Fast food shouldn't be served in school.

While I can't argue with you that fast food can cause obesity, I can argue that, within reason, it won't. Here's the thing about all of the horrible side effects that people hear about when it comes to eating fast food; it happens when the fast food is eaten excessively. The truth is, too much of anything can be bad for you. Too much salad can cause side effects such as diarrhea, and can also cause people to bloat. Tuna is often thought of as a healthy food that many school serve as an alternative to other 'unhealthy' food options. The problem with tuna is that consuming too much of it can result in dangerous levels of mercury. Dangerous levels of mercury have been linked to vision problems, impaired hearing and speech, lack of coordination, and muscle weakness. That's just the 'healthy' tuna by itself without the other added fats such as mayonnaise. What about oranges? There are many students at schools across America who love to pick up an orange or orange juice with their breakfast or lunch. Oranges contain acid (as nearly everyone knows). Too much acid can lead to acid reflux, which, over time, can lead to precancerous lesions that form on the lining of the esophagus. Even too much water can cause problems with the body. Too much water intake can cause water intoxication. Water intoxication is a condition in which there is an abnormally low blood sodium level in the body, which can lead to loss of brain function or death. While it is vital for human survival, it can also do harm. I can not say that letting students choose to eat as much fast food as they would like on any given day while at school would be a good idea. I am well aware of the side-effects of eating too much fast food. I am also aware of the side effects of eating too much healthy food. The thing about school lunches today is that they are so flavorless that many people have started packing their lunches full of unhealthy foods just so that they won't have to eat the flavorless school food. I know someone who ended up with e.coli because of school food. There are plenty of people who have gotten sick from eating the 'healthy' school food. What really is in the chicken nuggets at school? Are those really chicken? Let's take a look: "An investigation into Chicago-area school meals revealed something fairly disturbing about students' lunches " those chicken nuggets might not be exactly what you think. According to Grub Street, Chicago journalist Monica Eng recently submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to find out the recipe for school lunch chicken nuggets, discovering that there are dozens of ingredients in the so called "meat." Students' other options aren't any better, as many of Chicago Public Schools' most popular lunch choices were made the same way. "The district's top three entrees include processed chicken patties, processed chicken nuggets and processed chicken crumbles over nachos. Each of those chicken products alone contains dozens of ingredients," Eng writes in a local news report. The chicken "meat" " not even counting the breading surrounding the nugget " was made up of 28 different ingredients. NPR's Scott Simon revealed the ingredients in his "Weekend Edition" show this weekend: Yesterday, the Chicago public schools finally responded [to Eng's FOIA request] and supplied a recipe that lists at least 28 ingredients, even without the breading. Chicago public schools' chicken nuggets turn out to be made from textured soy protein concentrate, isolated soy protein " hope I'm not going too fast for you to write all this down " brown sugar, salt, onion powder, maltodextrin, silicon dioxide, citric acid, potassium chloride, sodium phosphates and, oh, yes, a little chicken." Looking at this we can see that the baked chicken nuggets that are supposedly 'healthy' are filled with things that some people can't even pronounce. What about the little bit of chicken that is actually used in those nuggets? Where does that come from? "Each year in the U.S., more than 8 billion chickens are killed for food. They're shackled upside down and their throats are slit, though some birds miss the blade and are instead scalded alive." Looking at that statement we can see that the way chickens are slaughtered are not just for fast food. The 'healthy' meat that you can buy from the store isn't 'healthy'. Pointing out the way that chickens are kept specifically for the fast food industry isn't fair. There are many companies that keep their chickens under the same conditions as those used for a McDonald's chicken sandwich are. It it's fair to put blame on the fast food industry for how they keep their chickens when the 'healthy' chicken that people serve on a daily basis at home are kept under the same conditions. Something that I must note is that nearly every chicken product that is bought (may it be from the deli at a supermarket or prepackaged) contains antibiotics. The chicken patties and chicken nuggets that are given to students at schools across the country are also filled with antibiotics (the part that is chicken) and other not real chicken things that are just as bad for the students. Some of the options at schools are notably less healthy than those at fast food restaurants due to this specific thing. Now let's also look at some of the healthy options that places such as McDonald's serve: A McDonald's Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich (grilled 'chicken' sandwiches are a very popular thing at my school) contains only 350 calories, 9 grams of fat, 42 grams of carbs, and 28 grams of protein. Adding a small french fry to that would be 230 calories and 11 grams of fat. Since the school I go to is notorious for only serving 0 calorie sodas, having one of those as well would make a 'complete' lunch. All together that is 570 calories and 20 grams of fat. Looking at a healthy 2,000 calorie diet we know that about 78 grams of fat per day is what is known as 'healthy'. If a student were to have that meal for lunch it would not only satisfy their craving for fast food, but it would also still be seen as a healthy meal. I'll give you an example of a meal that an average student at my school has every day and we'll compare the two. Sample lunch: 6 chicken nuggets: 276 calories and 16 grams of fat 1 roll: 100 calories and 0 grams of fat 3 ounces of french fries: 120 calories and 0 grams of fat 1 (1 cup) bottle of chocolate milk: 209 calories and 8 grams of fat Without getting a second side like my school allows and without going to the snack line to get extra bags of chips and such the total for this average 'healthy' school lunch are: 705 calories and 24 grams of fat. We mustn't forget that many students put butter on their rolls as well. There is also the fact that, yes, some salads at fast food places contain more fat and calories than a regular hamburger offered at fast food restaurants. Salads are also offered with the same toppings and dressing options. With students being allowed to have as much ranch dressing as they want to cover their salads at school, calling them healthy is hardly an option. Let's also not forget the popcorn 'chicken' that students at my school are given to put on their salads. Is it really healthier than the other school food? My school also has vending machines. Here are some of the things that are offered in those machines: Munchies: 187 calories Poptarts (2 pack of strawberry): 400 calories 90 grams of fat Must I go on? Assuming that a student has the Poptarts for breakfast would mean that a student would take in around a grand total of 1105 calories and 114 grams of fat just from the two meals that they have at school. If a student were to have a McDonald's Fruit and Yogurt Parfait (which are quite popular among people at my school) along with the other McDonald's meal listed above, they would have had 720 total calories (barely more than the 'healthy' school lunch that is already served) and 22 grams of fat (less than what is included in the 'healthy' lunch schools serve). Comparing the two full meals shows us that the sample McDonald's school breakfast/lunch has 385 less calories and 92 less grams of fat than the sample school breakfast/lunch that many students consume on a daily basis. Looking at the numbers proves that fast food can be healthy within reason. Not all fast food is unhealthy for students to have. There is a way that students can have the delicious fast food that they want while still eating a healthy amount of calories and fat. In conclusion, fast food is not necessarily a bad thing if given to students in limited amounts. The food that is given to students can not be noted as 'better quality' than many of the options that are offered at fast food restaurants. The 'gourmet' options that you mentioned are things that are filled with soy products and other things that some students and even adults may not even be able to pronounce. While noting that some of the cheaper things on McDonald's menu are made with lesser quality ingredients than those of higher value, it is important to know that those options are no worse for students than the 'gourmet' options that schools offer. Fast food is something that many people enjoy at any time of day. With limits, I believe that it would be a great option for students in schools in every one of the 50 states. Thank you. Where I got some of my data: http://www.womenshealthmag.com... http://www.fastfoodmenuprices.com... http://www.businessinsider.com... http://www.caloriecount.com... http://www.fitclick.com... http://www.myfitnesspal.com... http://www.myfitnesspal.com...