essay on should junk food be banned in schools

Should we ban junk food in schools? We asked five experts

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Obesity rates are on the rise in Australia and across the world . For years, public health and medical groups have called for schools to ban sales of junk foods as one way to stem the tide.

Selling fatty or sugary food and drinks has been banned in Western Australia’s public schools since 2007. A 2018 study found WA children were eating healthier as a result of the ban. But it also found some regional schools were struggling to comply with it.

Some countries, including Canada and Chile , have banned junk food in schools. Should Australia do the same?

We asked five experts.

Four out of five experts said yes

Here are their detailed responses:

If you have a “yes or no” education question you’d like posed to Five Experts, email your suggestion to: [email protected]

Disclosures: Gary Sacks receives funding from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and VicHealth.

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18 Banning Junk Food in Schools Pros and Cons

We often think of junk food as being a candy bar, prepackaged pastry, or some other item or beverage which offers high levels of fat and sugar content with each serving. The reality of these foods is that anything which offers a limited nutritional value and contains significant levels of calories and salt is classified in this “junk” category. Having these items available in schools is a debate which parents, teachers, and administrators often share because of the need to teach and show healthy eating habits.

Even fast food items, pizza, and other items that are sometimes included on the school lunch menu could be classified as junk foods these days. They generally provide little in terms of vitamins, minerals, or protein. Kids receive energy from a high dose of sugar, which then causes them to crash before the end of the school day. This cycle can result in a reduction of learning opportunities.

When the junk food is consumed as the exception instead of the rule, then most children and adults will not experience ill effects from their eating habits. It is when these items are consumed without a thought of moderation where adverse health impacts can begin to form. If children can access these items in school, then they may not have access to the input from trusted adults as to whether or not their eating choices are positive.

Should junk food be allowed in schools today? Here are the pros and cons to consider on this subject.

List of the Pros of Having Junk Food in Schools

1. Junk foods are easier to manage when they are allowed as part of the school policy. Schools do have the ability to ban the presence of junk food on their grounds. Parents can limit the access that children have to these items at home. Where the line gets drawn is in the general market. It is impossible to completely ban all possible foods that may be unhealthy for every person. Kids are going to smuggle in food items that they want to eat whenever they can if their favorite items are not permitted. Rather than treat these foods as contrabands, regulating their consumption can help teachers and administrators to work with parents on teaching these kids responsibility and accountability for their nutritional choices.

2. Junk foods are craved more when they are not permitted. Kids will want the junk foods that schools ban even more when they are told that they cannot have them during the day. Many districts have found that the consumption of these items will go up in the days after implementing such a policy if they do not have replacement options or educational opportunities available to their students. Gardening and exercise programs, along with nutritional information opportunities, can help children learn how to making individually healthy choices by themselves instead of relying on the feedback of others.

3. Junk foods offer a wide range of variety from which to choose. You can find numerous eating options available to students when junk foods are permitted in schools. They can be arranged in order to the personal taste of the student. Even though they might be included in a home-brought lunch or a snack eaten in class, these items can combine with healthier foods throughout the day to reduce the impact of its nutritional content. It always comes back to moderation when looking at this subject. When kids have access to a diverse set of choices, then they can begin to learn which ones are the best for their short- and long-term health.

4. Junk foods provide greater availability and affordability. In the United States, the average prices for fruits and vegetables can range from under $0.40 per pound to over $4.00 per pound. Many families stick to simple starches when purchasing produce, such as potatoes, because they tend to be the cheapest fresh foods available at the local store. Only grapefruit, melons, and bananas cost less than the weighted-average price across the country, which is why they account for 56% of all sales in this category.

Eating a healthy diet costs an average of about $1.50 per day. Although that doesn’t sound like much, that works out to more than $2,000 for a family of four. With 1 in 7 households already struggling with food security, junk food is a way to quench hunger in students without creating a negative impact on the family budget.

5. Junk foods save time when students need to eat. Many students find that they do not receive enough time to eat their lunch during the school day. When time constraints are placed on this process, then they are not getting enough to eat and are consuming what they have too quickly. It is not unusual for students on the current school schedule to receive 10 minutes or less of actual eating time for their lunch. If teachers delay the transition from the classroom to the cafeteria because of student behaviors, this time could be cut by 50%. Offering junk foods may not be the first or best choice parents want to make, but it can help to relieve hunger because the items can be consumed faster than other food choices.

6. Junk foods can be a source of needed nutritional items. Although there is a higher level of fat and salt content in many junk food items, it is inaccurate to say that they are completely devoid of the necessary nutritional content that students require each day. There are often high levels of antioxidants in these food items. Ice cream provides an excellent dose of calcium per serving. Eating dark chocolate can improve brain power. Potato chips are high in Vitamin B6, fiber, and other necessary minerals. Even Cheese Whiz offers conjugated linoleic acid, which may have anti-cancer properties. That’s why moderation is often more essential to teach to today’s children rather than complete avoidance.

7. Junk foods can even be classified as healthy sometimes. Even though popcorn can be coated with sugar, caramel, or high-calorie flavoring options, it can also be a healthy snack for schools because it is very high in fiber. If you want to avoid the unhealthy options that are available with this food item, then you will want to use air popping to make them at home. Ready-to-make popcorn products often contain partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats that can lead to plaque formation. If you can avoid the calorie bombs with this option, you might find that a school which outlaws junk food on their grounds might still accept popcorn.

8. Junk foods are often caused by additives instead of the core ingredients. There are numerous processed and junk foods that are made largely unhealthy because they were loaded with additional ingredients or oils to achieve a longer shelf life. When junk foods are made available at school, then there is no longer a need to depend on unhealthy choices from outside of the district. Parents and administrators can limit the choices of what is available to the healthiest options in this category while still meeting the “craving” that some students have for these food items.

List of the Cons of Having Junk Food in Schools

1. Junk foods often contain higher levels of cholesterol. It isn’t just sugar and fat consumption that are concerning when children make junk food a regular part of their diet. These items often contain higher levels of unsaturated fat, which means kids can see a boost in their overall cholesterol levels. The World Health Organization reports that higher levels of these food items in the diet creates a higher risk of chronic disease development and stroke later in life. Even the higher levels of salt that are found in processed foods can raise blood pressure levels to increase the chances of heart disease development as well.

2. Junk foods can increase the risk of suffering from depression. Teens and adolescents are more depressed today than arguably at any other time in history. The figures of this mental health issue are alarming.

• A teen will take their own life because of depression every 100 minutes on average. • Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 to 24. • 1 in 5 teens will experience depression at least once before they become an adult. • Approximately 15% of the youth population is experiencing depression-like symptoms right now. • Only 30% of the youth who experience depression are actually treated for it.

When kids eat foods with higher levels of nutritional content, then they have more available energy that their brain can use to process events. Because there is more activity involved in their daily routine, it can provide a risk reduction of this mental health issue.

3. Junk foods might lower the IQ level of students. The nutritional value of the foods that a child eats is directly linked to their brain activity. When junk foods are the primary source of relief for hunger, then there are fewer resources made available to the brain. This result impacts their IQ level over time because the learning process becomes slower. Children only need to eat junk food items three times per week to have a lower IQ level compared to the kids who do not eat these products as often.

Junk foods affect student performance in other was as well. People receive a sudden spike of energy when they consume foods with high sugar levels. As these effects begin to fade, the child becomes less aware and sluggish until they find another snack. That creates another energy spike, which cycles down again after some time. This process is why these items can lead to lower energy levels, lethargy, and a general lack of concentration.

4. Junk foods may lead to higher levels of gastrointestinal issues. Since for 2003, there has been a 114% rise in the cases of irritable bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease requiring hospital admissions for youth in the United Kingdom. This steep rise may have many causes, but eating a lot of junk food could be one of the foundational causes of the issue. It is more challenging for the body to process items that contain high levels of fat. People who eat fast food more than two times per week increase their risks of developing IBD. Although there is no consensus for this disadvantage as of yet, the data does suggest that junk foods could be one of the causes for constipation, bloating, or diarrhea which can become chronic.

5. Junk foods can damage the liver and heart. The excessive consumption of junk foods can pose a threat to the heart and liver of a child. That is because of the higher levels of salt and fat that is contained in these processed foods. Not only will this increase the risk of obesity in today’s adolescents, but it will also contribute to higher levels of arterial plaque buildup which can lead to future health issues as well. It can even lead to the formation of fatty liver deposits that can lead to dysfunction or disease.

