Regulations on Food Provided At Public Schools - Essay Example

 Regulations on Food Provided At Public Schools America is facing quite an epidemic when it comes to health. People’s health especially the young people is depleting with huge numbers all because of diet. The rates of diet cause diseases like obesity, diabetes and other heart-related issues are outstanding numbers and are causing the nation billions of dollars in healthcare yet they can be prevented. Promoting healthy eating habits in school has become a major issue in many nations. According to the 2010 statistics, about 17% of American schools going children were reported to be obese because of the types of foods they consume in school (Nelson, 2011). Nutrition programs in school should be considered while preparing to serve students with their meals in order to reduce the growing obesity gap in school going children. Moreover, there is a great importance of regulating and controlling the types of foods given to students in public school by ensuring that the food provided is a balanced diet (Nelson, 2011). Serious changes should be made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools. This will help reduce obesity rates, ensure healthy eating and will help save the billions of shillings spent on health issues brought about by poor eating habits (Nelson, 2011). Today, there is a lot of discussion over the nutrition programs in public schools and this has become a major concern to parents, teachers, school officials and even the students themselves (Nelson, 2011). This is because most public schools in the United States have eating programs and this has impacts on the prospective health of the entire nation. Firstly, changes should be made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools so as to ensure that school children are served with meals that are par with the standard of food quality approved by a nutritionist (Nelson, 2011). In addition, the government should ensure that the food served to students in public schools meets the requirements of Dietary Guidelines for Americans or else the school feeding programs in schools should be stopped. When school children eat healthily, they are able to stay alert and active in class which boosts their academic performance (Nelson, 2011). Therefore if the changes are done on the food they consume while at school, it will lead to good performance in school and this helps in national development as schools will provide competitive youth to build the nation. The students will also grow into strong and responsible adults as they will be healthy because of the balanced diet meals they receive in school. These changes should ensure that the food provided is accompanied by plenty of fruits and vegetables and limited calories, sugars and small portions of meals (Nelson, 2011). This will be a good way of providing a balanced diet to the student instead of feeding them with foods rich in fats and this poses health risks. The quantity and quality of the meals served to students should be improved since most parents will not be happy if their children are put on a fatty diet, sugary and salty foods in big amounts (Vail, 2005). When changes in the regulations of meals served in public schools are made, there will be new nutritional standards and students will not fear of any health risks by eating the food provided in their various schools (Vail, 2005). Also, changes should be made to the regulations of meals provided in public schools especially foods served in canteens and other fast food restaurants around the school. According to Vail (2005), when the changes are made, the health of about 32 million students who eat lunch and breakfast in school will be improved. Most school children always avoid taking meals provided in their schools and opt to rush in the fast food restaurants in their schools to grab junk foods (Vail, 2005). If the foods sold in the school canteens are regulated and school officials ensure that it adheres to the school balanced diet, students will be able to eat healthily and the worry of health issues brought about by poor eating habits will be erased. Instead of fast food canteens in public schools, there should be changes by introducing salad bars and fruits and vegetable shops (Vail, 2005). This will ensure healthy eating in school children and when they eat healthily, their performance will be at par since they will be free from health issues. The school management should also make sure that students make healthy food choices by discouraging bringing food from home to school (Vail, 2005). Furthermore, students should be discouraged from rushing for competitive foods in the canteens and if they have to, the changed policies will have to ensure that the competitive foods are healthy and meet the Federal Nutrition Guidelines (Vail, 2005). Regulations should be implemented requiring foods served in canteens abide with the school diet and this will help in improving students nutritional habits. When the changes on the food provided to students in public schools are made, it will help promote better eating habits thus better health for all Americans. Changes should be made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools so as to reduce the increased rates of obesity. Obesity rates have increased over the past few years from teenagers to adults and these rates can be decreased by the types of foods our students from public schools consume (Vail, 2005). Today in America, youth face an obesity crisis that is unprecedented in the American history and is mainly caused by poor eating habits. According to Burniat (2002), obesity and overweight rates have sky rocked by 30 percent over the last 30 years with a dramatic implication for school going children especially those who eat in school. If the obesity epidemic cannot be reversed in school going children and teenagers, there will be high rates of heart diseases, cancer, diabetes and other obesity-related chronic illnesses in the society (Cavendish, 2011). This can be done through changes in the regulation of food provided to students in public schools. It can be through subsidized meals at school and more fruits and vegetables fewer fats and sugars and this will reduce obesity cases in school going children. A study done by Grainger, Senauer, and Runge (2007) indicated that 38.8 percent of students eating in school are obese compared to 24.4 percent of students who bring their own food from home to school. This shows that there is a need for serious changes should be made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools or else, overweight and obesity cases will continue being at increased levels. Further research shows that students who take meals provided in public schools drink lots of sodas after their meals on regular basis and eat fewer fruits and vegetables compared to 91.2 percent of students who eat homemade food (Grainger, Senauer, and Runge, 2007). The present and future health, well being of teenagers and the maintenance of their body weight are profoundly affected by the kind of food they take; therefore there is need for change to be made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools, It should be noted that nutritious school lunch helps prevent the gaining of unhealthy amounts of weight (Grainger, Senauer, and