Should High Schools Be Regulating what WE eat?

Sorry that this is an hour late! I had horseback riding after school and finished my blog immediately when I got home. I hope it hasn't affected any of you. :(

When people first go to high school, they often have many misconceptions about it. One of the most common beliefs they have are that the cafeteria food will look like sloppy green mush and the lunch lady with have a huge wart on her face and secretly wants to torture all of the students. We call these misconceptions for a reason... because they are false! Some of the cafeteria/lunch ladies at school may have a wart or too, but more often than not; they are pretty friendly. Many kids enjoy the cafeteria food; there are many options, it’s easier than making lunch, and it’s cheap.

In this day and age, obesity is a big problem for high school students. For teens, 35% of boys, and 29% of girls in Canada are overweight, some of which are even obese. And that’s just Canada alone. Several other countries, such as the United States have an even higher percentage of overweight teens. The government is aware of this, and has finally decided to take action. All of the schools in Ontario are enforcing new cafeteria food regulations. There is to be no fried food sold (everything needs to be baked,) and only 20% of them menu is allowed to consist of high-fat or processed items such as cheese or hotdogs. Some school have even gone as far as to ban bagged lunches in Chicago and others even confiscate food that is considered “unhealthy.” These food regulations have started to spread throughout Canada, and there are mixed opinions on this. Some people believe that it's important to be healthy, and the school/government is only trying to help. While others believe that they are being cruel, and feel as if they are trapped in prison.

There are several pros to the new food regulations. Many teenagers aren’t even aware of how unhealthy some of the meals they eat are. By having cafeterias only supply healthy food, kids can still buy from the cafe; but also eat healthy.... some without even knowing it. For example, a teen could buy a whole-wheat sandwich with lettuce and other vegetables and love it. They then may start to buy it every day, or make it at home, and without even knowing it; they have already started a healthier diet. However, as ideal as that situation is, it’s not very realistic. Teenagers are like animals; most of them will rip into any food put in front of them. That’s why if we make it easier for them to eat healthier, then they may even enjoy it. They just need a helpful shove in the right direction. When the cafeteria is supplied with hamburgers, pizza, pop, fries, etc, then they are making it even easier for high school students to access unneeded calories and sugar. A high percentage of parents aren’t aware of what their children eat during school hours. They have no way of controlling what their kids eat, so there only chance is to be good role models. BUT, obesity isn’t only an issue between teens and kids; adults are making unhealthy food decisions as well. Teens want to be trusted and responsible, but let’s face it; some of them are just not capable of making healthy life decisions. Teenagers can be ignorant; it’s a part of growing up. That’s why the government/schools have taken it upon them to make us aware.

Of course, there are cons to this as well. Teenagers have the natural instinct to rebel. They don’t like to be told what to do. When someone forces them to do something, they are likely going to do the opposite of it. Some teenagers feel that they are almost adults, and they are capable of making their own decisions. When the government/school forces them to eat certain foods, they want to prove that they are in charge of themselves. Most high schools have several restaurants and fast food places within walking distance, and students will just resort to buying lunch at these places every day. Places like McDonalds, Wendy’s, KFC, etc are more often than not are a lot unhealthier than the cafeteria food was before the rules stepped in. Some kids just stop eating lunch altogether, which can be very unhealthy because they aren’t getting the energy they need. Studies have shown that ever since the lunch regulations were put in the place, cafeteria sales have decreased.

If it were my choice, I would want to compromise. The schools in Chicago that are forcing kids to only eat food from the cafeteria are going overboard. Being that controlling only leads to negative side effects. On the other hand, allowing schools to sell a ton of harmful/unhealthy foods is going to make kids feel like they are in jail, and they will start to dislike food. I agree that eating healthy is very important, along with exercise. But we need to educate teens. If they don’t know what they are eating, then how are they expected to change their bad habits? The schools should hold an awareness assembly of some time that encourages and teaches teenagers how to make healthy food choices. When I am deciding what eat, I often pay attention to the nutrition facts. When I see something has a lot of calories, then I know I will feel gross after I eat it. Perhaps on the menu, the cafeteria could give all of the nutrition facts. That way teens become more attentive of what they are eating. A smart—and sneaky—way schools could help teens eat healthier is by making food similar to the what they like, but modifying it a bit. For example, instead of a greasy, fat burger with a white thick bun and loads of cheese, they could sell veggie burgers with a whole wheat bun, a tiny bit of cheese and some vegetables. Or, they could sell banana bread but make it with apple sauce and whole wheat flour instead of lots of sugar and oil. I believe the government is just trying to help us and do what they believe is best for us. We are teenagers, and this is an important part of our life. It is OUR job to make good decisions and be a healthy wait---- after all, bikini season is coming up!

 Here are the links I used:

http://www.middleschooldebate.com/documents/Junkfood.pdf *This was very resouceful because it provided both sides of the situation.*

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2012/05/08/keep-junk-food-out-of-high-school-cafeterias *Gave lots of facts and percentages. Also gave a specific example about one high school*

 http://www.schoolnutrition.org/Content.aspx?id=6926 *I liked this site because I learned that some of the facts I believed were true, are actually myths.*

http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-health/teen-obesity.html                  and http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives05ML4P1A23.html *Both these sites were useful for when I was finding facts on teen obesity. The second link was especially helpful because it's based on Canada.*

http://teenadvice.about.com/od/yourbody/a/how_to_eat_healthy_at_school.htm *This gave me lots of tips on how we can improve our school's cafeteria and what food would be a wise desision to include.*

 http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/04/26/the-state-has-no-place-in-the-lunch-bags-of-a-nation/ *This is the link Ms.Lees provided and probably the most useful of all. I got several statistics from here and opinions.*