Argumentative Essay - Junk Food
Should the sale of junk food in school cafeterias be banned?
In more traditional years, parents had to prepare packed lunch for their kids when going to school. However, in present times, most parents are already incapable of doing such things. This is because they lack the luxury of time with the hectic schedules that they have. Parents tend to just give money to their children to purchase what they need. Given this kind of situation, students are exposed to a variety of options and they are given the freedom to pick whatever they want. In terms of what they eat, students are tempted to choose the ones which happen to be unhealthy and low in essential nutrients like junk foods. For better or for worse, junk food has gone global; it is now available all over the world (Magee, 2007, para. 1). Schools must protect the freedom that the students have in choosing what they want to consume. Without any doubt, I firmly believe that the sale of junk foods in school cafeterias should be banned for several reasons.
Foremost among my reasons is that junk food triggers obesity in kids and teens (Masand, 2011). Children nowadays are highly susceptible of becoming obese. Even at a very young age, they are at risk of putting their life in danger. High blood pressure, heart problems, breathing problems and even type 2 diabetes are just some of the risk associated with obesity. Aside from these risks, obese children are most likely to experience emotional and psychological turmoil. Furthermore, children who are overweight are more stressed compared to children with normal weight. This is because they feel insecure and unhappy for being teased and criticized. They are even subject to disapproval from discussions of family, friends and remarks from other people.
Some people may object to this argument claiming that junk food dissociates with the rates of childhood obesity. A new study has found that kids who attend schools where junk foods are highly available do not gain
In more traditional years, parents had to prepare packed lunch for their kids when going to school. However, in present times, most parents are already incapable of doing such things. This is because they lack the luxury of time with the hectic schedules that they have. Parents tend to just give money to their children to purchase what they need. Given this kind of situation, students are exposed to a variety of options and they are given the freedom to pick whatever they want. In terms of what they eat, students are tempted to choose the ones which happen to be unhealthy and low in essential nutrients like junk foods. For better or for worse, junk food has gone global; it is now available all over the world (Magee, 2007, para. 1). Schools must protect the freedom that the students have in choosing what they want to consume. Without any doubt, I firmly believe that the sale of junk foods in school cafeterias should be banned for several reasons.
Foremost among my reasons is that junk food triggers obesity in kids and teens (Masand, 2011). Children nowadays are highly susceptible of becoming obese. Even at a very young age, they are at risk of putting their life in danger. High blood pressure, heart problems, breathing problems and even type 2 diabetes are just some of the risk associated with obesity. Aside from these risks, obese children are most likely to experience emotional and psychological turmoil. Furthermore, children who are overweight are more stressed compared to children with normal weight. This is because they feel insecure and unhappy for being teased and criticized. They are even subject to disapproval from discussions of family, friends and remarks from other people.
Some people may object to this argument claiming that junk food dissociates with the rates of childhood obesity. A new study has found that kids who attend schools where junk foods are highly available do not gain
References: Borland, S. (2010, June 12). Judge declares fast food takeaway near school is unlawful. The Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1285939/Judge-declares-fast-food-takeaway-near-school-unlawful.html Goodwin, L. (2012, January 17). Study: Junk food doesn’t cause obesity in middle schools. Yahoo News. Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout /study-junk-food-doesn-t-cause-obesity-middle-180045177.html Kickbusch, C. (2009, November 16). The power and influence of a good teacher –immeasurable. Teachers of Color. Retrieved from http://www.teachersofcolor. com/2009/11/the-power-and-influence-of-a-good-teacher-%E2%80%93-immeasurable/ Magee, E. (2007). Junk-food facts. WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/ features/junk-food-facts Martin, M. (2011, May 24). Does junk food affect behavior. Livestrong. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/450294-does-junk-food-affect-behavior/ Masand, P. (2011, November 7). Junk food triggers obesity, diabetes in kids and teens. The Times of India. Retrieved from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ 2011-11-07/mumbai/30369241_1_junk-food-obesity-instant-noodles O’Connor, A. (2012, May 8). Bans on school junk food pay off in California. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/bans-on-school-junk-food-pay-off-in-california/ Stevens, L., Kuczek, T., Burgess, J., Hurt, E., & Arnold, L. E. (2010). Dietary sensitivities and ADHD symptoms: Thirty-five years of research. Clinical Pediatrics. doi: 10.1177/ 0009922810384728 This house would ban junk food from schools. (2012, February 17). Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/health/house-would-ban-junk-food-schools