Fighting for a Better Health Essay

In continuation, schools should not be deciding our eating choices. Schools want to ban candy and soda because they think this is the cause of child obesity. Like stated in the article, although these food items are banned it does not mean students will stop eating them. The student can purchase these things outside of school whenever they like. If schools really want to make a change in students lives to be healthier they have to do something

Food and drinks located at school are healthy and state approved. If these students don’t eat our food they’ll eat greasy and fatty food sure to give them health issues. These young teens idea of food is a burger with friends and a large soda; this is sure to get the overweight.

Snack machines are big business in the public school system. They are privately owned and serviced, in order to be placed in schools the vending companies enter into contracts where a portion of profits are provided back to the school. These profits often play a big role in an already tight school budget; they pay for necessities such as copies of student handouts and other teaching aids. Where the problem begins is that the Let’s Move program authorizes the United States Department of Agriculture to set standards for all foods regularly sold in schools including vending machines and al la cart lunch lines. Neither of the affected receives funding from the program, making this a controversial issue of the federal government setting controls on state funded schools. The federal government needs to stay out of state run programs, especially when it can affect funding which directly relates to our children’s education.

Childhood obesity is the most common pediatric nutritional disorder in the United States (Balog, 2015). Most people believe that the solution to stopping childhood obesity relies entirely on education. Sadly, this is not true. While education is one of the main factors for solving this epidemic, there are many other factors that need to be resolved as well. One cannot rely on the simplistic idea that, once educated, Americans would make the healthiest choices. This is because Americans choose, buy, and consume their food based heavily on the taste, convenience, and economic motivations, not health reasons.

* Identifies and examines why individuals give different meanings to health * Explains how a range of health behaviors affect an individual’s health * Describes how an individual’s health is determined by a range of factors * Evaluates aspects of health over which individuals can exert some control * Describes factors that contribute to effective health promotion * Proposes actions that can improve and maintain an individual’s health * Forms opinions about health-promoting actions based on a critical examination of relevant information * Uses a range of sources to draw conclusions about health and physical activity concepts

Dr. Josh Axe says, “Many schools rely on high energy, yet low nutrient value foods to fill up their students. ” This leads to children receiving foods of higher calories per serving than recommended. The costs of fresh foods, fruits, and vegetables, are sadly too high in price for schools to make an option for the students. Instead they are being served high processed foods. Swaminathan shows how, ”Kids who eat lunches served by their schools are almost 60 percent more likely to be overweight or obese when compared to children who bring their lunch from home.” Many students end up eating over half of their caloric intake at school with their breakfast and lunch. Considering the poor nutritional value and high fat options given to the students, their exceeding the recommended caloric intake and ingesting foods that can even raise their LDL (bad) cholesterol. Due to the high amount of calories, sugars and fat, these students are gaining weight and could even be setting themselves up for medical problems in the

State laws in California have banned the sale of sugary drinks and junk foods on elementary food campus, thus making it hard for elementary school kids to get their hands on them at will, furthermore reducing the risks of kids

One of the reasons why junk food should not be banned from school cafeteria is because the cafeteria isn’t the only source kids have too unhealthy foods. Kids in school can go just around the block to the gas station or minimart and buy all sorts of junk foods, probably even more than what they can buy in school from vending machines and the lunch lines combined. Like Rosenthal said, “at some open-campus schools have made it a practice to walk to nearby mini-marts and gas stations to buy the same products they used to purchase in the vending machines” (9). This quote tells us that campuses have made it easier for students to go out during school and or afterschool to purchase the junk food they want. A school administration recently did an experiment to see if students could purchase individual food and beverage items, either from vending machines, school store, canteen, snack bar or a la carte

Many school in the United States have junk food in them for either fundraiser for sport or for the school benefits. Critics would say that school should sell junk food. I say they shouldn’t for the health of the kids.

Intro- a lot of people in America have obesity problems for eating fast food, sweets they don’t eat healthy. It could be better they don’t get enough exercise like they supposed to or water. Young teens are aware of the warning signs and risk factors of obesity and to struggle for the rest of their lives and they have eating disorders not eating healthy can cause diabetes they always eating junk food and not healthy foods they supposed to eat. Being overweight can cause you to die or have serious health problems.

The government has tried to improve the school lunch systems a little bit. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act began in 2012. This required meals to be lower in fat, calories, and sodium, and have more lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (Murphy). Unfortunately, this act also caused the food to be not as bland and un-enjoyable. Schools have noticed that most kids either throw away their meals or simply just pack their lunch (Murphy). The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act must be revised to allow the meals to be edible or at least enjoyable to the students. Just because the food is slightly healthier now, does not mean that the students will eat it. If they have the option of healthy food but it is unsatisfying, they will probably choose to either buy foods from vending machines or just pack their own unhealthy processed food from home. The

Imagine armed low fat yogurt, granola bars, and trail mixed filled vending machines attacking schools nationwide to combat against child obesity. Odd, right? Forcing students to narrow down their choices of snacks because the government says so. It is important for young students to be able to learn how to make decisions because it is during this phase were the choices they make began having a long term effect on them later on. If students food choices are being made for them by the government, how can young adolescents be trusted with mature activities such as driving a vehicle? Young students are trusted with cars to begin learning the ropes and hopefully become better drivers and make better choices. Junk food should not be banned in schools because students are subject to making their own decisions, school vending machines are not the main source of child obesity, and there are larger issues than vending machines against child obesity.

The government banning junk food in schools is genuinely helpful to the students and future generations. Obesity is one of the biggest problems in the US, also lee and sprague said “15 percent of children between six and nineteen suffer from obesity.”(4). Showing that people who suffer from obesity are mostly children. With studying a group of students for over 3 years, but Scientists found out that states with strict laws on nutrition and sugar levels in the food that students are served had less weight, healthier bodies, and better results than with states with weak laws (Tavernise 7). Demonstrating how having strict laws helps students become healthy with no obesity or any health problems. Obesity is affecting people swiftly as Lee and Sprague mentioned “Obesity is rapidly becoming a public health problem in the United States,”(9). Obesity is becoming bigger and more dangerous rapidly and needs to

The third reason for getting rid of the junk food ban is that schools are losing large amounts of money because kids will not buy the healthier snacks that are now provided by the school. Cary states that, “Greenville County Schools says forced changes to its in-school food vendors could cost it $1 million in sales this school year.” This is saying that schools could lose up to $1 million because of the changes in vending options. Cary also says that the ban on junk food could affect the after school tutoring programs because of budget cuts. So because of the ban on junk food, students grades and success are being limited because of lack of funding from vending machines and snacks sold throughout and after the school day. Finally, Cary states, “The ban has taken a bite out of fundraisers that sell cookies, candy bars, and popcorn. It also affects vendors who provide items for sale in schools.” This states that the ban on junk food is also affecting fundraising activities and outside companies who will lose millions of dollars because they can no longer sell their products to the schools.

The health behavior that was chosen to promote during our campaign was yoga. We encouraged students, staff, and faculty members at Knox College to partake in yoga classes offered by the school in order to reduce stress and target a particular health/illness outcome. The main physical health/illness outcome targeted in this campaign was reduced blood pressure. Yoga is also seen to improve cardiovascular health. We chose to focus on the benefits of yoga to improve blood pressure and cardiovascular health instead of just one or the other because most of the studies that we found while researching mentioned both decreased blood pressure and improved cardiovascular health occurring from practicing yoga.