6. Junk foods have an addictive quality to them. When junk foods are available in schools, then it exposes children to products that are highly habit forming. The regular consumption of these products can lead to kids becoming addicted to them. With the higher levels of fat, salt, and sugar these foods contain, their unique taste can make it difficult for children to resist eating more of them than they should. These habits can be harmful if it takes someone outside of the limits of moderation, creating health issues that could potentially last for years. We are hard-wired to crave high-calorie foods as a means for survival, so continued exposure to them can release neurotransmitters that tell kids that it is time to eat when the opposite may be true.

7. Junk foods in schools can put kids off of healthier choices. Once children form the habit of eating junk foods in school, then it is also possible for them to move away from the desire to eat healthier options. The artificial flavors of the junk food can make it challenging for people to enjoy the natural flavors of options that are more nutritious. Many families replace other more nutritious items with foods that qualify as being “junk.” If you are eating more cookies or potato chips, then you are usually eating fewer fruits and vegetables throughout the day. This habit decreases your fiber intake, vitamin levels, and eliminates the desire to have items that are healthy.

8. Junk foods cause more problems than just obesity. We must be concerned about the obesity epidemic in the United States and other countries around the world. Children learn from their home environment. If adults feel that the regular consumption of junk food is healthy for them, then their kids will too. With nearly 70% of the adult population overweight or obese, these rates are climbing in children as well.

The obesity rate in children since the 1970s has tripled, with 20% of school-age children dealing with this issue. Keeping junk foods out of schools can prevent this issue while also reducing the risks of a weakening of the teeth and bones that happens when frequently exposed to high-calorie items and beverages – especially sodas.

9. Junk foods can prevent nutrient absorption when consumed at high levels. The higher levels of sugar, salt, and sodium that junk foods contain might allow the foods to last longer on the shelf, but they can also be exceptionally harmful to the human body. Many of these excessive elements cannot be broken down by the digestive system. During the attempt to do so, the body can ignore the other vital nutrients it requires for energy, directly impacting the strength of the metabolism, immune system, and other functions. Some items can even prevent the absorption of the vitamins and minerals that are found in the foods.

10. Junk foods create health impacts that kids may not even realize exist. Children (especially those under the age of 10) do not think about the future consequences of their actions. Kids up to the age of 8 even typically believe everything that they see on television. There is a general assumption that everyone tells the truth all of the time. We should applaud this innocence, but then we must also take the time to instruct kids on what healthy eating choices look like. When junk foods are readily available, it is not unusual for them to gorge on these products simply because they are present. They don’t know any better, which means it is up to us to provide them with the information they require.

The pros and cons of having junk foods in schools revolve around personal choices and freedoms balanced with a responsibility to teach healthier habits. There may be times when an outright ban of these high-calorie items is necessary because there is no other way to show students how healthy choices are better. Doing so will also increase the risk of that child craving the potentially unhealthy item even more. If we can teach responsibility through moderation at home and school, then we can hopefully make a positive impact on the rates of youth obesity which currently exist.

Junk Food in Schools: Good or Bad for Children? Essay

Introduction, the arguments for junk food at schools, the arguments against junk food at schools, the rebuttal of the advantages of junk food, the rebuttal of disadvantages of junk food.

Junk food has become very popular nowadays especially among children. Children really like junk food and as a result junk food are provided at school. Is it good or bad for children? There are advantages as well as disadvantages of junk food in schools.

There are three main advantages of junk food in schools namely quick preparation, change in routine and benefits for children’s health (Borkar, 2011). One of the main advantages of junk food is that it is simple to cook and it satiates hunger. If any child forgets his/her lunch bag at home it is very convenient to have junk food for lunch at school (Maire, n.d.). More than that, it is delicious and liked by children. It is the food that is easy to eat even on the go. As a result, junk food saves a lot of time and it is very convenient at schools where the breaks are not so long to have a rigorous lunch (Jenkins, 2005).

The second advantage is the change in routine. Children are accustomed to the food prepared at home and junk food at school may add the variety to their routine menu (Antwerp, n.d.). It does not have serious effects on the health if it is varied with the food prepared at home.

The third advantage is that it is healthy. Of course, there are cases when junk food is prepared with unhealthy ingredients and oil but there is also healthy junk food that may be eaten by children. If such junk food as potato chips or juice are available at school’s children will be protected from unhealthy food proposed outside the boundaries of the school ( Pros & Cons of Fast Foods in School, n.d.).

As for the disadvantages of junk food at schools, they are obesity, the influence over the students’ performance and other health issues (Richards, n.d.). It is a well-known fact that junk food contains a lot of salt, pepper and other unhealthy ingredients. All these ingredients are harmful as far as it is complicated for a young organism to break down them and these ingredients accumulate in the body (Rosenthal, n.d.). More than that, they prevent the absorption of other valuable nutrients and as a result affect the immune system. These harmful ingredients lead to obesity among children that is the burning issue nowadays (Ankerberg-Nobis, n.d.). This kind of food does not contain all the nutrients necessary for children and as a result it causes a lot of problems with their health (A Comparison of Nutritious Food and Junk Food , 2009). These health issues include heart problems such as hormonal imbalance, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, and problems with liver, kidneys and stomach.

The content of junk food including carbs, sodium and sugar is very unhealthy for children and it affects their performance at school (Bodeeb, 2011). It takes a lot of energy to digest junk food. As a result, after such snack the child begins to fade and become sluggish. The person feels weakness and the necessity to have a snack again. It is not an addiction, but it is the dependence on the boosts of energy that fade so quickly. There is no wonder that students are not ready to study after such a full snack that influences their attention and concentration.

If we consider the advantages of junk food that have been described before we may conclude that they seem to be doubtful. As for the main advantage of availability of junk food and its simplicity to be cooked it is not an advantage if we speak about the health of our children. Time does not play any role if junk food influences children’s health (Bose, 2012). As for hunger satisfaction with junk food it is a poor semblance as far as it is a sort of energy boost as it has been described in the list of disadvantages. As for the variety of the children’s menu it is possible to add this diversity with the help of healthy domestic food. These arguments supporting junk food are so weak comparing to its disadvantages.

Nevertheless, the disadvantages that have been presented above also may be doubted. Of course, children’s health depends on the food they eat but the main reason of heart problems and obesity is the lack of activities. It will be more reasonable to take care of this problem rather that to criticize junk food. Children should go in for sport as far as they have a lot of energy that is necessary to be burnt out. As for the content of junk food, there is no wonder that any kind of food contains salt, sugar and carbs and it does not depend whether it is junk food or not. Any kind of food may contain ingredients that influence human body in a negative way (Chen, 2009). First of all, its influence depends on the state of health, the way of life and susceptibilities to different diseases. The third disadvantage also sounds weakly as far as it is a well-known fact that after eating a human body needs a rest and there is no wonder that children are not ready to study after having had a snack.

From the above said we may conclude that there are advantages and disadvantages and it is up to everybody to decide whether their children eat junk food or not. Junk food has become a debatable question nowadays and the list of its advantages and disadvantages is endless.

A Comparison of Nutritious Food and Junk Food (2009). Web.

Ankerberg-Nobis, T. (n.d.). Fast Food in Schools Fuels the Obesity Epidemic . Web.

Antwerp, V. (n.d.). The Pros of Junk Food Sales in Schools . Web.

Bodeeb, J. (2011). The Growing Problem of Junk Food in Schools . Web.

Borkar, R. (2011). Junk Food in Schools – Pros and Cons . Web.

Bose, D. (2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food.

Chen, G. (2009). Why Fast Food is “Healthier” Than School Lunches: The Shocking USDA Truth . Web.

Jenkins, R. (2005). Junk Food Ban . Web.

Maire, L. (n.d.). Pros & Cons of Fast Foods . Web.

Pros & Cons of Fast Foods in School . (n.d.). Web.

Richards, R. (n.d.). Fast Food in Schools . Web.

Rosenthal, J. (n.d.) Back to School, Back to Junk Food? Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 29). Junk Food in Schools: Good or Bad for Children? https://ivypanda.com/essays/junk-food-in-schools-good-or-bad-for-children/

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IvyPanda . "Junk Food in Schools: Good or Bad for Children?" October 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/junk-food-in-schools-good-or-bad-for-children/.

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Ban Junk Food, Sodas in Schools, Prominent Scientists Recommend

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Citing an alarming rise in childhood-obesity rates, a panel of prominent scientists says the government should ban most soft drinks, junk food, and other unhealthy food and beverage selections available in schools.

In a report released last week, the Institute of Medicine took direct aim at the food and drinks sold in on-campus vending machines, selections offered a la carte in cafeterias and school snack bars, and even the cupcakes and cookies that are often served by teachers and parents in classroom celebrations of birthdays and holidays.

