Most people will say that the United States focuses more on healthy eating today, but that does not mean that our eating habits are better than they were years ago. They have actually become worse due to an increase in the production of processed and refined foods that are low in nutrients and high in fat and sugar. The most efficient way to turn this situation around and get the country’s health back on track is by applying better nutrition in schools. Because children and teens are continuously developing, they can change their eating habits more efficiently than most adults. Although most schools already offer a variety of foods, there are numerous advantages to offering only nutritious options in the lunch line.
Eating a well-balanced breakfast and lunch can benefit the school overall because it improves a student’s ability to focus in class. Most schools aim for their attendees to be successful, and guaranteeing that their students are eating healthy foods can give the students a greater chance at achievement. In a test conducted over all California public schools, the CA state achievement tests were compared: “We find that test scores increased 0.03 to 0.05 standard deviations after contracting with healthy school meal providers” (Anderson et al., p.82). In other words, the test scores at California public schools with healthy meal providers increased slightly above the average score for that test. A nutritious diet has proven successful in significantly raising cognitive function and academic status. Healthier foods provide essential nutrients to the brain that aid in concentration and improve a student’s grades overall. With an increased academic performance rate, the school is more likely to have elevated school rankings and greater enrollment in the following years. This can considerably help the academy’s economic stability and social recognition. Overall, the intake of nourishing cuisine daily will lead to remarkable success for not only the student but also the school.
By providing only healthy options for adolescents in the lunchroom, schools can play a significant role in reducing the chances of childhood obesity. Some kids do not realize how much their weight and diet affect their physical health, so it is the school’s job to take the initiative in teaching students how to fuel their bodies with nutrient-dense meals. An article on schools’ roles in obesity prevention says that schools are identified as a key setting for public health strategies to lower or prevent the prevalence of overweight and obesity. While schools alone cannot solve the childhood obesity epidemic, it also is unlikely that childhood obesity rates can be reversed without strong school-based policies and programs to support healthy eating and physical activity. Since students spend much of their time at school, they also eat most of their meals and snack there, so the school must always provide only healthy foods. Most schools will supply healthy lunches but fail to acknowledge the importance of eating nutritious snacks as well, allowing their students and staff to sell highly processed chips, sweets, etc. Because of this situation, the group of overweight children is greater today than it has ever been before. If educational institutions begin to prohibit the selling of unhealthy meals and snacks and instead switched them out for fruits and vegetables, then adolescents would no longer be tempted to buy junk food, leading to an overall increase in physical health and an overall decrease in obesity and weight gain.
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By eating healthy on a daily basis and starting their days correctly, students would be encouraged to eat healthier when they go home for dinner and continue to do this in the future. As humans, we tend to build routines for ourselves, and when adolescents are introduced to enjoyable foods that benefit them holistically, they are more likely to continuously implement healthy eating habits into their lives. An evidence-based advice article states that you don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy, and you don’t have to change everything all at once. As your small changes become a habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices. Most of the time, individuals strive to go about eating nutritionally balanced meals, but they do not know where to start. Beginning by changing one meal per day is a simple goal that can be easily achieved and will persuade students to continue adding to their objectives each time they reach a previous goal.
It is often argued that healthy foods cost a great deal more than their unhealthy counterparts and are less likely to satisfy individuals. This means that schools would make less revenue from selling meals due to the prohibition of processed foods and the decrease in sales, and they would need to pay greater prices for healthy food, causing their profit to go down. Although this is true for nutrient-dense food in general, it is unlikely to affect schools, as much as people think, because of the health programs and organizations that have taken action to ensure healthy eating in schools. In her article, Kathy Burrill explains that the National School Lunch Program provides per-meal cash reimbursements to help schools provide this meal. This means that the programs that support the healthy eating initiative would help the schools that needed aid in paying for students’ meals. In a separate investigation, it was concluded that most schools have been able to improve the nutritional value of competitive foods without changing their overall revenue, and it was found that after schools began implementing only healthy lunches, the number of students choosing the school lunch increased over time. This proves that the elimination of processed foods in the lunchroom did not lead to a negative impact on the general finances of the school.
Have you ever met someone who said they wished they had eaten unhealthier or should start eating unhealthier? Exactly! There are very few, if any, individuals who do not crave a healthier lifestyle. Somewhere within, we all know that eating nutritiously dense foods has a great impact on our lives. They give us more energy and make us feel at our finest. Eating healthier will largely increase mental and physical health, leading our population to live longer and stronger life. So why not start early? Why not eliminate processed, unhealthy foods from school snacks, breakfasts, and lunches? If this fairly simple idea is adopted by academies, the quality of life for students and adults in our generation can improve a tremendous amount, giving our society a thriving outlook.
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