Junk_Food-Effects

The effects of junk food on the youngsters: 1.1 Introdcution Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value (i.e. containing "empty calories"), or to products with nutritional value but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten, or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all. The term was coined by Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972. Junk foods are typically ready-to-eat convenience foods containing high levels of saturated fats, salt, or sugar, and little or no fruit, vegetables, or dietary fiber; junk foods thus have little or no health benefits. Common junk foods include salted snack foods (chips, crisps), candy, gum, most sweet desserts, fried fast food and carbonated beverages (sodas) , burgers and pizzas as well as alcoholic beverages. JUNK FOOD Junk food is everywhere and it is being consumed by our youngsters in record quantities. “Junk food” is food which traditionally has no nutritional value. It deprives the body of necessary nutrients and its over consumption over time leads to obesity, medical problems, and behavioral problems. Junk food consumption is associated with various physical ailments including obesity, Type II diabetes, heart attacks, and decreased life expectancy.Because of junk food, “our children’s life expectancy could be lower than our own.” Junk food is also a major cause in the 23 percent of Indian children who are overweight.Fast food and the increasingly available category of junk food is stongly correlated to the “300 percent increase in the rate of children who are either overweight or obese.” Application in classrooms and similar settings Junk food surrounds our children in a new “toxic food environment” which is made worse by a bombardment of advertisements through media directed at children. Junk foods are altering the structure and function of the human brain while increasing and decreasing insulin levels so quickly that junk food leaves students groggy in class. A child’s brain continues to develop through until adulthood; many of the foods that students eat affect the growth of critical areas of their brain. When growth is disrupted, in can cause negative behavior reactions in the classroom. Often times, doctors do not seek the root of the problem (food) but instead they mask the behavioral symptoms with drugs such as Ritalin or Prozac which have their own series of side effects, all while the brain development continues to be damaged. Continued research has shown that kids whose diets are saturated with high sugar, low-nutrition content junk food function poorly in the classroom. Their cognitive skills are impaired and most frequently they face anxiety and hyperactivity which affect their ability to concentrate on tasks that require serious attention in the classroom. Most students have access, in schools, or at least in their lunches, to high sugar caffeinated beverages. Parents of teenagers see this as a symptom of having a lot of work and that their children feel they have to drink these beverages to “stay awake”.Perhaps the stress of school has increased so much that the average student needs to consume 26 ounces of soft drink per day. The contributing factor to the 325 to 600 calories that the typical teenager consumes all come from sugar. Because sugar creates a roller coaster of energy in one’s body, the more likely problem is that of sugar addiction. This is where the hyper activity (after sugar) and drowsiness (one to three hours after sugar) come from. Refined grains is not the answer; it the same effects on behavior as sugar since it enters the blood stream so quickly and does not leave a “full” message for the brain to indicate that the child should stop eating. Instead, that student sits in class craving more carbohydrates and sugar. Both cravings are linked due to their similar effects on the body. Evidence of effectiveness Schools and even individual teachers and youngsters can begin to make an impact on cutting out the sugar and fat saturation of school cafeterias. However, it is a challenge; most youngsters who consume these products are addicted and will demand more. Across the country, teachers and youngsters are tired of the negative effects junk food is having on student attention and they are beginning to change their school’s offerings while properly educating youngsters on practical nutrition information that will allow them to become informed consumers. The results from those schools that have made the changes are very promising. Teachers can have the greatest influence on children, especially those at a young age. It’s important for teachers to teach the right information at as young an age as possible. By middle school, most students have already developed their eating behaviors which are very hard to break. Teachers can set examples by how they eat, introduce new food to students, and offer healthy foods on party days and as rewards.Evidence shows that by continually working to form habits with children, the students will have “better attendance, better behavior, and overall better performance.” Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations One of the greatest widening gap of diversity is socioeconomic status. The poor and wealthy classes are growing while the middle class is shrinking in the United States. Coupled with cheap food, the result is a poor outlook for the poor class. We live in a country where food is a part of the “paradox of plenty”. (Nestle, 2003) People of low socioeconomic status face two strong problems with food: they can’t afford to spend a lot of money one it and the cheapest food available is usually the well-marketed, government-subsidized brands with the lowest nutritional quality. (Nestle 2003) In addition, most of the food in poor high-population density city areas is purchased at convenience stores. These stores usually stock their shelves with foods that have long shelf-lives but are prepackaged and packed with preservatives. Therefore, the poor class is often overfed but undernourished in the important foods their bodies actually need. This is one reason why students in schools located in poor neighborhoods often have behavioral problems Children find themselves amidst a complex society that is undergoing breathtaking changes. Concepts, relationships, lifestyles are metamorphisised to accommodate the new jet-setting age. Food is no exception. Healthy nutritious foods have been replaced by the new food mantra - JUNK FOOD! Junk food comprises of anything that is quick, tasty, convenient and fashionable. It seems to have engulfed every age; every race and the newest entrants are children. Wafers, colas, pizzas and burgers are suddenly the most important thing. The commonest scenario is a child who returns from school and plonks himself in front of the television, faithfully accompanied by a bowl of wafers and a can of cola. Children suddenly seem to have stepped into a world of fast foods and vending machines, totally unaware of the havoc they are creating for themselves.  The years between 6-12 are a time of steady growth; good nutrition is a high priority. Children must know that what they eat affects how they grow, feel and behave. Changes in our society have intensified the need for food skills, to the extent that they need to become a part of the child's basic education for good health and survival. The vast majority of working mothers with school age children are laboured with exhausting commutes, upswings in the households, and stress, leading to a situation where parents get to spend limited time with their children. Traditional food skills are not passed on automatically from parent to child. Most people have forgotten that the primary reason for eating is nourishment. In the not so distant past, food was treated with reverence because of its life sustaining quality. Enjoying a meal was sharing experience with the others. Today family dinners are rare. In many ways, our culture is structured to foster poor eating habits. Television commercials and supermarkets are propagating a wide variety of enticing junk foods, attractively packaged and often tagged with a tempting sop. We should be constructing an environment that protects our children. Instead we have a highly seductive environment that undermines eating habits.  For children who have less vision of the heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes that might befall them decades later, the tentacles of a junk food environment are virtually inescapable.  Studies reveal that as early as the age of 30, arteries could beginning clogging and lay the groundwork for future heart attacks. What children eat from puberty affects their risks of prostate and breast cancer.  Osteoporosis and hypertension are other diseases that appear to have their earliest roots in childhood when lifelong eating habits are being formed. Children are especially vulnerable. Poor diets can slow growth, decay new teeth, promote obesity and sow the seeds of infirmity and debilitating disease that ultimately lead to incurable disease and death or worse make life insufferable.  Most of the times these junk foods contain colors that are laced with colors, those are often inedible, carcinogenic and harmful to the body. These foods and their colors can affect digestive systems, the effects of it emerging after many years. Studies have found that food coloring can cause hyperactivity and lapses of concentration in children. Children suffering from Learning Disabilities are often advised against eating food with artificial coloring. Chocolates, colas, flavored drinks and snack tit bits are full of artificial coloring.  Not surprisingly, junk food not only has physiological repercussions, but also psychological ones - far reaching ones that affect the child's intellect and personalities. Coping intelligently with their dietary needs increases their self-esteem, and encourages further discovery. School days are full of educational challenges that require long attention spans and stamina. Poor nutritional habits can undermine these pre-requisites of learning, as well as sap the strength that children need for making friends, interacting with family, participating in sports and games or simply feeling god about themselves.  Junk foods are often eaten in instead of regular food, an essential Indian diet that consists of wholesome chapatis and vegetables or snacks like upmas and idlis. Not surprisingly eating junk food leads to a sense of starvation both physically and mentally, as the feeling of satiation and contentment that comes after a wholesome meal is absent. There is simply no substitute for the feeling that descends, when you wake up and find that you are ready to take on the world and this primarily stems from GOOD HEALTH! There is no better time than now to build a supportive environment for nurturing our children and endowing them with a legacy of good health.