The panel of scientists recommended that water, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products replace the chips, candy bars, sugary juices, and sodas found in many snack and beverage vending machines located on school campuses.

“Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth” and a fact sheet on the report are available from the National Academies Press .

The report, which was requested by Congress, represents the first attempt by federal officials to target the nutritional concerns surrounding the snacks and drinks that are often sold to raise money for schools. The Institute of Medicine is an arm of the prestigious National Academies.

Already, the lunches and breakfasts served by public schools through the National School Lunch Program must adhere to federal nutrition guidelines. A bipartisan group of senators is now pushing for legislation—the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act—to empower the U.S. Department of Agriculture to regulate snacks available at schools. The USDA oversees the federal student lunch program.

‘Important First Step’

“The alarming increase in childhood-obesity rates has galvanized parents and schools across the nation to find ways to improve children’s diets and health, and we hope our report will assist that effort by setting standards for foods and beverages that have so far escaped any requirements,” Virginia A. Stallings, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and the chairwoman of the 15-member committee that issued the report, said in a statement.

One school nutrition advocate said the institute’s report was “an important first step” to regulating the “competitive” foods found in many schools.

“But it’s not going to make a difference or do any good if these standards aren’t implemented,” said Janey Thornton, the president of the School Nutrition Association and the director of child-nutrition programs for the 14,000-student district in Hardin County, Ky. “There are already many schools that have made great strides in changing what is sold in vending machines and other venues in the school system, but there are still going to be many schools that won’t ever change unless it is mandated.”

Apples and Carrots

Restrictions on ‘competitive foods’.

The panel recommends that only certain types of foods be permitted in schools, depending on students’ grade levels.

For all grade levels during and after the school day, in portion sizes that provide 200 calories or fewer:

• Individual fruits, such as apples or pear slices, or fruit cups packed in juice or water • Vegetables, such as baby carrots • Low-fat, low-salt whole-grain crackers or chips • 8-ounce servings of low-fat or nonfat chocolate or strawberry milk with no more than 22 grams of sugars (the naturally occurring small amount of caffeine in chocolate milk is an allowed exception to the report’s caffeine standard)

For high school students only, and only after school, all in servings that provide 200 calories or fewer:

• Low-salt baked potato chips, crackers, and pretzels • Caffeine-free, calorie-free, nonfortified soft drinks • Ice cream bars low in sugar and fat

Items that do not meet the standards:

• Potato chips and pretzels that have too much sugar or salt • Ice cream products that have too much fat

SOURCE: Institute of Medicine

Under the guidelines, schools should only sell apples, carrot sticks, raisins, yogurt, and other low-fat and nonfat snacks that have no more than 30 grams of added sugar. Candy bars and potato chips should be eliminated. The guidelines also urge limiting the number of calories for any snack or beverage to 200 per portion and say that any snacks containing trans fats or 35 percent of calories that come from fat should be axed.

The report calls for teachers to stop using any food as rewards for students and suggests that any snacks and beverages served as part of classroom celebration adhere to the guidelines.

For beverages, the institute recommended that plain water, low-fat and nonfat milk, and 100 percent fruit juices in limited amounts be made available.

Any caffeinated beverages should be banned during the school day for all students, the report says. Caffeine-free diet sodas and other low-calorie beverages that contain artificial sweeteners could be allowed, but only for high school students and only after school hours.

The panel also said sports drinks should be available only to those students who participate in one hour or more of “vigorous athletic activity” and “at the discretion of coaches.”

The American Beverage Association, which represents the largest makers of soft drinks and other nonalcoholic beverages, said it supported the panel’s recommendations on drinks that should be made available to students in elementary and middle schools.

“The [Institute of Medicine] report puts an important focus on school nutrition, and we agree,” Susan Neely, the president and chief executive officer of the association, said in a statement. “In fact, our industry is already changing the mix of products in schools across America to cut calories and control portion sizes.”

Last year, the soft drink industry called for a voluntary curb on selling sugary sodas and other high- calorie beverages to schools. In doing so, it released a set of guidelines that includes a restriction on selling fully sugared sodas in any schools. Unlike the institute’s guidelines, the industry-written standards do not restrict the availability of sports drinks and other low-calorie beverages to high school students.

“We feel we have such an opportunity in schools to teach children not only what they need to be eating, but why they need to be eating this way,” said Ms. Thornton of the School Nutrition Association. “That’s something they can use every day for the rest of their lives.”

A version of this article appeared in the May 02, 2007 edition of Education Week as Ban Junk Food, Sodas in Schools, Prominent Scientists Recommend

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Researchers find schools that ban junk food at mealtime are 18% lighter.

November 1, 2010 · 2 min read

Researchers find schools that ban junk food at mealtime are 18% lighter

Here’s some simple math for school officials and parents in the fight against childhood obesity: School lunchtimes minus snack food equals a much lighter student body. Literally.

A new study from UNL has directly estimated the relationship between school food policies and students’ weight by examining nutrition policies in schools and coupling it with survey information from students, parents and school administrators.

The findings suggest that a single policy shift - banning all junk food from a la carte lines during school lunch hours - would result in an 18 percent reduction in overweight or obese students.

With more than 30 million children being served lunch and 9.7 million being served breakfast each school day, the new evidence adds to a growing argument for beefing up U.S. school food policies when dealing with unhealthy food and drinks.

“The upward trend in the incidence of obesity among children and adolescents has gained national attention and has motivated calls for immediate action to alter environments to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity,” the study says.

“The school environment plays an important role in shaping eating habits among youth as they spend one-fourth to one-third of their day at school.”

The study, by UNL associate professors Patricia Kennedy (marketing) and Mary McGarvey (economics), along with Bree Dority, assistant professor of economics at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, examined survey responses from seventh- and 12th-graders and their parents at eight Midwestern schools.

Researchers then combined those responses with those of school administrators and considered a range of other factors to precisely gauge the effect of schools’ food policies on students’ weight.

The study suggests expanding the USDA’s current ban on selling so-called Foods of Limited Nutritional Value during school meal times to include all junk food a la carte selections.

While the current USDA ban covers many unhealthy foods, it doesn’t cover items like candy bars, soda, potato chips, cookies and other high-fat snack foods.

The researchers recommended that marketers of foods and beverages to children and adolescents limit or eliminate their sales of junk foods in schools, as well: “Marketers have known for some time that building long-term relationships with their consumers is much more profitable than having a constant turnover of buyers,” it says.

Their findings, which appeared in the Nov. 1 edition of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, are from a three-year research project on child obesity funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Steve Smith, University Communications

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Debate: Should Junk Food be Banned in Schools? Essay

Example 1: Supporting Arguments: Junk Food Should be Banned in Schools

Example 2: supporting arguments: junk food should be banned in schools, example 3: opposing arguments: junk food should not be banned in schools, example 4: opposing arguments: junk food should not be banned in schools.

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Should Junk Food Be Banned in Public Schools? Essay Example

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Background Information

There has been an argument about the food that is being served to children in public schools. It has been documented in the media that Americans are becoming obese and their children are following the same pattern. The children in public schools are developing a lifetime of poor eating habits that start early in life. These children learn these bad habits in the public school system that lead to a lifetime of serious health conditions as the grow and develop into teenagers and adults. The parents have some control of the children because they provide the unhealthy junk food as well. As a result, the children developed serious health complications including obesity as they enter adulthood. The public school should be held accountable because the children spend 90% of the time at school. The public schools should be responsible for laying the foundation for children to eat healthy.

Purpose of Statement

The purpose of these articles will support the banning of junk food in the public schools. These trend needs to implemented at the public schools which teaches and guide the parents in helping their children make healthier food choices.

Source 1:  S., Ashakiran, and Deepthi R. (2012). Junk foods and their impact on health. Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (JKIMSU) 1(2), 7-15

Source 2: Frazier, J. P., Land, M., Hsieh, P., & Barratt, M. S. (2014). Junk food seen at pediatric

Clinic visits: Is it a problem? Clinical Pediatrics , 53 (4), 320-325.

Source 3 Robinson, E., Harris, E., Thomas, J., Aveyard, P., & Higgs, S. (2013). Reducing high calorie snack food in young adults: a role for social norms and health based messages. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity , 10 (1), 73-80.

Source 4 Basavaraj, S. S., Raghavendra, B. B., Jamil, M., Kavya, P. P., Deepa, R. R., Kavya, G. G., & Kiran, B. B. (2011). A study of patterns and determinants of junk food consumption among students. New Indian Journal of Surgery , 2 (4), 271-272.

