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How to reduce childhood obesity in schools
Childhood obesity: Causes and solutions
How to reduce childhood obesity in schools
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Banning Soda: All or Nothing The United States believes soda is crippling children’s health, causing school officials to ban the sale of these sugary drinks from schools. Although soda causes health problems, such as diabetes and obesity, banning soda from schools will not improve children’s overall health. Soda is not the primary culprit of childhood obesity or diabetes; the foods available in schools are equally as detrimental to a child’s health. To see a change in student 's diets, school officials should not only reform soda, but the food as well. Schools should feel compelled to make resources available to educate our kids on clean eating, as proper information would help to improve dietary choices. Even though childhood obesity and other health problems are steadily increasing, soda is not to blame and …show more content…
Some people may question why schools are only banning soft drinks and not junk food as well. Authors Beverly Ann and Ballaro Griswold address the concern recanting that schools do not want to only ban junk foods, because they amount to tens of thousands of dollars to schools profit annually. It is ridiculous to think that only banning soda will change anything overall. Even the artificial coloring and preservatives used in junk foods attribute hyperactivity in students(pars. 2-4). When I was in school, the lunches consisted of pizza sticks, biscuits and gravy, every kind of chip, and every Little Debbie snack imaginable. As it was back then, children can buy unlimited snacks and drinks. Some kids used to eat two or three pizza sticks, a bag of chips, “meatloaf”, all washed down with a Dr. Pepper. Making a little dent in the issue by banning sodas is chipping away at the bigger problem of things, sure, but it is not enough to make a remarkable difference. If students have such poor eating habits, they most likely stem from the home they grow up
Schools with enormous food courts where students can buy meals and drinks from commonly known franchises, such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola, are the schools with the most health problems. Fast-food franchises are showing up everywhere, but do these businesses belong in high schools? No! Schools are here to enlighten students for life after school. If high schools promote bad eating habits by placing fast-food franchises in their cafeterias, then how can students eat right and healthy beyond high school.
Unhealthy foods are what make the money for schools and that is why they serve them for students. (Schlafy) Schools feel like they need the extra money in the budget, even though it is at the student’s expense. Data shows that nearly 60% of all middle schools in the US serve soda from vending machines. (Schlafy) Soda is very high in sugar and is not at all good for children, but it is still sold in school vending machines. The ways food in schools is now are way too high in fats and sugars. This is not good for the children and very bad in the long run. Elementary schoolchildren have an estimated $15 billion of their own money that they can use to buy whatever they want in schools, and parents have almost another $160 billion to give students for food money. (Schlafy) Big businesses see this as a big source of profit and therefore encourage children to buy their products, and want them to be offered in school because of th4e likelihood of children buying the business’s product. All in all, obesity in the US is greatly influenced by the foods offered in schools
Ballaro, Beverly and Ann Griswold. "Junk Food In Schools: An Overview." Points Of View: Junk
This article is talking about a mayor banning beverages larger than 16 oz. at restaurants, sports arenas and movie theaters. The reason this mayor wants to ban large sodas is because he is afraid for all of New York’s health. That’s a good thing because a lot of us don’t know what we drink and eat most of the time. We just eat our food we don’t even bother to look what’s really in side such as calories, fats and oils in our food. This Mayor is doing New York a huge favor by banning large sodas. He’s helping everyone in New York about their health but people of New York doesn’t see that. There are people who are trying to not let him pass this law because some of them probably drink 16 oz. every day of once a week or twice a week or even more.
Americans eat entirely too much. And the foods we are consuming are not at all healthy, they contain excessive amounts of salt, sugar, saturated fat, carbohydrates, etc. This over eating is not only a severe problem in the adult population but also in America’s children as well. Results from a study performed by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that 1 to 2 year olds get 30 percent more of the 950 calories they require a day. It has also been found that another contributing factor to most children’s bad eating habits is the fact that they either rarely or never consume vegetables and fruit. Besides the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables children are consuming large amounts of sugar. Wether it be in candy or desserts, soda or sugary fruit juices children are beginning to consume these at very early ages. Results from another study performed by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that infants are drinking soda out of baby bottles as early as 7 months of age. In response to these disturbing facts Parents magazine published the preceding article. It outlines 10 steps that can be taken to
"All Food Sales in Schools Should Offer Healthier Options." Should Junk Food Be Sold in Schools? Ed. Norah Piehl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
In the past couple years people all around the nation, whether it's in New York City or an 8th Grade classroom in Michigan, people have been pressed with the question, whether the New York Soda Ban, is a good thing, improving health, or if there is a larger issue. Is this decision showing evidence of the Government interfering with our basic civil liberties?
