Junk Food should be Banned from Schools

In the U.S., sixty million adults are obese. We need to be healthier , or the numbers will continue to rise. Junk food should be banned from schools because it has terrible effects on the body and brain and causes death and life changing disease.

The rate of obesity in the United States have risen rapidly in the past years. A study of students attending public elementary schools in California discovered that the percent of “fifth-graders who were overweight or obese increased slightly each year from 2001 to 2005, from 43.5 percent to 46.6 percent”( Alexander and Nincoff). There are many causes of being overweight. One reason is having a low income. Kids who come to school hungry might not get the proper nutrition if the meals at school are unhealthy. Banning junk food will ensure these kids, who might not get proper nutrition at home, have at least a few good meals a week. Another cause of being overweight is that “many junk foods are extremely high in calories, and it's easy for a person to exceed the recommended number of calories when they eat junk foods”(Junk Food Should Be Banned). For example, a McDonald’s Big Mac is five hundred sixty three calories, while half of a roasted chicken breast and medium sized baked potato are just two hundred seventy two calories(Infoplease). Another cause is having bad habits to begin with.If someone has a poor diet and doesn’t know what a healthy diet looks like, then it is really easy to become overweight. Forming good habits during childhood is important because ”young minds are geared towards forming habits”(Nubaver). Banning junk food in schools provides a good example or a healthy diet and encourages good eating. Habits, good or bad, can lead to many things, this includes addictions. Kids become addicts faster than adults, junk food can become addicting and hard to stop eating.

Junk food also has terrible effects on the body. Additives, preservatives, high levels of salt, and fatty foods have negative effects, and reduces cognitive performance(Junk Food Should Be Banned). Also, junk food could contain pesticides and ”residual amounts of pesticides might cause negative effects on brain health”(Junk Food Should Be Banned). Junk food doesn’t contain Omega-3’s, which are necessary for brain function and a lack of Omega-3’s can result in common mental health disorders like ADHD and depression(Junk Food Should Be Banned). Junk food lacks vitamins E and B and this can cause lack of concentration(Nubaver). There is also little calcium in junk food , not getting the necessary amount of calcium can cause defects in bone development(Junk Food Should Be Banned). Sugar, fat, and deprivation of iron can weaken bones too.

There are so many ingredients in junk food, it can be difficult for people with allergies. Junk food may have traces of nuts because multiple types of food are processed in the same factory, risking cross-contamination. Additives are causing huge problems because kids are starting to develop allergies to them. Additives, especially red dyes,cause symptoms that may include extreme behavioral changes. Type 2 diabetes is also becoming more common and “junk food can increase one’s risk of developing it(Junk Food Should Be Banned). One reason is that high volumes of sugar are being consumed and over a long period of time, the body can stop producing enough insulin(Junk Food Should Be Banned). Another reason is that it can be induced by being overweight or obese. Type 2 diabetes can cause serious problems with circulation amount other health concerns.

Being overweight could be considered one of the main causes of death in the U.S. The acting governor of New Jersey said,” nearly three hundreds thousand people die each year from complications associated with being obese or overweight”(Should states ban junk food in schools?). An unhealthy diet can cause heart disease. During a study, researchers found that” the largest number of heart disease deaths was associated with high intake of processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages and low intake of nuts”(Cleveland Clinic).

In California, some schools have already banned junk food from schools. The amount of calories eaten in a school day was reduced by one hundred sixty calories, which is a significant amount. And there is ”no evidence that these students over consumed junk food to any degree at home”(Junk Food Should Be Banned).

In conclusion, junk food should be banned from schools because it causes death and serious disease and has negative results on the brain and body.

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