Obesity is the one the leading causes of disease and contributes to 100,000 to 400,000 deaths a year just in the United States. America is the country with the highest obesity rates in the world for both adults and children. By starting with a healthy eating habit as a child, obesity rates will go down and one way to start is by promoting healthy meals at school.
Especially in teens, being obese can lead to self-image and esteem problems and can even lead to suicide. In a research done by the University of Liverpool, they found that adolescents that are overweight are twice more likely to consider suicide than a “normal” weighed teen and are also more likely to have depression. As everyone knows, I spend a lot of time on Tumblr with millions of teen users; and there was one post that said “reblog if you have self-image issues” that had over 500,000 notes. There are also many other posts that say “I wish I wasn’t so fat” or “I just want a thigh gap” or “I’d do anything to be skinny.” When you’re a teen, everyone already has a lot of self-esteem issues, and obesity only contributes to it. With cyber-bullying, anything is possible. Even I have self-image problems, and I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like for someone that is actually overweight. The pressure of how society wants you to look is a real problem for teenagers now. If you’re an overweight adult, it is more likely that your child will be born with obesity, too.
By eating healthy and working out regularly starting at a young age, obesity can easily be prevented. Not every child has the opportunity to eat a healthy packed lunch every day, so schools should also serve healthier food. Sodas, candy, and chips should be banned, and healthier school lunches should be administrated. Even though others can argue that their children are fit and healthy and should be able to eat whatever they want, childhood obesity in America has been doubled the past 30 years, and adolescent obesity has tripled. It is a leading threat to the health of children, and is very likely to lead into adult obesity. By promoting healthy school foods, children and teens can have all of the nutrients and proteins they need without consuming thousands of calories.
There have been boycotts by students in schools that have already converted to healthy eating and argued that the government shouldn’t regulate school lunches because the students should be able to pick what they want to eat or it should be up to their parents what they eat. Many students won’t eat the fruits and vegetables required to be given to them and are being thrown away and wasted. Not only does this waste food, it also wastes money. Others argued that students can always pack their own healthy lunches. Even if some students pack their own lunches, it never hurts to have healthy lunches at school either. Healthier lunches can lead to better performance in school by giving your student energy to learn and have fewer behavior issues. Many school lunch items including pizza, cheeseburgers, and chicken nuggets contain a lot of saturated fats and can lead to weight gain. Foods high in calories can lead the body to feel tired and sluggish and is harder for one to concentrate.
Child and adolescent obesity has been a growing problem in the United States and one way to start preventing it is to eat healthy and exercise. Right now there are roughly 32.2% of men, 35.5% of women, and 17% of children that are obese in the United States. Not only are these numbers growing, childhood obesity leads into adolescent and adult obesity. By having healthy meal programs at schools, not only does the student have more energy, it can help to an overall healthier life leading into adulthood.