It is clear from this research that the average rates of soda consumption from Americans are decreasing as time goes on, especially with the new generation of citizens rising up. Based off a national poll taken in 2014 by Gallup Inc., communications professional Justin McCarthy asserts, “Americans have become increasingly wary of drinking soda since Gallup began asking them about their dietary choices in 2002. At that time, only 41% said they actively tried to avoid soda, a percentage that has now jumped to 63%” (Gallup Inc.). It is evident that with the releasement of new knowledge regarding soda, each new generation will be more aware of the issues and as time goes on, the trend of decreasing rates in soda consumption will continue throughout the course of the nation’s
It is sad. People from all races and backgrounds are obese. In a recent survey done at Henry Ford College, 43 percent of students were overweight. Whether it is because they do not follow a healthy diet or they inherited it from their parents. Being overweight is correlated with lacking exercise or physical activity and not watching what is on the plate. Obesity can cause many illnesses, including diabetes, which is very common. As the debate whether soda tax should take effect arises, critics say that the tax will help those with obesity-related illnesses. What about exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? These two factors cannot be forgotten knowing they are the most important. Americans have consumed 12 percent of soda and become less active since 1970. A soda tax aims to stop consumers from buying soda to help those who are obese. This will not be effective. Therefore a soda tax will not be good public policy.
Even before watching this video I felt the soda ban was a ridiculous idea. I felt the soda ban would be laden with many caveats and Casey Neistat’s video confirmed that notion. There are many other ways to promote an obesity rate reduction such as promoting healthier food options or making whole fresh foods more readily available, promoting more physical activity and the like.
The health of the nation’s youth has been under scrutiny lately due to recent reports that are showing an increase in average body mass index (BMI), poor physical fitness, and elevations in blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids (Eagle, Gurm, Goldberg, DuRussel-Weston, Kline-Rogers, Palma-Davis, Aaronson, Fitzgerald, Mitchell, Rogers, Breunger, Jackson, and Eagle 2010). Eagle et al. (2010) Attribute the decrease in health to “fast food, lack of physical activity due to increased TV and computer screen time, and there is also an expanding appreciation for an inherited basis for childhood obesity” (P.1185). Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) account for on average 159 calories daily and an average of 9 tablespoons of added sugar daily (Briefel, Wilson, Cabili, & Hedley Dodd, 2013). ...
Every human being has the right to how they should live their lives, and the freedom to make their own choices. Yet in reality, many people are constricted from those rights. One of them being because of the implementation of the soda ban-a restriction that stops people from consuming large portions of sugar in sodas. Although some may argue that the limitations helps the public, it is an awful idea because it puts restrictions on a person’s life, has too many unreasonable loopholes, and it doesn’t stop people from digesting high intakes of sugar.
To conclude, unhealthy foods in the cafeteria and the vending machines are the worst examples for the kids to maintain the healthy eating habits. Us Parents have to step in to make changes for our kids because in doing so would determine what kind of foods our kids are consuming. We do know for facts they are not getting the proper nutrients while in school, although they do spend in average of eight to 12 hours in schools. We, the parents, can start to make a difference, by attending the school meetings and being active in our kids functions in schools.
Remember when you went to the movies and got one of those large cups of Coca Cola and watched the newest release? Well now some states are trying to get rid of those large soda cups. The government is intervening with public health, and this should not be allowed. The government, whether this be the federal or state, should not intervene in public health decisions.
Obesity in the US is considered an epidemic. According to the Weekly Standard, “Obesity is the new smoking.” They go on to say that “health researchers at Harvard have discovered that obesity is ‘associated’ with 112,000 deaths in the United States every year.” One way lawmakers are trying to combat the problem is by creating a soda tax. Based on the available statistics, a soda tax would be beneficial to the waistline of the average American and the health care system.