~ September Issue ~
 

Nutritional Foods
by Varun Roperia, Staff Writer       

        Many say that change is good, but some changes this year aren't exactly being met enthusiastically by our students. Legislation removing high fat, high sodium and other junk foods in an effort to combat obesity has recently been pushed, and reform in school lunches has begun. However, will these measures really reduce obesity? According to some experts, they probably will not. While carbonated soft drinks and other junks foods are not healthy, simply limiting them from being sold to students at school doesn't prevent students from buying them elsewhere. In fact, most weight problems are usually caused by lifelong unhealthy eating styles and habits. Legislators, in trying to make students healthier, are actually not making much of an impact, as kids can simply eat these junk foods after schools close. Another effort to make America's youth healthier involved adding "healthier" items, such as green beans and coleslaw, to lunches such as chicken nuggets. However, how many people actually eat those additions to the meals? While some students may, most of the people who bought lunch don't eat them, as shown when one simply glances at the meriad of trash left over after luch. Thus, did this change make us healthier? I think not, and while it may not seem to cost much, when multiplied by the number of lunches prepared, this waste is quite a significant loss. In fact, most "health foods" provided at some schools are not very healthy at all. After being frozen and reheated, the foods are not only less appetizing, but actually less nutritious. Thus, there is no quick solution to unhealthy and overweight students, and such measures will show no results. The only possible solution would be to prevent unhealthy habits from being accrued in the first place, as this would stop this problem form ever developing.