Should Junk Food Be Banned at School Essay Example

reduced as possible. The second problem brought by junk food is health disease. An American study has contributed to the thesis that junk food in schools leads to adolescent’s obesity (Datar & Nicosia, 2012).

The main reason is that junk food is easy to access around school either from vending machines, canteens, tuck shops. According to Vardavas et al. (2006), the effects of obesity can lead to many health problems and it is due to the imbalanced eating habit. Eating too much snacks which contain a lot of sugar and fat would cause health problems like hyperglycemia, teenage diabetes (Xu, He & King, 2005). In one published study (McPhail et al. , 2012) proves that the overconsumption of snacks has been associated with health disease including diabetes and insulin resistance.

The increase of junk food intake has a direct proportion to the trend of obesity. It claims that junk food causes health problems cannot be denied. Thirdly, children are easily addicted to junk food. Although many people would argue that banning junk food at school is an unwise act as snacks can contribute to the diet diversity and provide an immediate energy source to students from the glucose inside candies and chocolates, a research shows that the overweight problems of adolescent have a positive relationship to in-school junk food purchase (Datar & Nicosia, 2012).

It states that children lack the ability to stop eating junk food rationally. Therefore, banning junk food in school would be the best choice due to the effectiveness of cutting calorie’s intake of students. However, others may object because junk food can also enhance academic performance. An argument

states that having snacks in the afternoon causes positive effects on cognitive performance (Robin, 1997). A test of the research shows that students respond faster on attention tasks and memorizing more digits after consuming high energy food such as chocolate.

This argument supports school should not restrict junk food sale since these food definitely helps student to have better academic performance at schools. In fact, a study (Wiles et al,2009) illustrates that children consume more junk food have lower intake in vitamins, some vital fatty acids and minerals that build and maintain cell function of brain. This would long term effects on adolescent’s brain function. Also, Eating lots of sugary food makes students less able to pay attention in class or perform well on tests. Furthermore, selling junk food at schools can save time and expenses of students.

It is because the second way for student to consume junk food at school is the meal programs (Diamond, 2011). For instance, hamburgers, pizzas and fried chicken are existed in the school meal programs. Despite the fact that school meal programs should not include junk food due to the low nutritional value, there are many concerns when schools have to decide the meal programs choices, such as the funding from school and the budgetary pressure (Gordon et al. , 2007a). The cost of fast food are cheaper than making healthy food lunch since most of the fast food are processed already.

Thus, students can enjoy the food after reheating them. Fast food saves time and it saves many unimportant expenses like the labor force. However, school must function as a parent and do what

is best for the students when a student is away from their parents. School has responsibility to monitor a child’s diet, make sure those meals do not include junk food. Besides, schools should set a good example of nutritious eating for students. Consequently, junk food should be banned from school and this would fit in well with nutrition curriculum in health classes.

In addition, some might argue that reject junk food cause imbalanced nutrition. Also, Richards et al. , (2009) claim that pre-school children snacking habit can be affected by using social marketing tactics, like advertising on TV and sponsor on kids TV programs. It would greatly increase the probability of student to purchase junk food at schools. Thus we know that banning snacks from school would be a wise choice to provide a healthy lifestyle to the students. Kids at school mostly go to fast food restaurant for lunch, gathering or kill time.

According to Martine et al. (2011), it could help them to fit in with the peer group, so as to give those students a sense of belonging. Importantly, the findings suggested that the social and symbolic meanings associated with healthy eating conflicted with processes and values which are of crucial importance in adolescence, such as self-image and fitting in with the peer group. If teenager’s eating habit without fast food, he would have a greater chance to get mental illness such as anorexia (Diamond, 2011), especially for teens at puberty.

They would force themselves to stop taking any sugar, fats or salts. This symptom is known as “Good food obsession”. The scholars found a solution to deal with

this illness and then they realized the problem was not come from the food they ate. The problem was that they should have a balance diet and they should not over positioning the good food. Junk food is not bad at all. To conclude, we have discussed the problems and the benefits brought by junk food on teenagers. By considering the ideas from both sides, junk food should be allowed at school.

Though hamburgers and pizzas are high calorie food and they are also high in sugar, fat, and salt, they can be renewal in a healthier way. Schools can urge the meals supplier to cook those oily food cook in a healthier way such as putting more vegetables inside the hamburgers, using chicken ribs instead of using pork on pizza etc. A balance and diversified diet would give students more freedom to choose the food they like. In my opinion, providing students an enjoyable eating environment is more important than anything else.

To deal with the health problems brought by junk food, school should monitor the snacks sold in tuck shop. Finally, the cooperation with family is also important, apart from controlling the junk food that student consumed at school, parents should also control their children from overtaking snacks at home. Society is currently in an obesity epidemic. By allowing our children to become addicted to sugar and junk food at such a young age, we are often condemning them to a lifetime of health problems.

Not only are there health problems but junk food affects concentration, memory, learning ability, behavior and aggression. School is where children spend most of their

time, and it is where we lay the foundation for healthy habits. It has always been the role of government to help solve problems, including and especially health crises. Obesity is a health epidemic across our country, and we have a responsibility as a government and a society to do all we can to promote good nutrition and healthy eating so we can reverse this alarming trend.