With the rise of healthy eating campaigns, like First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move,” many schools have removed sweets from the vending machines. Schools should put sweets back into vending machines because students should be able to make their own decisions about what they eat while they’re at school. In the Fall of 2014, The Ann Arbor Public Schools decided to take action against obesity, and got rid of all sugary and unhealthy food that was sold in the vending machines and the school store. Now, all snacks are replaced with healthier, but less tasty, alternatives. This includes items such as Baked Lays and sugar free ice cream sandwiches. If Pioneer and other schools are trying to teach kids to eat a balanced diet, instead of forcing them to eat “healthy,” they should educate students about moderation and offer choices, not just take choices away. By taking away unhealthy foods at schools, they do not allow students to make informed choices and teach themselves to eat wisely.
What’s more, the school should not be able to decide what students eat or don’t eat; that should be a decision made by students and their parents. It is not the school’s place to be making such a personal decision on behalf of students. It is not the school’s job to make parenting decisions. It is the school’s job to give students an education, so why not include an education in moderate eating?
Everyone likes to have dessert after a meal, so why should our students be deprived of that? If a student wants to have a Snickers bar or a packet of Skittles after eating lunch once in awhile, there is no harm in that. In Personal Fitness classes, students are taught that it is O.K. to eat candy and sweets, so long as they eat them in moderation. Students who just came from a long sports practice or have been in theater practice for several hours can treat themselves to a candy bar without harming their overall nutrition. The occasional candy treat is perfectly fine.
Now it is possible that students might go a little overboard and eat too much candy, but that is not the school’s job to enforce. If the school really wants to make a difference, they should further educate students and use required classes such as Health and Personal Fitness to show students the value of balanced eating and how to make informed choices. By taking away candy and sweets, the school is not allowing the students to practice informed decision-making.
It is not right for the government to get too involved in our lives by deciding what we can and can’t eat. We as American students should have the choice to eat candy if we so choose, particularly if it is a practice approved by our own parents.
We always hear that public schools are low on funding, and policies like this force them to buy more expensive food for students. Put sweet treats back into the vending machines and let the students show that they can practice balance and moderation.
What’s more, the school should not be able to decide what students eat or don’t eat; that should be a decision made by students and their parents. It is not the school’s place to be making such a personal decision on behalf of students. It is not the school’s job to make parenting decisions. It is the school’s job to give students an education, so why not include an education in moderate eating?
Everyone likes to have dessert after a meal, so why should our students be deprived of that? If a student wants to have a Snickers bar or a packet of Skittles after eating lunch once in awhile, there is no harm in that. In Personal Fitness classes, students are taught that it is O.K. to eat candy and sweets, so long as they eat them in moderation. Students who just came from a long sports practice or have been in theater practice for several hours can treat themselves to a candy bar without harming their overall nutrition. The occasional candy treat is perfectly fine.
Now it is possible that students might go a little overboard and eat too much candy, but that is not the school’s job to enforce. If the school really wants to make a difference, they should further educate students and use required classes such as Health and Personal Fitness to show students the value of balanced eating and how to make informed choices. By taking away candy and sweets, the school is not allowing the students to practice informed decision-making.
It is not right for the government to get too involved in our lives by deciding what we can and can’t eat. We as American students should have the choice to eat candy if we so choose, particularly if it is a practice approved by our own parents.
We always hear that public schools are low on funding, and policies like this force them to buy more expensive food for students. Put sweet treats back into the vending machines and let the students show that they can practice balance and moderation.