Junk Food | EssayIvy.com

JUNK FOOD 1

Junk Food

First Name and Last Name

Course

Date

JUNK FOOD 2

Junk food can be defined as food that contains very high levels of calories from fats

and sugar with very little if none of the minerals, fibre, vitamins or proteins. Junk food can

also be a pejorative term for food with high protein such as meat that is prepared with

saturated fat. Food from outlets such as pizza, hamburger, and fried chicken outlets can be

referred to as junk food

. The adverse effects on health resulting from junk food, especially

obesity or overweight, have raised concerns in most countries. These concerns have led to

campaigns on public health awareness

According to Datar and Nicosia, schools should be a place where children are taught

to make the right decision and therefore selling and providing junk food in school gives the

children a wrong message. When bad eating practices are developed at childhood, they may

lead to a lifetime health problem. Therefore, school being the place where most of the

children’s life is spent, and also a place where the foundations for healthy practices are laid, it

is essential to ban junk food so that the children are healthy and also develop healthy habits

as they grow such as choosing healthy snacks such as fruits

. The solution to the problem of

obesity and other nutritional disorders and diseases is making healthier and informed choices

for children.

Kaushik, Jaya Shankar, Manish Narang, and Ankit Parakh. "Fast food consumption in children." Indian

Pediatrics 48, no. 2 (2011): 97-101.

Datar, Ashlesha, and Nancy Nicosia. "Junk food in schools and childhood obesity." Journal of Policy Analysis

and Management 31, no. 2 (2012): 312-337.

Datar, Ashlesha, and Nancy Nicosia. "Junk food in schools and childhood obesity." Journal of Policy Analysis

and Management 31, no. 2 (2012): 312-337.

JUNK FOOD 3

According to Datar and Nicosia, one of the apparent reason as to why junk food

should be banned in school is that it leads to nutritional disorders such as diabetes, obesity,

and heart diseases. Eating junk food is one of the most common forms addiction that most

people don’t talk about and therefore not seeing a reason to address it. This obsession leads to

diseases, and after that, it may lead to death. Statistics show that about 32% of young people

in the U.S. are overweight. The reason why they are overweight is that they eat a lot of junk

food and only 29% of the do enough exercise.

The calories in the food we eat are converted to energy in the body, but the junk food

has excess calories. The excess calories consumed and are not used in the body are then

converted into fat. This means that people and especially children in school should not be fed

on more calories than they require

The refined carbohydrates, which is a term used for sugar, have all the indicators of

addictive substances in the way they affect the users especially those who started using them

at an early age. The sugars cause an instant buzz that is both mood-altering and also pleasant.

Eating leads to a sensation that is pleasant, and it can alter the mood. When a person eats

refined carbohydrates, there is an acceleration of the absorption of the amino acids which is

converted by the brain into serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that makes people feel

good

. It is for that reason that the junk food which has a lot of sugar is addictive.

Bowman, Shanthy A., Steven L. Gortmaker, Cara B. Ebbeling, Mark A. Pereira, and David S. Ludwig.

"Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national

household survey." Pediatrics 113, no. 1 (2004): 112-118.

Bowman, Shanthy A., Steven L. Gortmaker, Cara B. Ebbeling, Mark A. Pereira, and David S. Ludwig.

"Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national

household survey." Pediatrics 113, no. 1 (2004): 112-118.

JUNK FOOD 4

However, it is not only the junk food that should raise concerns but also the fizzy

drinks with added sugar. It is estimated that many of the young people drink more than a litre

of fizzy drinks every day

. Instead of the fizzy drinks, they should drink water as it is vital in

the body especially in metabolism.

Some people argue that “bad food” does not exist. They say that the problem is

brought about when a person eats excess food and does not eat a balanced diet. The argument

is based on the fact that sometimes even the healthy foods, for example, the salads, may have

a profound adverse health effect. Junk food such as chips or burger has about 820 calories,

but a healthy prawn salad contains approximately 865 calories. This, therefore, means that it

is crucial for people to eat a balanced diet.

However, the argument that there is nothing like “bad food” is false. Just like

alcoholism and smoking addictions, junk food addiction is as real as those addictions.

However, it does not appear to people, and other institutions mandated to deal with

dependencies that junk food addiction is real because people have to eat anyway.

