The Issues & Problems of Cafeteria Food

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The controversy over cafeteria food is whether or not it is healthy for all students from elementary schools to colleges. Numerous factors lead to unhealthy eating in schools and on campuses. Sometimes options with better nutrition are offered, but when there are they tend to be less appealing than the unhealthy foods (Obesity). Many schools are undergoing budget cuts and changes, and healthy food tends to take a back burner when deciding where the limited amounts of money should go (Gupta). Unfortunately, when schools do have healthy ingredients, the food is usually prepared in a method that is unhealthy, because it is cheaper to cook it in that way (Ardis). Schools do not want to spend the extra money to get healthier choices for their students. In a recent survey, taste, cost, and convenience were the top factors in why students chose to eat the food that they did (Obesity). None of these factors generally lead to healthy food.

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Unhealthy cafeteria food is a problem for countless reasons. Eating unhealthy foods at school at an early age can lead to bad eating habits for the rest of their lives. This leads to obesity in children, and continuing to adults. Currently over two thirds of states in America have obesity rates for adults over twenty percent and nearly 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese (Fat). The feared “freshman 15” is often discussed among students; however it is not just a weight issue that needs to be worried about (Obesity). Several dangers are associated with eating fatty foods that do not have nutritional value. It leads to obesity, and the consequences for that besides psychological repercussions can be heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, knee and joint problems, various types of cancer and death (Obesity). Every year in the United States three hundred thousand deaths occur that are associated with obesity (Obesity). This problem that begins with young children eating poor foods in cafeterias needs to be stopped. 

Heart disease is number one disease that is correlated with unhealthy eating habits. It is mainly directed with grease and bad meat but in cafeteria there are alot of things that can cause sickness. There is a reason why the FDA has checkups every month. Any type of fruit or dairy or meat can go bad, quickly and unnoticeably. Sour foods can lead to sickness just as much as stomach cramps but its so much of a problem, kids go home from school. The saturated fats in food in the cafs lead to clogging that eventually lead to heart disease. Artificial sweetners have not been tested in humans and show kids they are healthier, rather than real sugar and real sweetners, when in reality they contain ingredients that can cause cancer.