Source 5 Buck, C., Börnhorst, C., Pohlabeln, H., Huybrechts, I., Pala, V., Reisch, L., & Pigeot, I. (2013). Clustering of unhealthy food around German schools and its influence on dietary behavior in schoolchildren: a pilot study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity , 10 (1), 65-74.

Source 1 S., Ashakiran, and Deepthi R. (2012). Junk foods and their impact on health. Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (JKIMSU) 1(2), 7-15

Topic Junk Foods and Their Impact on Health

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to show the devastating effects of obesity and how it leads to other diseases such as diabetes.

Methods and Participation

The author performed research on the obesity. The determine from extensive research on obesity that over 300,000 deaths are related to junk food with fast food restaurants in the vicinity. The analysis found that there is a relationship between obesity rates along with poor health associated with living in close range of junk food stores or fast food.

Conclusion and Findings

The conclusion is the junk food is a combination of fat and sugar, which destroys the individual’s daily calorie intake that leads to obesity.

Relation to your topic

The article stresses the importance of children learning how to eat healthy. The article points out that obesity are a disease that can be eliminated with healthy food options. The article relates to my problem statement that junk food should be banned from public schools. The articles points out the statistics and primary reasons for the children becoming diabetic at an early stage in their development.

Source 2 Frazier, J. P., Land, M., Hsieh, P., & Barratt, M. S. (2014). Junk food seen at pediatric

Topic 2 Junk Food Seen at Pediatrics office

The purpose of this article was to show how parents are leading the children with poor healthy habits. The public schools can ban the junk food, which would in turn force parents to stop sending unhealthy food to school.

The researchers performed a cross-sectional survey that was performed at the University of Texas Medical School. The goal of the survey was to document how much junk food was being consumed. The medical staff completed a convenience sample with the families asking about junk food. The survey was completed over a 10-month period. The studies were completed at the time of visit at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The convenience survey is performed when the patient checks in for a visit with the physician. A convenience sample included 738 families with children from 4 to 16 years old. The patients were very receptive to completing the study. However, the observation was the most accurate indication of children eating junk food. It was reported regardless of race, creed or culture over 94% of families with children in the clinic had junk food.

The finds are the parents are just as responsible for the children’s growth and development however; they use comfort foods that are usually sugar, fat or high calorie intakes. The pediatricians indicated that parents need to educate on what constitutes a good dietary habits.

The study results indicated that the majority of the families carried junk food for their children to the pediatrician’s appointments.  This relates to my topic that the schools need to ban junk food, which will encourage the students not to bring junk food to public school.

Topic 3 Reducing high calorie snack food in young adults: A role for social norms and health based messages

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to show how young adults are constantly reminded about eating unhealthy foods.

The 3 x 2 method of the study was a socially controlled environment with participants eating junk food. Prior to taking the survey, the participants were informed it was a food and eating study. The participants looked at a poster with controlled positive health messages. The participants were told to create a specific mood which would attached to whatever snack that was chosen in the setting. The basics of this study were to present food groups, which the participants would, chose groups of food to eat. The goal was to find out the choices participants would make with some suggestions on healthy foods and those without it.

The conclusion is the social messages had no bearing on what the participants eat during the study. This means that the public schools have the most influence over a person even though commercials or television may encourage children to eat junk food.

The article relates to my topic because it explains that the media or other social influences are not stronger than the day-to-day encouragement of junk foods at the public schools.

Source 4 b Basavaraj, S. S., Raghavendra, B. B., Jamil, M., Kavya, P. P., Deepa, R. R., Kavya, G. G., & Kiran, B. B. (2011). A study of patterns and determinants of junk food consumption among students. New Indian Journal of Surgery , 2 (4), 271

Topic A study of patterns and determinants of junk food consumption among students.

Purpose The purpose of this article is to show the damage junk food can do to children and the habits of poor eating choices of adolescents.

The number of participants were 760 from the medical practice of Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Science. The type of study that was completed is a cross-sectional study with simple random sampling. The method of testing was pretesting and validated with a mix of close and opened questions. This was anonymous survey that data was collected using a database created in MS Excel. The statistics were calculated using SPSS software. They had over 93% participation and most were males at 63.6 percent in group ranges of 14 to 16 years of age

Most of the study subjects were males (63.6%) and in the age group of 14-16 years (60.9%).

The conclusion supported the theory that teenagers are reflecting the poor eating habits of what they have been taught at home or in the public school systems. The teenagers choose chocolate, cakes, candies and other junk food as choices to eat. The students also shared they eat French fries on a regulator basis. They made these food choices whether with friends of family. .

The article supported my theory that teenagers are being taught bad habits which they continue eating junk food as an adult. In addition, the children have been taught for years by their own parents on which junk foods to buy.

Source 5 Buck, C., Börnhorst, C., Pohlabeln, H., Huybrechts, I., Pala, V., Reisch, L., & Pigeot, I. (2013). Clustering of unhealthy food around German schools and its influence on dietary behavior in school children: a pilot study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity , 10 (1), 65-74.

Topic : Clustering of unhealthy food around German schools and its influence on dietary behavior in school children

Purpose The purpose is to support the argument that public schools should ban junk food. This article shows how students are bombarded with fast food places around the public schools plus advertising that indicates they must eat.

The study was an fast food and grocery store coded for food choices which identified which junk food was being purchase with cross reference to the sex, age, parents education and income. This was based on a database of by Germany’s statistical information concerning public school children.

Conclusion and Findings  

There are geographical locations of fast food near the locations of school and where a child lives that shows that the marketing is directly to the teenagers in German. However, the study indicated that just because the teenagers are near the influence of fast foods do not mean that is the primary influence.

It relates to my topic because it supports the theory that schools spend the most time with children. They determine the types of food they eat every day. This article indicates that in Germany, the students based on sex, age, education and income was not a factor. The primary factor was the students learned bad eating habits in school.

Final Conclusion

The overall theme of the junk food articles is the amount of damage junk food does to the body. The primary influence is where children learned to eat junk food at the school. The additional fast food advertising contributes to the student’s bad eating habits. The bottom line children are being taught bad eating habits. In addition, the consensus is the children develop diabetes because of junk food. There needs to more research to determine why some children eat junk food but do not get fat while others continue to eat junk food becoming obese.  The research question would be” Does the child that is obese get fat because of genetics but not junk food?”

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Junk Food Should Be Banned in Schools

Junk food essay abstract.

Nowadays, the trend of eating junk food is catching up with every teenager. Most teenagers love junk food because it is quickly cooked and delicious. Basically, junk food is sold in grocery stores or restaurants with precooked or preheated ingredients. Recent studies indicate that teenagers are consuming junk food at an alarming rate. Therefore, most junk food advertising is primarily focused on teenagers. However, many teenagers are not aware of the health effects of consuming junk food. The food in the picture is a good example of junk food. Such food looks nice, it tastes well, but is disastrous.

Junk Food Essay Introduction

Despite the consumption of junk food is popular, most of the teenagers know totally nothing regarding the health effects associated with the consumption of junk food. In most cases, they have trouble resisting the urge to taste the food when the shelves of grocery stores, commercials, and fast-food restaurants are overfilled with treats. Hence, it is important for a junk food essay to demonstrate the effects of eating junk food among teenagers.

This junk food essay will also look at ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers. One possible way is to reduce the availability of junk food is informing about its effects at schools. It would be very beneficial if the consumption of junk food among teenagers would reduce at school because, typically, students spend most of their time there, interacting with their peers. It is through this interaction that they are swayed by their peers to eat junk food. And schools’ dining places usually have plenty of junk food for sale. During class breaks, teenagers swarm into dining halls to buy snacks or purchase them from vending machines. There are other possible ways to reduce the harms, such as schools offering nutrition class and grocery stores selling teenagers modified “junk food.”

The topic of junk food is very controversial. It elicits debate whenever it is mentioned. The argument against junk food gets most backing from health experts. This is primarily because they have conducted extensive research on the effects of junk food on teenagers; hence, they are justified in opposing the consumption of junk food. Additionally, parents have begun to realize the harms of teenagers’ eating habits; however, they do not have a good method to keep teenagers away from junk food. On the other hand, teenagers love eating junk food and they are largely affected by what their peers’ are doing. Even the images of fat people do not discourage them from eating junk food either at school, at home or at a restaurant.

The issue of junk food is thought-provoking and exciting because the majority of American teenagers consume junk food on a daily basis and seems to be not concerned with the negative health effects (Spurlock 195). Most of the diseases including heart attacks, high blood pressure, cancers, diabetes, and obesity have been closely associated with the consumption of junk food. Out of all these diseases, obesity takes a central role when it comes to the harmful effects of eating junk food among teenagers. Moreover, many teenagers eat junk food, oblivious to its harmful effects.