Runge, 2007). When students are put on a healthy diet in school, they will have no health worries and no weight gains and this will help them learn healthy eating tips which can last them for a lifetime. Public school eating programs add to the obesity problem but it can be controlled through the changes in the food regulations by ensuring healthy eating for the students (Grainger, Senauer and Runge, 2007). School is the toughest environment of acceptance in obese students and it makes their life more difficult in school thus affecting their performance (Brenner, 1984). When children become obese with the kinds of foods they are served in school, it will hinder a very important part of their development stage in life (Brenner, 1984). When their lives are affected, they will not be able to perform in school and they will be prone to obesity-related chronic illnesses in the future and this can be prevented through making changes in the regulation of food provided to all students in public schools (Brenner, 1984). On the other hand, instead of changes being made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools, physical exercise should be encouraged as it is the best way to avoid overweight and become healthy (Salisbury, 2004). Most public schools have fast food shops and as much as food provided by school eating programs is regulated, students will still rush to the shops to grab junk and they can only be helped through physical exercises in order to avoid being overweight and later becoming obese (Salisbury, 2004). Cafeterias and fast foods restaurants should concur with the school diet or else they should be shut down completely for good and this will help the students eat the food provided by their schools. Many students prefer fast foods to the lunch and breakfast provided for them in their schools and it can be blamed on the school feeding programs yet schools provide a balanced diet and the students are the ones on the wrong side by avoiding the meals provided and replacing it with fast foods (Salisbury, 2004). Furthermore, school officials should encourage students to walk to school at times instead of taking buses to school all the time and this will improve their physical health and decrease obesity rates. Also, by changing the regulation of meals provided in public schools will not solve the health issues brought about by poor eating habits. This is simply because there are some students who eat unhealthily while at home and the school food has nothing to do with their eating habits and not taking a balanced diet (Salisbury, 2004). Proper education on eating healthy foods should be provided to all students and this will help them avoid foods that pose health risks to them. In addition, students should be involved in forums and discussions on proper eating habits by encouraging them to share with each other their experiences with bad eating habits (Salisbury, 2004). Regulations alone cannot solve the problem without proper education since they will learn from each other and make the right choice when it comes to eating. Students should be taught to be responsible with the food they consume because if the foods provided in their school are regulated, many of them might even decide to stay hungry and avoid taking their meals by terming them tasteless (Salisbury, 2004). In fact, it should be noted that the issue on food programs is not about changing the food regulations in order to provide a balanced diet to the students and to avoid health issues but the biggest problem is that most schools provide nutritious and balanced diet foods but the fast food shops are the main problems as they provide energy dense and low nutrient foods to students with beverages that contain calories and cholesterol which can cause health risks to the students (Burniat, 2002). There should be changes in the regulation of food provided to students in public schools since it determines the future of the nation. When the students in school eat unhealthily, this will adversely affect the entire nation as the youth are the future adults and it will lead to a nation full of health issues in the future yet it can be avoided (Feinstein and Sorhaindo, 2006). The government should make the changes and make sure that all schools adhere to the changes and provide quality food and a balanced diet to all students for a healthy nation. School board and officials should ensure that the regulations concerning school food problem are properly carried out as the future health of the students depends on them (Feinstein and Sorhaindo, 2006). In conclusion, in order to sustain a healthy nutrition among students in public school, adequate changes should be made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools. When these changes are made, proper rules and regulations will be put in place and all the students will be put on a healthy eating diet and they will learn to adhere to good eating habits and a properly balanced diet. Moreover, when they are able to practice good eating habits it will reduce health risks related to bad eating habits and also lead to a healthy nation with responsible adults. Most meals provided to students in public schools are not at par with the standards of the Federal Nutrition Guidelines and if these changes are made and implemented, schools will ensure that they provided students with the required standard meals with a balanced diet. Conversely, instead of changes being made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools, proper education should be provided on good eating habits and the types of foods schools should avoid serving the students. Additionally, physical exercises should be encouraged in fact be compulsory in all schools. This will help students with poor habits from home or who love grabbing fast foods from the school canteen lose and maintain good weight to avoid being overweight or having obesity. Therefore, if adequate changes are made on the regulation of food provided to students in public schools, many future health issues will be solved and the students will be able to concentrate on their studies. A regulation on food provided to students in public schools is very vital to the future health of the youth highly depends on this as most of them go through public schools. References Brenner, R. (1974). Children and youth in America. New York: Harvard U. P. Burniat, W. (2002). Child and adolescent obesity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cavendish, M. (2011). Diseases, disorders, and injuries. New York: Marshall Cavendish Emmaus. Feinstein, L. and Sorhaindo, A. (2006). What is the relationship between child nutrition and school Outcomes? London: Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning. Grainger, C., Senauer, B., & Runge, C. F. (2007). Nutritional improvements and student food choices in a school lunch program. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 41(2), 265-284. Nelson, M. M. (2011). The School Food Trust: transforming school lunches. Nutrition Bulletin, 36(3), 381-389. Salisbury, C. G. (2004). Make an investment in our school children: increase the nutritional value of school lunch programs. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, (2), 331-352. Vail, K. (2005). School food revolution. American School Board Journal, 192(1), 10-15. Read More