According to a Toronto Star survey, children who get to choose their food at lunch ate more fat and calories than those who were only offered one meal choice. Students who don't get adequate nutrient intake at lunchtime are at risk of poor progress in class and decreased cognition, says University of Toronto. Lack of adequate nutrition means children aren't getting the energy they need to perform in school and aren't able to focus. They are also at an increased risk of getting sick, which means missing school and falling behind. A nutritious midday meal is vital for learning new things and keeping the brain healthy.
Most students are side tracked by the temptation of buying something out of the vending machine leading to loss of attentiveness towards the teacher. In this situation, vending machines not only have a threat to our student’s education, but they also contribute to the obesity epidemic. A nationwide survey by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, vending machines in middle schools and high schools finds that 75 percent of the drinks and 85 percent of the snacks sold are of poor nutritional value. High-calorie and food that are high in sugar content are low on Vitamin B, iron and other vitamins and nutrients, which can lead to obesity, heart ailments, hypertension, diabetes
Childhood Obesity Epidemic Everybody is always talking about childhood obesity in the Houston. They say we feed our children junk food, and that they get very little playing time outside, but do you know that childhood obesity happens not only in the Houston but all over the United States? Even in some other countries. The childhood obesity rate has climbed in other cities such as St. Louis, Great Britain, Washington D.C, and Philadelphia. But the main question this paper will answer is, “What causes the childhood obesity rate to rise in these different cities and how can we prevent them?” As we know the main causes to obesity is lack of exercise or poor eating habits, but in these different cities those aren’t the only reasons that childhood
Statistics show that a child with two obese parents has an eighty percent risk of becoming overweight, and a child with normal size parents has only a forty percent chance of becoming overweight. Another risk factor is meal patterns, shipping breakfast slows the metabolism down which slows down the process of digestion. Eating too much fast food is the highest risk to take for meal a choice. Watching television or playing video games instead of playing outside or exercising is a bad choice. Childhood obesity is often the result of genetics and environmental factors.
For most children, overweight is the result of unhealthy eating patterns and too little physical activity. Parents should help prevent childhood obesity by providing healthy meals and snacks, daily physical activity, and nutrition education begin . Small children are not aware of their daily intakes unless their mommy or daddy says it is okay to have a small portion of fast food. Parents have all the control of children’s health starting at their
I disagree completely that we as Americans suffer from lack of information about nutrition in fast food. Every capable adult knows that eating anything in a fast food restaurant is bad for you. They need to stop being lazy and letting their kids eat fast food frequently, especially if their kids are not very active. It is the responsibility of the parents to feed their kids three healthy meals a day and to make sure that they are maintaining a healthy diet. I do not believe that if fast food industries started putting nutrition labels on their food that it would have a significant difference on the amount of food that people eat.
Weintraub proves a lot of why parents are blame for America’s obesity but I also blame the fast food companies. With so much advertising more children are easy to fall upon it. For example, “’The programs have become advertising for the food, and the food has become advertising for the programs,’” says Professor Linn of Harvard. (39). More and more vulnerable kids are intrigued by the media.
Yes, it is up to student's parents what they want their children to eat. Parents want their children to eat healthy, but with unhealthy foods at school that possibly cannot happen. If junk food is provided then some students may be tempted to eat it. If it is provided everyday then it could lead to bad habits. The CDC publishes a report called MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report).
After decades of lies and industry propaganda, the truth is finally coming out: junk food kills. Even after the effort of some states to tax soda pop, require healthier school lunches, or mandate calorie information in chain restaurants, obesity rates are still growing. Studies have shown that school organic gardens, salad bars and healthy lunches improve the health and academic performance of young people. Healthy eating habits and gardening skills nurtured and developed at an early age most often have a lifetime impact. A 100% tax on junk food and beverages would help pay for the collateral damages of this industry: the $150 billion in diet-related disease and health-care costs now incurred by the public and taxpayers for obesity and diabetes.
A Rationale for the Development of Better Fitness and Nutrition in Schools There are an estimated three hundred million people worldwide that are over and another seven hundred and fifty million that are overweight due to poor nutritional habits and lack of physical activity. Presently, sixty percent or 97 million adults in the United States are overweight and obese and thirteen percent or nine million children. Over the past three decades the U.S. childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschoolers. West Virginia consistently ranks within the top three for obesity rates. Everyone is becoming unhealthier and more overweight each day by their lack of exercise and poor eating habits.