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Harmful effects of excess sugar essay
Harmful effects of excess sugar essay
Effects of sugar on the human body
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Since nearly the invention of commercially sweetened foods and advertising that celebrates their goodness, sugary foods and drinks have been identified as the cause of several chronic diseases, contributing to poor health. When a person’s diet contains a lot of sugar, especially when it begins early in life, it is likely to cause health problems and possibly death at a young age. For these and many other reasons, it is essential to carry out research in order to establish the extent to which these foods affect people’s health. In gaining more information on this issue, the argument can be made that the government should ban sugary foods and drinks should be sold in elementary and middle schools.
One of the resources which can be used to emphasize this issue is a recent survey concerning the banning of sugary foods and drinks. Students in elementary schools have demonstrated signs of chronic diseases related to diet such as tooth decay, diabetes, poor skin texture, obesity, and respiration failures, among others. These circumstances emphasize the need for the government to step in and try to establish solutions to reduce or prevent chronic diseases. There are two main proposed verdicts that address the issue: sugary foods and drinks should be banned in schools and the sugar content in the foods and drinks should be reduced. The purpose of this paper is to underline why sugary food and drinks are bad for elementary school children, which leads to the recommendation that these things should be banned from elementary schools.
In order to understand the dangers of sugary drinks and foods, an explanation of their contents is necessary. These drinks and foods are composed of high carbohydrate-content, which is responsible for energy pr...
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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
According to Professor Philip James, the world´s most respected specialist in obesity, the use of sugar was restricted to teas and cakes prior to WWII. Today, on the other hand, sugary foods are found everywhere. Doctors have been slow to react to the relationship between obesity and sugar; it was only in the year 2003 that the link between these two was established. Before this discovery, the only known link was the consumption of sugar and unhealthy teeth. An interesting fact is that the brain is incapable of understanding or detecting the presence of sugar and that is why one continues eating sugar although the body has gained enough. A further discovery is that the brain is not accustomed to having many snacks in between meals, at least not sugary snacks. Professor James states that every additional can or glass of soft drinks increases the risk of suffering from obesity by 60%, which is something the manufacturers do not want people to know. He states that “When you’re into food, you’re into big
Consumption of soft drinks has an impact on childhood obesity. According to France Ellisle from France’s Institute of Health and Medical Research, there is a direct connection between weight gain and sugar. The average adolescent is consuming about fifteen to twenty teaspoons of sugar daily. (Scott, 2) Along with the sugar children are eating more and more fast food. The sit down dinner has come to an end. In most families both parents work fulltime leaving little time to prepare healthy meals. Parents look for food that is quick, cheap and satisfies the child. The problem with fast food is that has very little nutritious value and is often high in fat and salt content, with a good measure of preservative thrown in....
Childhood obesity epidemic, one of the most detrimental disorders, has maximized social and economical challenges faced by Americans in the 21st century. The United States of America has been always placed in the top-10 most obese countries, a list not be so proud about. Poor dietary habits at school due to consumption of competitive, unhealthy foods have resulted in escalating obesity thereby influencing a student’s performance in and outside school. As a major problem’s solution lies within finding its root, schools with the aid of governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and institutions, have started to provide valid solutions in an attempt to reverse this epidemic. For instance one major attempt, by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the State Board of Education, to alleviate this problem in schools was the introduction of ‘sin-tax’. Schools’ taxed students on purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages but that was not quite successful, as it did not stop the affluent students to purchase high calorific beverages and only targeted students with a low socio-economic background. Thus, the most influential solution implemented by these governmental organizations’ that is responsible for decreasing childhood obesity by quite a large factor is improving school meals by increasing the nutrition standard. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken mandatory mediation steps that involve eliminating the sales of competitive fast food and increasing the supply of high organic nutritious food that meets the USDA requirement thereby improving the nutrition standard. I believe schools, with the intervention of governmental agencies like the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment (SND...
Adult and childhood obesity have increased substantially in the last 30 years. Currently, 31% of adults and 18% of children are obese, as defined by their body mass index (BMI). The vast majority of obesity represents an imbalance in calories ingested vs. calories expended. Other causes of obesity (metabolic, medicines, and other diseases) are...
