School lunches hurt student health

School lunches are at their worst today in terms of quality and nutrition. Pre-made foods filled with fat, salt and sugar lead children into an unhealthy trap.

The reason behind this is the budget crunch facing most public schools. However, I cannot blame them — because what choice do they have?

These processed foods lack nutrients which not only lead to obesity, but also to diabetes and chronic diseases. It causes young children to suffer, and consequently costs taxpayers millions of dollars.

It would be more efficient to increase the funding by a couple of more dollars for each child.

Many of us do not have children yet, so this issue may not be relevant to college students. However, our children may be obese one day if we do not try and solve this problem.

As parents, we might be the ones staying at home taking care of our sick children while having to miss work. We will be the ones paying the most tax money to clinics and surgeries for obesity.

If we do not show the government our concern, we will be the ones paying for it in the future.

According to the National Institute of Health, statistics show that 17 percent of children and adolescents between the ages of two and 19 are obese.

The consequences of childhood obesity can range from physical complications such as diabetes and high blood pressure, to social problems like low self-esteem and depression ––an issue that cannot be resolved overnight.

I believe that we all can make a difference. When a child suffers from depression it should not only be the parent’s concern, it should be everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to help the child.

It is not only the child’s health that is in danger, it is also their education. This will inevitably fall back onto society one day.

Our society depends on engineers, scientists, management leaders and doctors. Sadly, a child’s eating habits from pre-school can decrease the chance of them attending college.

As a parent you do not want an unhealthy child, especially if it’s a condition you could have eliminated by being proactive. Also, raising a child who is depressed or suffers from low self-esteem can affect you as parent.

Providing healthy nutrition is an essential task parents need to perform. Children whose parents serve healthier meals at home tend to make the right decisions, like picking an apple instead of cinnamon roll for desert, or vegetables instead of macaroni and cheese in school.

Also, parents can turn home cooked meals into a fun activity by having their children help them in the preparation.

Timothy D. Lytton, a professor of law at Albany University, said, “the primary reason for the abundance of unhealthy foods in schools is inadequate public funding of school meals and schools in general.”

Unfortunately, the sale of unhealthy foods, popular among students, is an essential source of revenue for many schools.

According to federal regulations, an estimated 60 percent of schools have instituted school-level policies on the sale of competitive food.

I see it as a dark circle. Schools do not want to close down cafeterias due to the lack of money, so the capital collected from the children is helping the schools through the consumption of junk foods.

The only way schools can continue to feed children with low funds is to serve food that will lower their mental and physical health.

The only way struggling schools can continue to feed their students is by giving them processed foods that will damage their physical health, and cause them to not reach their full potential.