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Many high school students gained massive weight in a short time when they were teenagers. For example, Nibin is a close friend of mine who gained nearly 20 pounds in a span of four weeks when we were still in elementary school. He used to eat pizza and hot dogs after school. He gained that much weight because he ate a lot of junk food, which is against the recommendations of medical experts. Other kids called him “Junk Food Dude” just as the boy in the book “The Adventures of Junk Food Dude.” Undoubtedly, experience with Nibin enabled us to see the devastating health effects associated with the consumption of junk food. The below image clearly demonstrates the effect of the consumption of junk food on teenagers.

Research Objectives

• To establish the harmful effects of junk food consumption to teenagers’ life;
• To determine ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers.

Research Questions

• What is the effect of junk food consumption on teenagers’ life?
• What are the ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers?

Significance of the Study

There is a huge variety of junk food available in the United States, which makes the issue severe than any other country. What is most important to note is that teenagers take having junk food every day as an eating habit. These junk foods may lead to diseases and health problems. Disturbingly, not many teenagers are aware of the health effects of eating junk food. The information obtained through this study will facilitate the determination of ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers. More so, further research can be conducted from the information obtained.

Purpose of the Junk Food Essay

Junk food is a key issue since its consumption negatively affects teenagers in that they might become obese or suffer from heart-related diseases. Many countries look upon the United States; therefore, it would be prudent for it to take a bold step in educating the teenagers on the dangers of consuming large amounts of junk food. For this reason, it is important to conduct a study on the consumption of junk food among teenagers. Ultimately, the purpose of this junk food essay is to determine ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers.

The results will be presented to parents to persuade them to comprehend the effects and convince that their children were exposing themselves to those negative effects while eating huge amounts of junk food. Some of the parents might not be cognizant of the harmful effects of eating junk food. Therefore, by interacting with them, they will realize the effects of junk food. Hence, they can take measures to ensure that their children do not consume junk food.

Furthermore, the results will be presented to the administrators of schools to the administrative office and hope the report can catch their attention. Through the report, schools would be made aware of the health dangers students were exposing themselves to by consuming junk food and schools’ responsibility of taking care of students’ health, as well as their study. Furthermore, schools will be presented with suggested ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers. If they implement these suggestions, the health hazards associated with junk food will be a gone case in a few months.

Lastly, the results will be presented to junk food companies. Many junk food companies target kids as their future customers, and if they can build brand loyalty now, they will have a customer for life. People have been increasing their attention to living a healthy life. Once a company invents a healthy substitute for junk food, other junk food companies will easily lose the competition. Therefore, it is significant to make the companies aware that producing healthy food is beneficial for teenagers and also the long-term growth of the company.

The fast-food effect is a great concern affecting people around the world. A lot of individuals and companies have created campaigns to notify and educate people. All of them have the same aim - to prevent the consequences of fast food. Since fast food consumption impacts caused campaigns in mass media, communities and schools have been forced to reach various discourse organizations and the genre of these campaigns covers various information.

Nowadays, the United States has the biggest fast food industry than any other country in the world. It also adds to the problem that teens see advertisements with tasty junk food everywhere, they are tempted to try it and think they become cool consuming it. However, an average meal at a fast-food joint has about 1000 to 1500 calories. That is half of the daily calorie intake of a teenager. Teenagers often overeat because of the large portions served. Teens with extra weight are less likely to take part in sports and more likely to transform into couch potatoes. They are at risk of becoming fat, and it has both psychological and health dangers. Overweight teens have to live with teasing at school. This can affect their development and cause low self-esteem. Eating poorly can lead to a vicious cycle of eating more than required, low self-esteem, anti-social behavior, fatigue, and even depression.

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If they are overweight in adulthood, they can be prone to overweight related diseases, like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart problems, and gout. Frequent consumption of junk food makes teens face the risk of developing insulin resistance. Junk food has no nutrition value and makes such harm to the teenage body as overweight, chronic degenerative diseases, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, heart diseases, affection of the oxygen flow to the brain cells and others. It also causes a constant feeling of hunger, fatigue, and tiredness. Teen over-weight usually leads to consequences like depression which has a negative influence on the development and growth, social relationships, performance in school and can sometimes lead to suicide.

The harmful effect and consequences of eating fast food were not clear at the beginning. With time, campaigns have been promoted to make the community aware of these consequences and make people develop a healthier diet. Contrary to it, fast food joints use various forms of marketing to promote their products. Advertising on television, radio, restaurants, websites, and signs as well as social media are all creating advertisements to affect the community about fast food. However, there are a lot of campaigns that try to avert the dangers of consuming junk food. The purpose of such campaigns is to improve knowledge about the dangerous consequences of both direct and long term health diseases because of eating at fast-food restaurants. They provide statistics, reports, nutrition facts, information about growing overweight problems in the United States. These campaigns generally express knowledge to younger adults about the influence of nutrition and healthy lifestyles by concentrating on the hazardous effects of junk food.

Junk Food Essay Conclusion

The teen years are the time of quick physical and emotional development. The food nutrients are the fuel for this growth, and a nutritious diet is important for good health when you are a teenager. Junk food contains items like sweets, chips, and soda that are high in calories and fat but nutritionally low. Understanding the junk food effect on teens' growth helps to stress the importance of a healthy diet.

Junk food seems to be appealing because of its price, taste, and convenience. Children do not usually understand the consequences of this kind of food because it is so appetizing and they easily become addicted (Fleck). Of course, teenagers can sometimes have a burger or pizza, about once a week. But they should be prompted to this kind of food in smaller portions. Adults have to let them know about other food options and the bad effects of junk food. Once they are aware of what they eat, they may go for healthier food. Parents can only tell them more about what they eat. The idea is to attach eating habits from the very beginning but avoid overdoing it. It is good to keep a combination of both healthy and not healthy snacks at home. Sometimes, teenagers should be allowed to have a soda. The harder they are pushed on, the more they resist. So, it is necessary to find the balance - not too hard, not too lenient.

The greatest problem is that junk food is easy to reach, delicious and not too expensive. It is also has a lot of fat and refined starch, and almost no fiber and is highly processed. Teens eat burgers, French fries, pizzas with soda that contains lots of calories. Fast food restaurants are also great places to have fun with friends.

In order to avert the global problem, all possible informative means should be used to make teenagers realize the harmful effects of junk food. It is not necessary to avoid eating it, but it is of vital importance to avoid the habit of eating such food. The conclusion is that young individuals must eat less of the calorie-dense, nutrient-poor meals served at fast-food joints. Schools and parents can do a lot to make children aware of healthy choices. First of all, fast food joints must strongly change their current marketing practices, that teenagers and children do not receive ongoing encouragement to look for food that will greatly damage their health. Additionally, when young individuals visit, the joints should do more to help them make more healthy choices.

Junk Food Essay Summary

The traditional eating habits of American teenagers are not healthy, mostly because they eat too much junk food. However, sufficient efforts have not been put in place to educate teenagers on the harmful effects of consuming junk food. The number of obese teenagers keeps on increasing at an alarming rate. Also, the number of health-related cases caused by the intake of junk food keeps on increasing every day. Evidently, this shows that most teenagers are either not aware of the harmful effects of junk food or are just ignorant of the consequences. The extensive research needs to be conducted in this area to provide schools, parents, and teenagers themselves with adequate information on the extent of the effect of junk food consumption. Ultimately, such research would yield suggestions on how people can work together to reduce the harms of junk food to teenagers.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Junk Food — Should Schools Sell Junk Food: Balancing Health and Revenue

Should Schools Sell Junk Food: Balancing Health and Revenue

• Categories: Junk Food Public School

About this sample

Words: 637 |

Published: Sep 5, 2023

Words: 637 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The argument for selling junk food, the health concerns and the role of schools, finding a middle ground: healthier alternatives, examining cultural and societal influences.

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Should Junk Food Be Banned In Schools? (Essay/Paper Sample)

Table of Contents

Should Junk Food Be Banned In Schools?

Junk food has been blamed as a major contributing factor to the high rate of obesity and overweight cases in the U.S. and across the world. In the United States, for instance, 20 percent of the population is categorized as either obese or overweight. Schools are a key area in which dieting habits are addressed. Consequently, the debate on whether or not junk food should be banned in school remains vibrant. This paper evaluates the two sides of the debate and finds that a ban decision is gratuitous and counterproductive.

