The topic I am choosing for my rhetoric project is childhood obesity rate in America, with an emphasis on school lunch programs as a cause. Remembering what it was like to be in high school and elementary school not too many years ago, personally I do not remember that last time I saw a decently healthy array of food in the cafeteria. I have asked a lot of people on my floor and around campus, and most students felt the same way while looking back on old school memories. I also picked this issue because of a recent study I saw that shocked me. Food is especially important for children's growth and development, and today approximately 16% of children in America are considered obese. Because schools serve around 32 million children a year, lunch programs have an important influence on lifelong eating habits.
School lunch programs take an enormous role in the cause of childhood obesity. Children consume half of their daily calories while at school, or for a lot of children from low-income families, meals at school may be their only daily consumptions. Recently, a study at University of Michigan showed that 38% of students that routinely ate school lunches are either overweight or obese, in comparison to 24% of students that bring their own lunches routinely. Childhood obesity also has a strong impact on adult life: obese children are ten times more likely to be obese in their adulthood, and there is a large increase in the chances of having type II diabetes and other chronic diseases.
I am calling for a change in the quality of school lunch programs. There are many changes to be made and it is very difficult to change, so I plan to focus on making fruits and vegetables a priority in programs. In 2014, sixty percent of children did not eat enough fruit to meet daily recommendations and ninety three percent did not eat enough vegetables. Even more surprising, 91.2% of children who bring lunches from home consume fruits and vegetables on a regular basis while 16.3% of children do who eat meals provided by schools. Fruits and vegetables are important parts of the food pyramid because they have different minerals, fibers and antioxidants that ensure growth and development, promote good health and fight against diseases. It is scary to think about how many children are missing what they need to develop strongly, especially considering how fast children grow up. It is important to teach kids the right eating habits for the future, and they are being miseducated in a place where they should be learning.
School lunch programs take an enormous role in the cause of childhood obesity. Children consume half of their daily calories while at school, or for a lot of children from low-income families, meals at school may be their only daily consumptions. Recently, a study at University of Michigan showed that 38% of students that routinely ate school lunches are either overweight or obese, in comparison to 24% of students that bring their own lunches routinely. Childhood obesity also has a strong impact on adult life: obese children are ten times more likely to be obese in their adulthood, and there is a large increase in the chances of having type II diabetes and other chronic diseases.
I am calling for a change in the quality of school lunch programs. There are many changes to be made and it is very difficult to change, so I plan to focus on making fruits and vegetables a priority in programs. In 2014, sixty percent of children did not eat enough fruit to meet daily recommendations and ninety three percent did not eat enough vegetables. Even more surprising, 91.2% of children who bring lunches from home consume fruits and vegetables on a regular basis while 16.3% of children do who eat meals provided by schools. Fruits and vegetables are important parts of the food pyramid because they have different minerals, fibers and antioxidants that ensure growth and development, promote good health and fight against diseases. It is scary to think about how many children are missing what they need to develop strongly, especially considering how fast children grow up. It is important to teach kids the right eating habits for the future, and they are being miseducated in a place where they should be learning.
Alright, I like the focus on the school lunch programs as a means to achieve your goal. I'd strongly recommend looking into Michelle Obama's initiatives in that regard, and see where they succeeded and where they didn't, and then see what you can do to overcome those roadblocks. School lunch programs are also a surprisingly complicated financial operation, and I'd really recommend getting a sense of how a school--like, say, your alma mater--manages its operation.
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