According to Worsley, most of the people eat the junk food for emotional reasons,

such as seeking comfort from the food, and this may be the cause of the addiction associated

with the food. Some argue that overeating and other bad eating habits do not start in

childhood, but the foundation to these practices is laid at infancy. One example about this is

of a patient who during her youth she was made to finish every morsel on her plate, and when

he refused to eat the food, it would be brought again and again. Her parents used the form as

a form of control. From that young age, she learned that for her to gain approval and love, she

had to eat even if she was not hungry. When she grew to be an adult, she became an overeater

Harris, Gardiner. "A federal effort to push junk food out of schools." The New York Times 7 (2010).

JUNK FOOD 5

and therefore becoming obese. The more significant she became, the more she hated herself.

As a result, because she did not want her children to grow distressed and hungry, she overfed

them, and therefore they became overweight at very early age

. This is an example a lousy

eating habit developed at an early age and after that becoming a big problem at adulthood.

Therefore, it is essential to teach healthy eating habits at an early age to avoid any health risks

at a later age. This can be achieved by laying good eating habits at an early age both in school

and also at home.

Alcoholism is an act that a significant proportion of the adult population engage

themselves in and it causes serious health problems to the users. However, statistics have

shown that the negative cost of obesity and other nutritional health disorders caused by eating

junk food with a lot of sugar and fats is far much higher than that caused by alcoholism.

Those people who are alcoholic are not able to control the amount of alcohol they consume

despite the profound negative consequences it produces. This is just the same way people

used to eat foods with a lot of sugar is. No one would like to eat to a point where they cannot

do much due to overweight or obese. Those who find themselves in such condition are just

like alcoholic addicts as food is a mood-altering substance with the properties that can cause

addiction.

One of the concerns about the banning of junk food is that it may make junk food

more alluring to kinds than when it is allowed. A case in study is of the 17-year old student at

Winston Churchill High School. The student got expelled from the school after he was found

selling contraband soda pop in school. The boy was hawking the sodas at an undisclosed

Worsley, Anthony. "Lay people's views of school food policy options: associations with confidence, personal

values and demographics." Health education research 21.6 (2006): 848-861.

JUNK FOOD 6

place, and he would sell them in a few minutes, and he pocketed a decent profit. After the

boy was given a warning by the administration, he would not resist the quick and tidy profit

from the illegal business, and so he went on with the practice

. However, after he was

expelled, he said that he thought it was just a joke and he never thought he would be

dismissed for only selling soda. This is one of the challenges the schools are about to face

after banning the junk food.

However, this possible challenge cannot be a hindrance to enact and enforce the

decision to ban junk food. In the post-Jamie Oliver school-lunch age, the thing is excellent by

far now. This is after most of the schools embracing the nutritional guidelines and parents and

teacher paying attention to what children eat. This is through giving the children what is right

for them.

In conclusion, it is evident in the discussion in this paper that junk food has

tremendous effects on the users primarily on children and therefore it is essential to ban them

in schools. Some of the results are that they cause some of the nutritional disorders and

diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart-diseases. Another effect is that they may lead to

addiction forcing the user to be dependent on them for him/her to operate normally. Though

there are possible challenges associated with banning the junk food, it is crucial to halt the

and address the problems that may arise after that to protect the children from the adverse

health effects that may occur from the consumption of the junk food and affect them all their

life.

Worsley, Anthony. "Lay people's views of school food policy options: associations with confidence, personal

values and demographics." Health education research 21.6 (2006): 848-861.

JUNK FOOD 7

Bibliography

Bowman, Shanthy A., Steven L. Gortmaker, Cara B. Ebbeling, Mark A. Pereira, and David S.

Ludwig. "Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among

children in a national household survey." Pediatrics 113, no. 1 (2004): 112-118.

Datar, Ashlesha, and Nancy Nicosia. "Junk food in schools and childhood obesity." Journal

of Policy Analysis and Management 31, no. 2 (2012): 312-337.

Harris, Gardiner. "A federal effort to push junk food out of schools." The New York Times 7

(2010).

Kaushik, Jaya Shankar, Manish Narang, and Ankit Parakh. "Fast food consumption in

children." Indian Pediatrics 48, no. 2 (2011): 97-101.

Worsley, Anthony. "Lay people's views of school food policy options: associations with

confidence, personal values and demographics." Health education research 21.6

(2006): 848-861.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."