A developing problem in Canada is the health of the nation. This could be for a lot of reasons, but a main contributor is fast food and sugary beverages. In recent events the government has asked the question ‘should we banned pop and fast food from schools?’ Admitting, this ideology makes sense to target the youth, but does this really promote an overall healthier life style for students? To answer this it will promote a heathier life style and take a great deal of sugar and unwanted calories out of young kid’s diets. However, it does not teach them anything about a healthy life style and it takes away their basic human right of freedom. Although, completely banning them does not teach Canadian students a healthy life style. Restricting …show more content…
Firstly, it is true that fast food and sugary drinks are very unhealthy and are contributing to the obesity dilemma. This is a tragic situation and has to be fixed in some way shape or form. The government does not have to explicitly banned fast food and sugary drinks, but the main idea is to limit the intake. Secondly, Banning sugary drink and unhealthy food does take away the free will of Canadian students forcing them into a healthier life style and not letting them make their own choice about it. In result this creates less intake, but does not solve the root of the problem. Which is people not actively trying to live a healthy life style, and by forcing them to change does not really change their ways. In conclusion a middle ground would be to restrict easy access to the unhealthy foods and drinks and make healthier options easier to access. Also setting up an education system to teach students how to live a healthy life and what to eat. One of the reasons Canadians aren’t healthier is because they don’t know how to do it. Canadians don’t grow up on home cooked meals and have every fast food imagined shoved in their face by advertising. If they had the knowledge to make their own healthy decision and knew the consequences is they didn’t, I think they would start to choose for themselves to be
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
"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.
This particular article sheds a different light onto how advertising affects the life of a child. This author suggests that our society has grown away from respected the opinions of our elders and now the opinion lies in the hands of the child. As the author states that front door is now a permeable membrane allowing advertisers into their homes and allowing children to view them through the many sources of technology that lie beyond that membrane.
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
According to resent studies, Americans eat fast food for the convenience, mostly in the Western and Eastern part of the USA and people that cook and eat at home they are more traditional, for example in the Midwest. Fast food has been part of life in the USA for over 60 years. It has become extremely popular by Americans simply for the convenience.
Policies implemented by the government have the potential to greatly impact the issues faced by Americans because of their food. One of the most serious epidemics to face Americans is obesity; a direct result of a lack of access to healthy, whole produce. The government has several options in solving this problem including food taxes, public education programs, and mandatory physical education in schools. A food tax on items high in process ingredients and low in nutrients should have a higher tax than whole foods. Much like the Cigarette Tax, a Processed Food Tax will persuade consumers to shy away from these nutrient-void foods and incorporate more healthy foods into their diet. Another solution to combating obesity is a series of public educational programs. By educating the public and even kids in school on the difference between processed and whole foods, individuals will be better able to distinguish between beneficial and non-beneficial foods. And finally, the most attention grabbing policy the United States government should be enacting is mandatory physical education. Including, but not limited to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, the government should require mandatory physical education classes in schools because they found increased PE time raised the amount of time students were exercising or "engaged in strength-building activities" but lowered the amount of time spent in
Canada has a problem with obesity and a solution should be established. Junk food is easily accessible and because of this, low-income families are more likely to buy bigger quantities of it due to lower costs. Obesity can lead to diseases and serious illnesses, some of the most likely illnesses to get from obesity include Type 2 Diabetes, Uterine Cancer, and Gallbladder Disease. While these illnesses and diseases are bad, the population of people that have them can be decreased by decreasing the amount of sugary, carbonated, and high sodium foods humans consume. Junk food should be taxed because it will decrease consumption and reduce obesity rates as well as incidence of diseases, while the revenue generated by these taxes can be used to
Although there is a risk of upsetting people who are not worried about the health and wellbeing of today’s youth with selfish reasoning for wanting to keep junk food, ridding schools of junk foods will prove itself to be very beneficial. Children can choose healthier options without being ridiculed by others, wondering if what they are eating is good for them, and/or worrying about negative effects. One’s health cannot be overlooked as it is the livelihood of that person and much more. It is not a subject that can be taken lightly. Action to change the current conditions of America’s population’s
Looking around, candy, soda water and junk food are in the hands of fellow classmates. Simply walking down the street countless unhealthy food advertisement are seen and influence our choices as they are intended to do. In America, one in three children, about 22 million children, are obese or overweight, and that number is only rising. The government must aid in the fight against childhood obesity and reform the influence of unhealthy food in children’s lives, increase the availability of beneficial foods, mandate physical education, and inform our children of healthy habits.
Is fast food to blame? Fast food restaurants advertise all their ingredients in plain sight. They provide healthy options to their more popular foods such as grilled items, skinless options, low calorie/no calorie beverages, and small portion orders. Most obese Americans are overweight because they are uneducated about the dangers of the fast food. Once they learn about eating healthy, managing overweight issues becomes more elementary. Fast food restaurants should not be the blame of American obesity because there are healthier options, self-discipline, and self responsibility for each individual.
McDonald’s is delicious and convenient, and only cost a few dollars. On days were you are extremely busy they are there to serve whatever you would like from the menu. Sometimes it seems as though you can access it quicker than a trip to the grocery store. Even though, you know you will be hungry again later, you still pull up and go through the drive thru and place the order. While placing your order do you ever think of what this kind of food is doing to your body? Alternatively, that for just a few dollars that conveniently priced meal over time could cause your health to deteriorate. Fast food restaurants are adding to the obesity epidemic. Living in the age were technology has taken the place of personal interactions,
Americans made a big mistake back in 1916 that has changed the way other countries view America! In 1916 in America, the first ever fast food restaurant was opened. It was called White Castle, according to http://www.accupos.com/pos-articles/history-of-fast-food-in-america.php. Though this fast food restaurant did not affect people and their weight, until the end of the 1950’s, when people were inspired by White Castle to start their own fast food restaurants. Fast food is one of the main causes of obesity and causes many Americans suffer from chronic diseases, like gallbladder cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, every year. Fast food has also shaped the way other countries see America.
Since industrialization in early America, the food industry has been growing, and with the development of prepackaged foods and fast-food chains, having snacks at your fingertips is a luxury that seems convenient and beneficial… until one considers the effects of junk food on the body and brain. Generally, junk food is characterized as food with high fat and sugar content and minimal nutritional value (Karimi-Shahanjarini et al., 2012). In modern day America, it is common to arrive home from a long day at school or work and grab a conveniently prepackaged snack to quiet your munchies and calm your nerves. Although this seems like a harmless act, eating these snack foods can have negative effects on the body and brain.
“We need to teach our children to eat real food. No fast foods. No junk foods. No processed foods. Just honest, nutritious, real food.” As the years go by many more people are becoming obese because they consume too much fast food. People need to get in habits to cook at home rather than eating out everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. People in this world are now always trying to look for the easy way out of things. Eating out at a fast food restaurant is not a healthy meal to eat. We the people need to avoid the fast food restaurants and stop being lazy and have home cooked meals everyday. Although fast food is convenient for everyone, it causes obesity and consuming too much fast food can lead to type 2 diabetes.