In the prompt, “Should Candy and Soda be Banned from School”, Tom Vilsack and J. Justin Wilson respond to the best of their ability, each having a different perspective on the issue. The first response which is written by Tom Vilsack, states that by removing unhealthy high calorie snacks, students will live a healthier lifestyle and will be more educated. While, J. Justin disagrees, claiming that by removing unhealthy snacks, students will be incapable of making their own decisions which undermines student’s ability to make the right choices for themselves. Personally, I agree with Tom Vilsack’s opinion of banning candy and soda from school because as a student, I have experienced this issue and find it extremely difficult to find something healthy to eat during school hours.
Considering that I am a student athlete and have a restricted diet, I find it difficult to eat balanced meals during school days because there aren’t any healthy options being offered. My school has a vending machine, but all the snack options are high calorie snacks which I
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Though J. Justin Wilson argues that by removing unhealthy snacks, “it undermines student’s ability to learn how to make healthy decisions for themselves.”, not all students have been informed about the consequences of consuming junk food and often times need someone to guide them in making the right choice. If schools are promoting unhealthy snacks, students are encouraged to purchase the snack. If healthy snacks replace junk food, students have easier access to healthy food and junk food won’t be an option. When students are hungry, they will be forced to eat healthier because it will be the only option being offered. It is crucial that the government gets involved in this issue and acts now because “80 percent of teenagers who are obese remain obese as
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans overeat because of their social problems or because they are hereditary. Many plans have been discussed, but finding the solution is the problem. Junk foods and unhealthy beverages have corrupted children’s minds all over the nation, and putting a stop to it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised to help prevent American obesity.
"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.
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
“More than a third of the county's children are overweight or obese.”(Gustin, 1). As shocking as this is, it's true. One of the big reasons that children and teens are overweight is because of the foods that they eat. They are fed these fattening and unhealthy foods by the school system. Their futures can be changed if we change our choices. Having more nutritious lunches can have a positive impact on the health of American teens.
Food To Students." Points Of View: Junk Food In Schools (2013): 2. Points of View
In “Hooked on ‘Caramel-Colored Gold,” Melody Nelson claims “Despite the increased awareness of the benefits of good nutrition, we are a nation hooked on junk food, and many school administrators are taking advantage of the situation ” (par. 3). Nelson propose a ban on vending machines in schools because junk food is unhealthy for children, and they risk future health problems. I agree with Melody Nelson and believe that vending machines should be banned from school campuses, because they sell unhealthy food, they cause more money to schools for hiring extra custodians, and they are affecting children learning abilities.
First of all, an increasing amount of kids are becoming overweight because their schools pressure them to eat sugary, fatty, and high-calorie foods. Not only do many schools promote consumption of harmful foods, many schools also actively serve them in school lunches. In 1963, 4% of kids were obese; currently, approximately 17% of kids are obese. Some might argue that kids themselves are the reason for the increase, because school lunches also provide healthier foods. Unfortunately, most kids do not have much of a choice - healthier foods are priced much higher than their unhealthy counterpart, consequently many parents do not want their kids to buy the more expensive, yet healthier product. In my 3½ years ...
School cafeterias and school vending machines do not encourage the best eating habits in schools, high schools in particular. It is more convenient to serve frozen foods like pizzas and frozen lasagnas almost every day. Without realizing how those unhealthy foods are really affecting the kids performances in school and their everyday life activities, such as in physical education class.
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
The removal of vending machines and snacks must stop. Why is there so much talk about banning soda and candy from schools? When our country faces a problem, such as our nation’s childhood obesity epidemic, it’s more easier to simply blame sugary snacks, rather than tackling the roots of the problem. But no kid would eat all that sugary food in just 30 minutes! Obese kids would probably eat sugary and fatty foods, but not on school grounds.
Therefore, more students develop an unhealthy lifestyle. In 2005-2006 the US Health Behavior School Aged Children survey was given to 6th to 10th graders this survey gave students the chance to share their school’s machines options towards snacks put in vending machines. “83% of schools had vending machines with soft drinks, chips, and sweets ranging the student nutrition 70.6% fruit/vegetable and 71.7% sweets.” Do to this fact, schools should not have the option of vending
Sugary foods and beverages are acceptable in moderation, but when Consumed in excess have detrimental effects in the consumer. Sugary foods and beverages are all too readily available in lunch and school vending machines. Making the case for the need to remove sugary foods and beverages from schools entirely. Schools should remove sugary foods from cafeteria lunches and vending machines to prevent diabetes to combat obesity and to encourage healthy eating habits in children.
With vending machines, students can choose what they want to eat and how much of it. Most schools have
We all know it is no secret that junk food makes you fat, but studies have shown that over the past ten years, obesity has doubled to 8.5 percent among six year olds and trebled to an astonishing 15 percent among 15 year olds. If we do not do anything about it then this generation of children could be the first to live shorter lives than their parents. (Dame Suzi Leather, the Daily Mail 1, page 2)
The ‘Hungry for Success’ (2002) initiative was implemented in all schools in Scotland in 2003, with an aim to improve school meals. As children “become more independent they are increasingly responsible for making their own food choices as parental influence decreases” (Wardley et al., 1997:75). The objective of the initiative was to ensure that all pupils were encouraged to make informed decisions when eating within school. Healthier food choices were readily available to all children, therefore allowing children to choose healthier options. School menus were reviewed in order to provide better nutrition and children were offered salads and free fruit was available to all infants (Scottish Executive, 2005). In addition to this initiative, ‘Towards a Healthy Weight Action Plan for Scotland’ (2006) proposed to develop programmes to support healthy eating in the primary school and in addition, introduced a ban on junk food in schools and in lunch boxes. This ensured that all pupils did not have the opportunity to make poor choices and instead, pupils opted for healthier foods (NHS,