Given the high number of people who die annually from complications associated with obesity, having an obese rate of 1 in 5 people (20 percent) is alarming. Some of the key arguments raised in support of banning junk food are explained below. First, poor eating habits are often developed at early ages in a child’s development. Such habits ultimately result in major health consequences including obesity. Given that children spend most of their daytime at school, banning junk food can be an effective foundation for children’s healthy habits.

Besides, junk food has high-calorie content and low nutrient value. When school children are allowed to continue buying and consuming junk food from school cafeterias, they believe that it is healthy. They have no information that it is harmful to their health. It is incumbent upon relevant authorities to take charge and ensure that children grow up to become healthy, responsible adults.

However, the arguments raised against the banning of junk food are more convincing. First, key decisions affecting any school are to be determined by school boards, not the state or national government. As school boards are influential and have absolute control over major decisions touching on the welfare of learners, the decision to ban junk food must be left to individual school boards. A collective national decision would be counterproductive and seems to sabotage the authority of school boards.

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Besides, the definition of junk food is controversial. Many people consider junk food to be soda, pastries, pizza, potato chips, and other high-sugar, high-fat meals. Other high-fat foods such as cheeseburger are often doubted as junk food. Surprisingly, pizza, cheeseburger, soda, and fried chicken fingers are the food that most school cafeterias and vending machines serve. Before thinking of banning junk food, the government first needs to clarify what junk food is.

In addition, the school system is designed to teach children about the making of choices. Therefore, when the government or some other authority makes an across-the-board decision to ban junk food, the children who form the consumer base are unable to make decisions as expected. Such a move would be a way of taking away children’s ability to choose what they want to eat. The best approach is to teach children about what healthy food is, and allow them to independently choose what food to consume. Teaching healthy choices is the better option. In fact, when teachers emphasize physical exercise, students can remain healthy. It is all about putting the decision-making power in the hands of the consumer, not taking it away.

In addition, junk food sold in vending machines enables schools to raise money. Thus schools are able to raise the money needed in undertaking such activities as the purchase of relevant school supplies and furniture. What is more, most parents allow their children to eat junk food at home. Consequently, banning such food in school vending machines and cafeterias would have undesired effects. From home, children would still carry junk food to school and consume it. This way, the school would not be benefiting financially.

In conclusion, both parents and teachers have a role to play in bringing up a nutrition-conscious and health-conscious child. The most powerful tool to help a child grow up effectively is education. Educating the child would help him to make the right decisions in life. As discussed in this paper, junk food should not be banned in schools as that would be counterproductive and ineffective.

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Proper Argumentative Essay Example About Junk Foods Should Be Banned In Schools

Type of paper: Argumentative Essay

Topic: Food , Junk , Students , Foods , Family , Junk Foods , Children , Schools

Words: 1200

Published: 03/08/2023

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Obesity is one of the leading problems in the society today and many persons believe that this stems from the unhealthy eating practices that are present in the schools’ cafeterias. More often than not, students will gravitate towards eating junk foods as this practice is less time consuming and is more fascinating for children who want foods that are appealing to their sight and tastes. But, recent studies have shown that junk food can cause serious risks to the health and lifestyle of children. The problem intensifies as students are able to access junk foods in the school canteens. The consumption of junk food is unhealthy as these foods lack the nutritional value that the body needs to grow and develop. The truth is that school is a place for learning, but learning should not just include the academic framework of the development of the child. It should be the place where children learn the benefits and the challenges that come with social and health development in the body. The truth is that junk foods should be banned in schools as it allows from poor nutritional development and increases the likelihood of health problems in young children. Researchers show that “junk food is generally defined as food items that have little nutritional value beyond providing fat or sugar” (Junk food 2003) in the body. Additionally, junk food contains ingredients that are highly processed and have “excessive amounts of potentially harmful ingredients like salt” (Junk food 2003) and high fructose corn syrup. Junk foods often taste much better that healthy food and this is one of the main reasons for children gravitating towards junk foods. But, these “tasty” treats lack “the daily requirements of vitamins, protein, fiber, or other essentials” (Junk foods 2003) and as such they created a number of concerns for the health of these children. Most of the snacks that student purchase from the vending machines at schools have low or moderate nutritional value and yet students continue to consume these foods because they are easy to prepare and cost less (Svokos 2014). The excessive junk foods in these canteens in schools can lead to serious health challenges including unhealthy growth and development and obesity. Childhood obesity arises from the increase in the kilojoules that the students consume through junk foods and this problem intensifies as most students do not perform exercises that will help to reduce the intake of junk foods. The obesity challenges are not the only challenges that students face because of the consumption of junk foods. The problem intensifies as children continue to consume high levels of sugar and fat that are common to junk foods. Students who consume junk foods in school run the risk of consuming a high level of sugar and increase the likelihood of health challenges. Therefore, junk foods must be removed from the school canteens in order to prevent serious challenges for the children. The consumption of junk foods prevents healthy growth and development of the children. There are chemical additives in junk foods that help to improve or enhance the color and flavor of these products. But, these addictives also increases the level of hyperactivity in children and leads to poor concentration in classes. Additionally, the increase in the hyperactivity among students will lead to a lack of concentration and in turn leads to the decline in educational performance in students. Joel Fuhrman suggests that “there is a clear impact of nutrition on the potential development of Alzheimer’s disease and other late-life cognitive disorders” (Fuhrman 2013).  In addition, the author suggests that “the damaging effects of unhealthy foods on the brain occur throughout life” (Fuhrman 2013) mainly because children’s early diets include pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets, pasta, French fries, sodas and sweetened cold cereals. These junk foods are served daily in many school cafeterias and present a negative impact on the school learning and performance. Parents support the learning and development of their children and yet they allow these children to partake in the junk foods that are served daily in the school’s cafeterias. The truth is that junk foods are unhealthy for learning and performance and therefore parents need to raise the calls for bans on junk foods in schools if they want the best possible outcome for their children. Schools form the early stages of development and this development should include health development in the eating patterns of the children. School cafeterias earn revenues from the sales of junk foods and this is one of the reasons from schools promoting junk foods. But, Jonathon M. Seidl argues that schools can become successful in enforcing bans on junk food in schools in order to improve and promote healthy eating habits and in turn fight obesity in children (Seidl 2016). The introduction of healthy foods in the diet will not detract from the financial revenues that the schools amass. But even if this occurs, schools should be more concerned with the health of these students and not so much with the financial benefits that they receive from the sales of junk foods in their cafeteria. The reality is that unhealthy snacks cause negative health challenges for children and schools should become responsible for their contribution to the negative health problems that arise from the sale of junk foods in the cafeterias. In concluding, junk foods are unhealthy for children in many ways. The consumption of these foods lead to obesity and heart related conditions and yet the schools continue to act as the champion of educating young minds academically and forgetting to educate these young minds on healthy eating practices. Children consume junk foods in their homes on a regular basis because of the changes in the family structure and the fact that parents have less time to prepare healthy meals for their children. As such it is important for schools to help these parents to improve the eating patterns of children by removing junk foods such as sodas and other high fructose corn syrup products. In addition, schools should assess the related literature on the health challenges that may arise from the consumption of junk foods on a whole and ban the sales in the schools. This process will undoubtedly improve the health conditions of children and in turn improve the health of the future generations.

Dunham, W. (2011) "Junk Food Should Be Banned in Schools." Should Junk Food Be Sold in Schools? Ed. Norah Piehl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Rpt. from "Expert Panel Urges Junk Food Ban in Schools." Reuters, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. Fuhrman, J., (2013) Junk Food May Limit Children's Intelligence and Learning Ability, Retrieved from http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/children-junk-food-may-limit-childrens-intelligence-and-learning-ability.html 5 Apr 2016 "Junk Food." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy.cpcc.edu 25 Mar. 2016. Seidl, J. "Banning Junk Food in Schools Is Effective." Should Junk Food Be Sold in Svokos, A. (2014) Children Who Eat More Fast Food Show Less Academic Improvement, Study Shows, The Huffington Post Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/fast-food-school-effects_n_6369284.html 5 Apr 2016

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Junk Food Should Be Banned

Many children in America eat large amounts of junk food, and this can cause health problems. In fact, junk food is even sold in the vending machines of many schools. This debate is about the good and bad points for how junk food should be banned. Whether you believe junk food is unhealthy, or you think it’s good, please add to this debate.

All the Yes points:

Junk food is unhealthy, junk food can cause obesity, unhealthy food may be bad for brain function, junk food can increase the risk of diabetes, banning junk food in schools could decrease the frequency of heart disease, junk food can have negative affects on bone health, habits are often formed during childhood and it’s important to ensure that kids eat a healthy diet in school, bans on junk food have been successful, some regions have already put warning labels on junk foods, fast food chains have even made efforts to make their foods less “junky”, all the no points:, yes because….

