The Dietary Influences Of Childhood Obesity Essay

Today, we see more cases involving childhood obesity throughout the United States than ever before. In this generation, 17% of all children across the country are suffering from obesity. Many say that dietary influences such as school lunch options, food deserts, advertising of foods, portion sizes, unhealthy eating patterns, and a lack of exercise are the major causes of childhood obesity. Others believe that where, how, and what children eat does not factor into childhood obesity. Rather, genetic components are the main cause of weight gain in children. After considering both sides of the issue, I strongly believe dietary influences are the main cause of childhood obesity. Dietary influences such as such lunch options are a major cause of childhood obesity. Unfortunately, many schools all over the country continue to offer unhealthy food in their cafeterias. In the mid-1900s, The National School Program, a federally assisted program, began giving schools millions of dollars annua lly for nourishing, free lunch. According to Barry Yeoman in the article School Lunches Cause Childhood Obesity,† â€Å"Enacted in 1946, the program is supposed to provide healthy meals to children, regardless of income. At the same time, however, it s designed to subsidize agribusiness, shoring up demands for beef and milk...† In other words, students are still being offered great amounts of dairy and beef, which are high in saturated fats. Saturated fats significantly contribute to obesity andShow MoreRelatedChildhood Obesity : A Worldwide Health Issue921 Words   |  4 PagesChildhood Obesity Obesity is known to be a worldwide health issue, with the greatest concentrations of obese individuals in developed countries. In the past years it has been well documented that obesity has increased in both adults and children, and an increase is still expected. 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