Maya Lara
English II period 1
3/11/16
Should Junk Food Be Allowed in Schools?
Junk food has been thought to lead to obesity in children. It is high in sugar and fat with little nutritional value. Although some believe that allowing junk food at school will not increase childhood obesity, I believe junk food should not be allowed in schools because its presence fosters unhealthy eating habits and guarantees that children have access to junk food, which increases the risk of obesity.
If junk food is not prohibited at schools, children will develop unhealthy eating habits that are nearly impossible to break. To underscore this point: “between 1994 and 2000, the share of middle schools selling sodas in vending machines on school grounds increased from 61 to 67 percent, and the share of high schools doing so increased from 88 to 96 percent” (Van Hook 1). Over the years, children have shown an increasing demand for junk food and a decreasing desire to eat healthily. Unless junk food is banned from schools, children will acquire unhealthy eating habits that will last a lifetime because they enjoy food high in sugar and fat.
With this in mind, if junk food was allowed in schools children will snack on unhealthy food all day if they daily have access to it. Notably, “by instilling healthy habits starting in kindergarten, the school is making an important contribution to the community’s health” (M. Seidl 1). As a matter of fact, children are more motivated to healthy eating if grown ups joined them by doing it with the children. Junk food is extraordinarily addictive and acidic, which means that too much can lead to becoming either overweight or obese. Consequently, if schools did not ban junk food children will be inclined to snack on it all day long because they have access to it every single school day each week.
Surprisingly, many individuals are not aware how horrific processed and packaged food is to the body. Specifically, “an enormous amount of media space has been dedicated to promoting the notion of all processed food, and only processed food, is making us sickly and overweight” (Atlantic 1). Processed food is considered junk food because it is lacking in fiber and high in sugar, fat, and preservatives which cause obesity and heart disease. In addition, these types of foods are high in acid and it is hard to control yourself once you start to eat them. Ultimately, processed and packaged food is detrimental to our bodies and many individuals are unaware of that fact.
Obesity in children has been thought to be linked to eating excessive amounts of junk food. This type of food is higher in sugar and fat with limited amounts of nutritional value. In conclusion, although some believe that allowing junk food at school will not contribute to childhood obesity, I believe junk food should not be allowed in schools because it guarantees that children have access to junk food, promotes unhealthy eating habits, and increases the risk of being obese.