Junk food is highly unhealthy and can transform fit, healthy human beings into obese, lazy people. Is this what we want Earth to become for the future generations? I should think not. Eating too much junk food can cause your life to be shortened, and this is terrible. This is why I believe that junk food should be banned.

No because…

Junk food isn’t that bad. Healthy food can be just as bad sometimes. And when people try to change it, it just doesn’t work. For instance, my school’s canteen had a food change to make the food healthier. One day they cooked “healthy” fish and chips, and the people who spent $5 on it, got no chips and a tiny half-frozen piece of fish. This could happen to any other canteen, and I strongly advise against it happening, as it will turn out not to work.

The rate of obesity in the United States has risen dramatically. According to the CDC , more than one third of the population is considered obese. The rate of obesity is similar among children to the rate of obesity in the general population. Many more people are not obese but overweight. According to USAToday , around two thirds of the population is overweight. According to ScienceDaily, even moderate obesity can substantially shorten life expectancy. Over consumption of junk foods is a major contributing factor in the obesity epidemic. 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. Banning junk food in schools would reduce the amount of junk food that kids eat. Furthermore, some schools have already taken this step.

If junk foods are banned, kids will still eat junk food while in school. Instead of getting it from the school vending machines, they’ll sneak it in. This could create a climate of evasiveness among students. In some cases, students may even sneak out of school to buy junk food. Additionally, junk food is still likely to be freely available at home. Therefore, it’s possible that kids would simply binge on junk foods when they aren’t in school. This could cause their overall consumption of junk food to remain unchanged. Furthermore, banning junk food could increase the sense of boredom among students. This could potentially result in decreased academic performance. Another drawback to banning junk foods in schools is that it could be more difficult to prepare meals for students. By contrast, many junk foods can be prepared quickly. Furthermore, healthier food tends to be more expensive. The increased expense could result in an increase in school taxes. It also could result in an increase in the cost of school lunches.

According to WebMD , eating too much junk food could result in decreases in brain function. According to Consumer Health Digest , there are several types of food that are bad for brain health. The additives and preservatives in junk food can have impairing effects on cognition. Foods with a high level of salt also have been shown to reduce cognitive performance. Studies have also shown that fatty foods impair cognition. In addition, foods that contain residual amounts of pesticides might cause negative effects on brain health. Many healthy foods contain chemicals that are necessary for optimal brain function, such as Omega-3s. According to the University of Maryland , Omega-3s are extremely important. A deficiency of Omega-3s has been linked to a number of common mental health disorders, such as depression and ADHD. It’s even thought that a deficiency of Omega-3s could make one more prone to develop severe mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Banning junk food in schools could encourage students to eat more healthy food. This could reduce the prevalence of mental health problems among students. It also could improve the school performance of students.

Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common, and over consumption of junk food can increase one’s risk of developing it. There are two reasons why Type 2 diabetes can be caused by eating too much junk food. Many junk foods contain a high volume of sugar. If high volumes of sugar are consumed over a long period of time, the body can stop producing enough insulin. This can lead to Type 2 diabetes. In addition, Type 2 diabetes can be induced by becoming overweight or obese. In fact, many people who have Type 2 diabetes are able to cure the condition by losing weight. Serious health complications can result from Type 2 diabetes. In fact, Type 2 diabetes can even result in serious circulation problems that can result in amputation. In fact, diabetes is considered to be one of the primary causes of death in the United States. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , Type 2 diabetes can develop during one’s childhood under some circumstances. Banning junk foods in schools could result in a decreased rate of obesity, and fewer kids would over consume sugar. These habits may stick with kids for life, and this could further reduce the frequency of Type 2 diabetes.

Heart disease is a common cause of death in the United States, and it has been known to develop in children younger than age 18, according to WebMD . Poor diet is a major contributing factor to the development of heart disease. Therefore, an improved diet from a junk food ban in school could help to reduce one’s risk of developing heart disease. The reduction in obesity rates that could result from banning junk food in schools could have a particularly significant effect in terms of reducing the frequency of heart disease.

It’s unknown how much kids’ consumption of junk food would be reduced by banning junk foods in schools. If the ban didn’t reduce the amount of junk food that kids eat, the rate of heart disease would likely remain unchanged.

During childhood, bones are developing. Growing children need a significant quantity of calcium each day for bone development. Without enough calcium, serious defects in bone development can occur. A poor diet can increase one’s risk of developing osteoporosis, according to UPI . In addition to the lack of calcium in junk food, many junk foods contain high levels of sugar and fat. This can weaken bones. If junk foods are consumed in schools, this may cause kids to continue to eat a poor diet as adults. It’s thought that the first six years of life are crucial in ensuring that a proper diet for bone health is maintained throughout one’s life.

Banning junk food is likely to have an impact on one’s diet throughout their entire life. Prominent psychologists feel that healthy habits are formed during childhood. According to Blakeslee , a prominent psychologist, dietary habits formed in childhood tend to last throughout life.

If children sneak in junk food from home, banning junk foods in school wouldn’t help children to learn healthier ways of eating for life. Instead, the time and effort that went with sneaking in junk food could reinforce the habit of eating it even more.

Some schools in California have changed their policies on junk food. Instead of serving it in the school vending machines, they have switched over to serving carrots and other healthy foods. At these schools , it’s been estimated that students consumed an average of 160 calories less over the course of the school day. This is a significant decrease, and there was no evidence that these students over consumed junk food to any greater degree at home. This would be a significant enough reduction in caloric intake to significantly reduce one’s risk of becoming obese. If food that is served in vending machines at schools has health benefits, it would help to ensure that students get proper nutrition. If students are given the opportunity to buy healthy foods or junk foods from the vending machines, it’s likely that many students would choose the junk foods over healthier foods. Given the success of these bans, it’s likely that more and more schools will begin to follow suit in banning junk food. At least, it’s likely that more schools will stop selling junk food in their vending machines.

San Francisco has put warning labels on sugary sodas. This effort is also being considered by a state lawmaker in California, according to Reuters . While the products haven’t been taken off the shelves in any location, the effort is intended to inform the public about the dangers of drinking large amounts of sugary beverages. Given the fact that governments have issued warnings about sugary sodas, it makes us wonder if we really should allow them to be sold in schools. In addition to warnings on sugary sodas, warnings have been considered for foods that have a high concentration of salt. This is due to the fact that excessive salt intake can cause hypertension (high blood pressure). Some school aged children suffer from the condition. Many popular junk foods, such as potato chips, tend to have extremely high levels of salt. It’s not just San Francisco that is taking a stance on over consumption of junk food. In France, there recently was a law passed to prohibit free refills of sugary sodas.

While these laws have been successfully implemented, many feel that this is evidence that bans on junk food in schools could be a stepping stone to giving the government increased power over our day to day lives. A bill was even considered in New York City that would prevent sodas larger than 16 ounces from being sold. There was a large amount of opposition to this law. It can be difficult to determine where to draw the line as to what constitutes junk food. Foods vary considerably in terms of their nutritional value. So, it could be challenging to create a universal definition of what junk food is.

While many things on the McDonald’s menu are still very much junk food, the chain has begun to make an effort to reduce the amount of trans fats in their foods. According to CBS , one of their french fry oils no longer contains any trans fats. This helps to reduce the negative effects of the grease on the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, they have begun to incorporate healthier menu options in addition to the junk foods they offer. For instance, McDonald’s has started offering a variety of salads. In addition, they have begun to offer snack wraps with a relatively low amount of calories. This illustrates that Americans are becoming more and more health conscious. Therefore, many people would likely be in favor of banning junk foods in schools.

The fact that McDonald’s and other fast food chains have made an effort to make their menu items healthier doesn’t necessarily mean that people would tend to support banning junk foods in schools. McDonalds and other fast food restaurants still sell quite a lot of junk food. Therefore, many people would likely be disappointed about a ban on junk foods in schools.

To ban junk food would be a complete failure. It would also leave people feeling that their freedom of choice was taken. A better way to handle junk food is to make laws more strict about ingredient labels. Perhaps require foods with little nutritional value to have their nutrition facts be bolder and in a bright colour.

Every moving Junk Food franchise accumulates approximately $1 million a day. There are over 500 such franchises all over Australia and USA. Multinational companies like Lay’s, Doritos, etc. also make in the millions and billions. So imagine the amount of money international money, that would be drawn in every month. This kind of a cash flow is a necessity for big country economies to run. Hence, we should no let fast food joints or Junk food producing companies should not be shut down.

i think it is unhealthy i do not want OBESITY

I know junk food is good but at the same time junk food is not. Most people buys junk food but they don’t know that they are just wasting money and destroying their health. So I’ll got for “JUNK FOOD SHOULD BE BANNED”.

