Battling Junk Food

Miko
Current event posting #4
health
Battling Junk Food in High Schools
Author: Leslie Wade
Length: 1 page
Date Published: May 11th 2012
CNN.com

Five years ago, California passed legislations that would help combat child obesity in America. One legislation limited the kinds of foods that students are able to buy in school vending machines or snack bars. New studies are showing that high school students in California are eating fewer calories, sugar, and fat during the school day than out of state students. The numbers say it all, the average Californian high school student eats about 160 fewer calories in a day than students in 14 other states. Most of the calories saved came from eating less while in school, and from not overeating when at home. "If teenagers consume 158 fewer calories on average, while maintaining healthy levels of physical activity, it could go a long way toward preventing excess weight gain," says Daniel Taber, lead author of the study and investigator at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois in Chicago. According to Dr. Barbara Dennison, limiting calories from junk food alone can potentially help a student lose about 7.5 pounds over one school year! That could add up to 30 pounds by the end of one's high school career. Critics argue that just because students don't purchase unhealthy foods, it does not automatically mean they're eating super healthy all of a sudden. These critics want to improve the overall quality of student's diets by promoting fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other alternatives that appeal to students. In 2010 President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act which gave the U.S Department of Agriculture the power to regulate foods sold outside meal plans. With this students can buy "competitive foods" as alternatives to junk food in vending machines.

In conclusion, California has taken a big step in the right direction in combating child obesity in America. Hopefully other states will follow in our footsteps so we can fight this growing problem together.