Living in the 21st Century, junk food is not something foreign for anyone. After all, they are easy to purchase, cheap, and quick to prepare. However, fast food is not entirely beneficial for our bodies and is one of the large factors to an increase in obesity within the UK. We should all be thriving to eat healthier from a young age; so, should schools play a part in promoting healthy meals?
More than half of the UK’s population are considered overweight. Within Europe, the UK has the largest rate of obesity, causing on average 30,000 deaths per year. Studies have shown that obesity can lead to a number of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and even some types of cancer, for example, bowel cancer. 48 billion is spent managing the social causes and healthcare of obesity. A report released from the government showed that 1 in 5 children within reception year were obese, and at the ages of 10-11 over a third of children were classed as overweight or obese.
As obesity is a large issue needing to be tackled, schools can help encourage a healthier lifestyle. After all, youths are the future of our world, and in order to help change these issues we should begin to develop smarter ways of living at younger ages. Introducing children and teenagers to healthy eating habits earlier can benefit reducing obesity rates, thus lowering health costs as well as obesity-related cases. Furthermore, encouraging a cleaner diet can also help our planet, such as a meat-free Monday to support the production of less meat, meaning less greenhouse gases releasing into the atmosphere.
“As a student who regularly eats from the school canteen, I definitely agree that schools should encourage young people to adopt a healthy diet in their lives. I believe it is a vital step to solving health issues for people of the future, and nutrition is especially important for teenagers and children as we are growing and developing. In addition, the right amount of nutrients in our body can help maintain alertness which will benefit our ability to focus in class,” said Katia, a Year 10 student at Nower Hill High School.
Overall, schools should encourage healthier lifestyles for their students as they are the future. Even simple posters around corridors can help people to think twice about their dietary choices, and even spark students to raise their voice upon the subject. Supporting better diets can be one step to achieving a better world we all want to live in.
Written by Natalia Hirabe, Nower Hill High School
