Why Junk Food Should Be Banned in Schools

In order for students to perform at the best level they possibly can in their schooling they need to be eating the right foods rather than junk food. The short and long term effects of junk food is something that cannot be ignored. If you knew them the chances of you even coming close would be little. “Eating a poor quality diet high in junk food is linked to a higher risk of obesity, depression, digestive issues, heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and an early death, I’m pretty sure that’s something we all wouldn’t want. And as you might expect, frequency matters when it comes to the impact of junk food on your health”. This brings us to the question: “Should junk food be banned in schools?”. Essay on this issue will outline the reasons why it should be done.

First and foremost, selling junk food in schools is something that should be prohibited because, an estimated 28% of children and adolescents in Australia are overweight or obese. Obesity is a big problem and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Once you start to engage in excessive unhealthy eating habits you become overweight, once you become overweight you start to become lazy and inactive. You wouldn’t want to see students overweight and continuously eating food that is bad for both their mental and physical health. Laziness and being inactive is a habit we wouldn’t want to see students have, rather we want to see them excel by having a healthy diet and getting enough exercise as this would make them feel both physically and mentally good. There is nothing good about being obese and overweight it only brings negative things to the individual.

The second reason for why it should be banned is because people with depression or anxiety may experience weight gain. Depression and anxiety can both be associated with overeating, excessive amounts of junk food, and a more sedentary lifestyle. Over time, weight gain will eventually lead to obesity. Children who are depressed often have a higher BMI (body mass index) score than children who aren’t. The BMI score is a measurement of a person’s weight with respect to his or her height. It is more of an indicator than a direct measurement of a person’s total body fat. BMI, more often than not, correlates with total body fat. This means that as the BMI score increases, so does a person’s total body fat. Now, many people suffer from depression and overeating, junk food is a big contributing factor to this problem. from eating junk food to getting depressed, this all leads to bigger and worse problems. Now we all know that a person who is overweight is made fun of and probably gets bullied which makes them depressed and stressed, and they become so low and alone that they isolate themselves from the rest of the world. Why put students through all these problems when you can educate them about the importance of eating healthy food and refraining from unhealthy and rubbish food?

The third and final reason for why junk food should be banned in schools is because junk food effects your digestive system. Most fast food, including drinks and sides, are loaded with fibre. When your digestive system breaks down these foods, the carbs are released as glucose (sugar) into your bloodstream. As a result, your blood sugar increases. Your pancreas (glandular organ that produces a number of hormones essential to the body, It forms an integral part of the digestive system) responds to the surge in glucose by releasing insulin. Insulin transports sugar throughout your body to cells that need it for energy. As your body uses or stores the sugar, your blood sugar returns to normal. This blood sugar process is highly regulated by your body, and if you’re healthy, your organs can properly handle these sugar spikes. But frequently eating high amounts of carbs can lead to repeated spikes in your blood sugar. Over time, these insulin spikes may cause your body’s normal insulin response to falter. This increases your risk for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain (health line). No one wants to have digestive problems so why do people eat the foods that can harm them. You need to be eating the right foods so that you can feel good and not harm yourself.

In conclusion, students need to eat the healthy foods and refrain from eating junk food as much as possible. Schools should not sell junk food but rather sell nutritious food so that students remain healthy and happy. What’s shocking is that these unhealthy foods damage our bodies and minds massively, they increase your chances of getting cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even an early death! The list that has just been mentioned here is something we cannot ignore therefore schools should not sell junk and if they do they only cause problems for the students.

Works Cited

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2. Brown, M., & Flint, S. (2013). School food environments and practices affect dietary behaviors of US public school children. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(7), 901-903.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Childhood obesity facts. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html
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5. Ludwig, D. S., Peterson, K. E., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2001). Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: A prospective, observational analysis. The Lancet, 357(9255), 505-508.
6. Malik, V. S., Pan, A., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2013). Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98(4), 1084-1102.