What Is Fast Food Environment Around Children

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The Food Environment Around Children At School Children’s overweight problem is becoming more and more serious, and schools are still providing with no limit junk food to students. Since 1980 obesity prevalence among children ages 2 to 19 has tripled(Alice Park). Nowadays, many parents are so busy with their work that they barely have time to make a healthy lunch for their children. School cafeterias become the only choice for children to have lunch. Deep-fried chicken, ketchup, chips, high-fat and low-fiber menu becomes the typical lunch at American elementary schools. Children need to absorb enough nutrition to grow up healthily. Considering to give students a better food environment, the school cafeterias should be required to provide …show more content…
However, this behavior is selfish. Schools dish out junk food because it is fast, so they do not need to hire many workers to make health food for students. Instead, they directly purchase fast and junk food from big junk food business, such as MacDonald or Subways. Indeed, schools can save some money and time by doing so. However, schools should be more concerned about students’ health, than about how much profit that they can make from children by cutting off healthy food, and provide fast, easy making junk food. Hon. Marlene Canter, the board of education L.A. Unified school district, saying that some of the companies are really opposing the ban of selling soda and other fast food in schools. For reasons of that they would lose revenue. She also said “It’s not about money, It’s not about economics. It’s about health!” Moreover, if schools provide children junk food, it indirectly becomes the government that subsides the junk food companies to make more junk food. The school cafeterias therefore should not or even reduce providing junk food, and guide children to have healthy …show more content…
Junk food contains different fats and hormones which cannot be absorbed by human body, and they can accumulate in our organs. Because of the damage to organs, anxious, depression and other mental issues could be caused. PhD, Nauert Rick, who has over 25 years experience in clinical, administrative and academic healthcare, said a better diet of more fruit and vegetables can improve the mental health, and it may make people calmer, happier and more energetic in daily life. Most people must have experienced unhappy or uncomfortable after having too much junk food. And soon they get hungry again and feel addicted to hamburgers and coke. This is because “the same reward and pleasure centers of the brain that are triggered by addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin are also activated by food, especially highly palatable food” which is rich in sugar, fat and salt. ( Nauert.R). This mentally addiction causes people want to consume more and more junk food which already lead to obesity, and becomes a vicious circle. There is an example in Appletion central alternative high school, which is filled with students have behavioral problems. School turn things around through diet. They provide low fat, low sugar and fresh vegetables and fruits. The healthy food is doing major change to at-risk and out-of-control children.( Super Size Me). The other schools should do the same thing, to provide more

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