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). ...
For years doctors have been saying that refined sugars are empty calories and consist of absolutely no vitamins or minerals that people need to survive. Dentists warn that sugary foods encourage tooth decay. Many people avoid sweet food because it can lead to obesity, heart problems, diabetes and cancer. These negative responses by people’s bodies are actually warnings. Maybe people eat sugar for other reasons than the sweet taste. The human body's negative responses to sugar may be a similar purpose to the reason kids feel pain when they are playing too roughly. People’s consumption of sweet foods might also serve as a sign of defiance against their bodies’ health limitations. What many people do not realize is that their tasty treats can affect their mind and emotions.
Everyone likes soda and candy, they are enjoyed by students as well as student adults. The bad part is that they impact the eater’s health tremendously. Soda and candy are particularly major issues in students health. When students drink soda or eat candy, their chance of catching diseases increases as they develop. And then teachers deal with kids that go crazy in the class, can't concentrate and are aggressive. School should teach healthy habits and give positive examples. The most obvious negative effect of candy is cavities and soda can dissolve teeth How can this be prevented this and keep these students safe? The government should ban soda and candy from schools.
Throughout the United States, concern of rising health issues is a popular topic. Over a progression of many years, American fast food chains and junk food companies have risen as a common means for food replacing homemade family meals. This quick and easy habit of buying cheaply made and sold foods that lack real nutritional value has been reason for increasing health issues. This habit is seen in children just the same as adults. Children eat the quickest meal with the most sugar and fat (among other unhealthy ingredients). This habit needs to be broken to take better care of the children today. Children are eating snack cakes and other junk foods at school instead of the breakfast/lunch that is offered causing bad habits and a poor diet. The children of America are suffering from the effects of malnutrition and yet, society does not help them to better understand or give higher grade options for them to choose from. Therefore, junk food should not be allowed in schools as it imposes health risks on children, lacks requirements for the nutrition contained in them, and without offering them, children would learn many morals/lessons.
Central idea: The damage sugary drink does to the body and why it should be banned
Though parents and guardians play a large role in teaching children healthy eating habits, kids are kids, and they will want to eat junk food if they have unfettered access to it. A shocking statistic reveals that soft drink consumption accounts for one third of added sugar intake in the US diet (Krebs, Himes, et al). In one study of fourth-grade and fifth-grade children, sweetened beverages constituted 51% of the average daily intake of beverages consumed. This large intake of sweetened beverages could contribute to increased energy intake, tilting the energy balance toward excessive weight gain (Krebs, Himes, et
In the past, sugary drinks were being developed and were accepted as a part of the human diet. Today, however, sugary drinks are being scrutinized about contributing to the rise of obesity in humans. A ban of the amount of how much of a sugary drink shall be sold is illogical because it is over stepping the government’s power and obesity is caused by other factors then just eating and drinking.
Some schools even sell junk food to students like popcorn, chocolates and chips when in reality they should be offering fruits, granola bars and other snacks filled with nutrients. Students struggle to find fast food items they enjoy while remaining within the 600 calorie-per-meal guidelines. (Zuercher) A way that we can help decrease the growth of child obesity is by offering children healthier lunch options in schools. What schools are doing to try and decrease child obesity is changing the schools lunch menus. They are offering healthier food options and are serving more fruits and vegetables. Early childhood nutrition is very important especially at a child’s early stages of life. As we learned in class good eating habits and physical activity are very important. Eating healthy would help lower the chances of children developing diabetes at a very
If a change in students’ eating habits doesn’t happen fast I am fearful that more and more kids will be impacted at such an early age. Already about 15,000 kids get diagnosed with diabetes and other diseases each year. Let’s stop this epidemic together. Hopefully, these “Smart Snacks” are just the beginning and I hope they make a positive impact on the world and prevent childhood obesity and diabetes. There are many alternatives to junk food. Instead of sugary drinks, water would be a good option. Fruit cups and granola bars can replace the addictive hot chips and sugary candy. You could even try to make something yourself at home. The options are endless. So next time your mom tells you to eat a granola bar instead of those chips, why not think about it. A small decision like this could make a large impact on your future. Isn’t it about time we make a change for