterias simply because it is cheaper to produce unhealthy processed foods so alternatives and healthier food go away.
John Doe Beth Eyres Essay 3 – Persuasive 7/4/12 School Lunches Many of us rely on schools to provide healthy nutritious lunches for our children. However, where does the food come from? The food our children eat daily, nine months out of the year is not all that it is made out to be. One in three children are overweight or obese? (www.cnpp.usda.gov) Also, two out of three school children eat what the National School Lunch Programs (NSLP) provides.
The increase in participation has gone up by about 84% for free and reduced lunches alone. The participation is also rising because it is cheaper for a family to feed their child at school than it is to send their lunch (School Nutrition Association, 2008). The rising rate of participation shows that families are in dire need of assistance. The families are turning to the schools for assistance to ensure that their children have food to eat. Another economic issue that American families face today is being underemployed.
First, I think providing junk foods in school gives students a variety of food choices. Secondly, junk foods are convenient and a delicious source for snacks. Lastly, if the school stops selling junk food it would lose a lot of money. My first reason of why I support keeping junk food in school is that selling junk food provides students a variety of choices for lunch and snacks. Everyone can choose what they like to eat.
In order to put an end to childhood obesity, the schools needs to prepare a healthy yet balanced diet for all kids, by serving them with good food that is full of nutrition. District U-46 schools should prepare healthier/ more nutritious lunches in order to reduce childhood obesity. First, the most important reason why lunches should be more nutritious and healthier is to reduce childhood obesity in our children. In the United States, the amount of overweight children has dramatically increased in the recent years. In 2002, obesity statistics show that twenty two percent U.S. preschoolers were overweight (“Child”).
Many countries are trying to do something to make their children’s life healthier by promoting healthy food and diets campaigns. Obesity is a worldwide disaster that ruins lives. Obesity is being fat or overweight and that affects their lives in negative ways. The primary reasons of obesity are actually parents; they’re the ones who decide what type of food their child eats and they specify the amount of food the child gets. However, the studies of the American academy of child and adolescent psychiatry showed that between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese.
Why have there been changes to food policy in schools over recent years? Food policy is a course of action intended to influence decisions, actions, behavior and perceptions to enable people to access enough food for a healthy active lifestyle. Numerous scientific reports have outlined the case for a healthy diet and many have emphasized the need for this to begin in childhood. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver made the nation sit up and pay attention to the quality of food in Britain's schools. But why change the schools standards and is high-quality, tasty food enough to get kids eating the right thing?
(Moffitt, 1995). Being a Dietetics student, I am extremely aware of the importance of nutritious school meal programs because children spend most of their habit-forming years in school. Students need to develop positive breakfast and lunch choices in order to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle in the future. As I briefly stated before, there have been studies done to compare the students who participate in school breakfast and lunch programs with the students who choose not to. The findings indicated that a surprising number of students do not participate in the programs altogether.
Parents usually seek the easier route by picking up dinners which are super high in carbs and sodium, or rent movies to pacify the kids after school. These are horrible habits that unfortunately will continue to affect society. Being that we are role models to our kids we should implement better habits like healthy snacks, keep healthy foods in the fridge and pantry, always start the day with a healthy breakfast, meals with the family, chew slowly and enjoy the food. In conclusion, parents have the upper hand in shaping their children eating habits and exercise for a longer brighter future. We are role models, something that people seem to forget so let’s act like it and prevent cardiovascular diseases in children.