Nutritious Schools

I, for one, do not consume the food that my school offers but the students who do are often overweight or unhealthy. In fact, 9 million children (age 10 to 17) in America are obese. Obesity leads to many health problems, even at a young age.

One of the factors causing this problem is schools selling their students unhealthy and fattening meals. School vending machines and lunch menus prove that overweight children are a problem in our society. I strongly support giving the students of today a healthier lifestyle. Our schools must not have researched the statistics. The number of overweight children in America is climbing.

Plus, it is already a huge number. Overweight children will most likely turn into even more overweight adults. Obesity rates continued to climb in 31 states last year, and none of the sates showed a decline.Our obesity rates will keep getting higher and higher and it will not slow down. And no one is stopping, or even slowing, it.

“Schools need to protect the often overlooked value that physical activity and nutrition play in the overall success of students.”, says the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. I agree, the healthier students are, the greater their chance of success is. If schools were to provide healthier food options on campus, then the students would be healthier and feel healthier. I believe schools can put a stop to this growing trend of obesity.

Would you consider yourself healthy? Believe it or not, obesity can cause problems such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. I don’t think schools should be feeding students unhealthy food; once the schools do, some parents will not approve and neither will I. Many people who are overweight do not devolp health problems or become severely obese. Although this is true, some children get teases for being “fat” and will most likely stay overweight. Also, the majority of the overweight kids in America do have health problems.

I stand by giving students the choice of healthier food options. The children of America could have been healthier, but some schools encourage unhealthiness. Schools want to have a great image and reputation, and part of getting there is offering healthy snack options. Greasy french fries and salty chips can be found in most school cafeterias along with fast food options. Do you really want to have kinds of items in your school? In my school, I know I see many vending machines loaded with convienient, yet sugary snacks.

As a student, I believe that the other students and I should decide what we eat. Most of the students at school enjoy the tasty food we recieve from Chik-Fil-A and Samuri Sam’s, but we all know it is bad for us. What would be good for us is delicious, but healthy options at school. That would be the right thing to do, but of course, no one always does the right thing. The majority of the students would rather have the food we currently offer at school. Unhealthy food is cheaper.

For example, a soda made from a syrup will cost less than a fruit smoothie made entirely from organic fruits. But the school could offer us some delicious fruits and vegatables like apples, oranges, and carrots. The salad the school gives us is a couple limp pieces of lettuce that students drench in ranch dressing anyways. Also, kids like to eat fast food from brand name fast food resturaunts more than food the cafeteria workers cook. The school can make a lot of money selling those meals to the students. But, they can loose money when students’ parents won’t give any more money to buy snacks and the students run out of their own.

It would be a better example for parents, other schools, and th estudents to change the school menu from greasy to squeaky-clean. In conclusion, a school with healthier food means an overall better school. Let’s face it, student that had a banana and yogurt for breakfast will do better in school than a kid who had a Twinkie for breakfast. If you’re confused with all of this, just know, the right way to go is a school with healthy food. Who wants a school where they make you fat? It is a fact, most schools in America serve their students un-nutritious meals.

Someone needs to ban junk food in schools, for good.