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Healthier School Lunches Analysis

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Healthier school lunches will help to stop the ever-growing percentage of obese children. According to the CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is caused when more energy is consumed than energy burned. This means that the heavy, caloric lunches that are being served across the nation are too sugary and lead to obesity. Healthier school lunches also mean that purchasable sugary snacks will have to disappear to keep students as healthy as possible. Moreover, a YRBS (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance) survey was conducted every other year since 2003. Since 2005, states such as Oklahoma, Nebraska, Delaware, and New Mexico have had a rapid increase of obese teens. Oklahoma’s teen obesity rate rose 2% between 2005 and 2015, …show more content…

Obese children have been found to have health problems, such as, “chronic health conditions and diseases that impact physical health, such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, type 2 diabetes, and risk factors for heart disease.” (CDC). Also, according to the CDC, obesity as a child leads to obesity as an adult. Obesity as an adult is dangerous, as it can cause, “serious conditions and diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and several types of cancer.” (CDC) What the CDC found shows us all why we should start a healthy food now before it is too late to help a child’s future. Healthier school lunches prevent child obesity, saving them from disease and ailments in the future. The AMDF, or the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, studied the effects of junk food on the eyes. They found that certain foods, including highly processed snacks, peanut butter, and french fries are dangerous for a child’s eyesight. They found that, “Overindulging in fat-filled snack foods may heighten the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness and vision impairment in the United States for those over 55, researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary said in a new study.” They present that junk food is a serious problem and can lead to AMD. One way to avoid this, according to the AMDF is by feeding children omega-3 fatty acids which are great for eyesight. Healthier school lunches not only help save a child’s future, but also help save their eyesight. Preventing students from buying these unhealthy products can help to reduce the risk of AMD in adulthood, as well as protect against many other types of illness. According to WebMD and Medi Weight Loss, obesity leads to,

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