Money over Health?

Money over health?

            My lunch in high school ranged from about eight to ten dollars on any given day.  I always chose two servings of cheese fries and a slice of Pizza Hut pizza usually washed down by a large soft drink and all of this was served from the convenience of my high school cafeteria.  Not only was it costly to my parents wallet but to my overall eating habits and health.  Not to mention, gym was an option class meaning you could choose a different class instead of gym.  I gained 10lbs alone my freshmen year of high school.  The school system is not only robbing parents of their money but also their children’s health. 

The number of overweight adolescents has tripled over the last 20 years (Greenblatt, 2003).  Greenblatt states “Physical education is being dropped by schools even as fattening snack foods are welcomed onto campus.  And children are spending more time playing computer games than sports.”  We are sending our children a message that it is ok to eat and drink high sugar foods while not staying physically fit by exercising or by engaging in daily activity.  Most agree that money is the biggest factor to selling soft drinks and fast food chains in school.  Schools across the country rely on soft drink vendors for an important source of revenue (Greenblatt, 2003).  The article Obesity Epidemic, Can Americans Change their Self-Destructive habits by Alan Greenblatt hits on many reasons obesity could be on the rise but it focuses more on poor food and drink choices that start in the school system. 

I myself believe the article was very informative in reinforcing how we as a society make it acceptable to be medically obese.  We send our children to school where money is being made by our children making poor food and drink choices.  I think school does play a major role in childhood obesity.  Changes in our public school systems need to be made across America to ensure our children are learning to make good food, drink and exercise choices to ensure our children remain healthy.  I just hope something happens soon so the rising number of children becoming obese will begin to drop and that children learn how to make the best decisions to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Greenblatt, A. (2003, January 31). Obesity epidemic. CQ Researcher, 13, 73-104. Retrieved February 5, 2011from the CQ Reasearcher Database.