Hey! Very well written blog. According to The American Heart Association, we consume more than three times the amount of sugar over the recommended daily limit. Furthermore, these processed foods are tearing holes in our intestinal lining, allowing partially or undigested foods entry into our blood stream. It causes inflammation which not only effects the body but also effects the brain.

“junk food” is healthy and does not deserve a ban people say it is unhealthy and junk but it is NOT people are just jelous

Yes because it can cause a lot of stuff like brain damage and 108millon died cause of dieibites and it can cause cancer and more

keep the animals safe and healthy

ban all junk food so the animals will be saved

dave was here

Junk food can be good for the body if eaten in moderation, your body needs sugar and variety. The only people who get obese because of it, is people who are addicted to takis and stuff.

but…i love takis

takis are the best get a different example

you are grounded for that comment

Sure, junk food is bad for you, but it shouldn’t be banned; we should cut down on it. Junk food should only be eaten in moderation.

Junk food is unhealthy but it shouldn’t be banned because it creates jobs to help with economic debt we should just lower the amount of junk food we eat.

it will make people go to school but they could only get fast food if they do their woork

there were some of the other teams arguments in the other team’s speeches, but overall, this was great!

yes because

i am da god

Yes you are good god

someone wrote their sentence wrong it says ‘negative affects on bone health’ but it is actually ‘effects’.

Does anyone know who wrote this

I am concerned with all of the junk food that my school sells, and what my friends consume, from this school. The school is literally selling obesity, and I am kind of getting sucked into the junk food circle! I want it, but I know that it is horrible for you. I love chips and soda, but I don’t want diabetes, and I don’t love cholesterol.

That you can solve by eating a controlled amount and limiting your pocket money so you can’t afford more and you won’t get addicted.

Then don’t eat it…

All the people who liked this comment were probably adults with children that are obese, lol. Here’s a trick, if you don’t want your children to become obese, feed them healthily, maybe? Your probably buying all the junk food for them…

What are we calling junk food though.? I’m guessing we mean things with little nutrional value that have lots of fat sugar salt etc I’m on a low fat, low sugar, low carb diet due to health issues. I’m not sure we can ban ‘junk’ totally. A burger is deemed unhealthy but surely it’s grilled beef, meat bread and salad if wanted. Bakeries and take aways would disappear as would anything with sugar fat in it. It’s a lovely utopia dream but not really possible, if we eat too much of any one thing it’s not healthy. We can’t survive on just lettuce. Obesity isn’t just about junk food. It you eat large portions that too will encourage weight gain as well as lack of exercise. You can’t make people be more healthy. It’s down to the individual at the end of the day. But if people suffer health issues due to obesity then I think they owe it to the NHS to make an effort. We need to issue overweight people more options like prescribing a membership at the gym. A dietician, or perhaps vouchers to buy more healthy food, which is more expensive. Be hard to monitor though. I do want to cry when I see chubby kids though as that’s not their choice, its down to parents to buy cook their food, therefore allowing a child to become obese amounts to child cruelty in my eyes.

Junk food and fast food should be banned for all of the reasons mentioned. Another reason I feel it should be banned is because people don’t appreciate where the meat in their meals has come from . It’s more than likely been farmed intensively meaning an unfair quality of life for the animal, not the kindest ending to their life. The more worrying thing is that most intensively farmed animals are given antibiotics to prevent disease spreading and speed up their growth . HUMANS are eating this either through meat or dairy consumption and not to mention how much comes out through animal waste ! We are already starting to build a resistance towards antibiotics and surely this is just speeding the process up ? I feel need to go back to basics and start cooking, eat less meat ( or less cheaper intensively farmed meat and dairy) and stop paying these big takeaway companies and supermarkets to continue supplying us with this type of meat. The more we demand the more they supply. How do we get people to wake up to the fact that what they put in their mouths for their convenience is doing a lot more harm than what they realise.

No, and here are 6 reasons why. 1 restricting junk food early on only makes it more irresistible later when it’s their choice. 2 eating junk food can actually be healthy, a recent study shows that certain junk food has antioxidants that are good for the heart. 3 junk food like candy, cookies, and biscuits. 4 children should learn to make their own choices. 5 in school garbages the most wasted food is healthy food. 6 people like it and that’s their choice!

1: NOT restricting junk food early on makes it irresistible later, when you have gotten into a habit of eating delicious foods constantly, it becomes extraordinarily hard to stop later on-especially on young minds. 2: While certain types of junk food have antioxidants, there are much better ways to introduce these antioxidants. Throwing a few chemicals on candy and saying it is healthy is an overkill. 3: These foods could include milk, vegetables, or wholesome breads. 4: Its proven that children have a harder time making the right choice when there is a much more appealing choice. Children who need to learn to make the right choice have much more efficient options to help them learn independence. 5: By only providing healthy food to eat, children will eat that instead of starving themselves because they only eat junk food. By telling them junk food is bad and withholding it they won’t get into a habit of only eating junk food. 6: That’s there is home. At school, they should be educated on making good choices and we shouldn’t expose them to bad foods-even if they like it. Schools are a learning environment after all.

I agree. children should stay healthy but sometimes, they should be able to have it. it shouldn’t be an all the time thing.

I agree most definitely

I’m 18, I had a fairly happy and stable childhood, parents that were together and took care of me. I had many friends, got really good grades and had nothing to stress about. I also had anxiety and depression for the past four years of my life. It has honestly been the worst and most baffling period of my life. I have never been able to understand it. Until recently when i wanted to lose weight and started looking into healthy food alternatives and their health benefits I also started looking into why I started picking up weight in the first place. in my research I found that one of the causes might be a thyroid imbalance I went to the clinic and after a couple of tests they confirmed it. I looked into what caused thyroid problems(junk food) and what effect this would have on me ( one of the symptoms are anxiety and depression). I went to the doctor again because of some other issues I was having with my body and they said I had a gluten intolerance ( also causes anxiety and depression also caused by junk food). I can not explain how badly anxiety and depression ruined my life. It robbed me of so many precious feelings and moments in my life that I will never get to experience again and also simultaneously made me remove any people I might have cared for out of my life because of my fear of hurting them. Four years of my life I will never get back, all because no one explained to me what the labels at the back of my food actually meant. All because no one informed me of how these chemicals effect our bodies, All because buying healthy food is ridiculously expensive in comparison to unhealthy food. I mean this literally ruined my life, if something can cause thus much harm to someone surely it should be illegal. Sorry if this comes across as bitter, its just I would much rather someone had taught me about this in school rather than the Pythagorean theory.

I couldn’t agree more and Thankyou for sharing your experience . Sorry to hear about your health suffering but I am so happy you’ve found out the cause and know how to feel good again . I have a young daughter and I’m scared to let her see what rubbish food restaurants are out there . Everyone thinks I’m overreacting when I don’t want her eating at these places and get offended if I don’t have meals with them . I can understand how it ruins part of your life . I home cook everything and know I’m giving my daughter the best start . Thanks again for your story

Do you know how ridiculous this looks? All because SOMEONE ELSE never showed you how to read labels? So basically its SOMEONE elses fault. As someone who has spent years of their life in therapy/psychiatry I can tell you the root of your problem was more based on blame than food. If you magically got better after you learned something to blame it on.. Sure a crappy diet doesn’t help.. but basically it looks like you finally took action to a problem…and fixed it. Like normal adults. Its part of growing up.

I really appreciate you for sharing your experience with us. It was so sad to hear about your health suffering but on the other side I feel so happy on your recovery. We all know that banning the junk food is not the solution, the children should let themselves think about what is bad or good for their life. I am a seventh standard kid from india. I just want to let the government think about what they would do, we also have the right to chosen that is why our country is a democratic country. Once again I thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Agree that junk food should be banned

Oof dude u alright?

We would love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!

I think junk food should not be banned , because some children does not like eating veggies,i did’nt mean tha t we shoul’dnt eat veggies, we should eat but if we ban it children will stay hungry, and will not be able to concentrate.

Starving is better than being bullied because of your obese self therefore junk food should be banned

great work there bro.

• I think junk food should be banned because of obesity bullying some people commit suicide because of how big they get and the bigger you are the more of earth atmosphere gets used up you die faster than most people And if Global warming is a thing then stay skinny so less of global warming is reduced

What exactly is Junk Food? How does one define junk food? I heard a can of peas is consideered junk food while dry peas is not? Really? I takes time, to prepare dried peas, if one still has their utilities still in tact, no shut off because they can not afford the cost.