What is unhealthy food? Food with poor nutritional value is likely to cause more harm than good, such as deep-fried chicken from a fast-food restaurant or heavily processed foods. The quality, source credibility, and safety protocols around food production also contribute to whether the food we eat is healthy or unhealthy. For instance, if we were to eat green beans cultivated using a lot of pesticides, they cannot be considered healthy.
So, should schools only offer healthy food options in their cafeterias? The answer to the question is yes. School cafeterias should only offer healthy food options.
The Benefits of Offering Healthy Food Options in Schools
Here are some benefits of offering healthy food options in Schools:
A healthier future: Eating healthy food isn't just about what food you eat; it also has to do with the quantity of that food. Helping school children make healthy food choices in terms of quality and quantity ensures that they carry that lesson with them for life.
Healthier population: Healthy food will ensure a healthier, more productive young population. Conversely, children that get used to poor eating habits and unhealthy food often carry those habits into their adult lives.
Working together makes achieving goals easier: Many parents are health-conscious, and as a result, they try to make healthy food choices and cultivate good eating habits at home. In addition, providing healthy food options at school ensures that parents and schools work together towards a common goal.
Correct usage of tax: In the US, the public school system is funded through taxation. This means that the food is too; hence, if unhealthy food options are given to children, tax money is being used to cultivate breeding grounds for disease and poor health. Using tax money to supply healthy food does the opposite.
Conclusion
To conclude, children should always be given healthy food options in schools. This is not to say that they have to stay on a bland diet of kale and cucumber, but that the foods available in schools should be healthier. In addition, processed foods should be avoided entirely if possible.
FAQs
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Does eating healthy mean students shouldn’t be allowed to eat hamburgers?
No, it does not. However, hamburgers are a great source of nutrition, provided they are not made with processed meat and cheese or consumed too often.
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What about kids that don’t like healthy food?
There is a wide range of healthy foods, but not all are challenging to consume. Therefore, it is important to educate children on healthy food. Try different types of foods to find out which foods students enjoy.
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How about children with specific dietary needs, due to disability or nutritional requirements?
Schools should accommodate special requests. For example, autistic children often have difficulty adjusting to different foods and prefer something they are familiar with.
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How about schools that the government doesn’t fund?
All students eventually grow up and begin to contribute to society somehow. If all schools offer healthier food options, our workforce and students' general well-being and health are likely to increase over time.
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Can we only get good nutrition from meat?
There are varying opinions on this matter. However, studies have shown that it is possible to achieve similar nutrition levels through a diverse vegetarian diet. Not one that repeats the same meal or ingredients often.
