A letter about School food

Dear My lovely high school in Georgia:　

School food is very important for student’s health, but there is often unhealthy food serving at the school. People are building chronic illness from early age today such as diabetes, hypertension, or cancer. Many people used to think that only adults will get diabetes but the average age is getting younger; teenage can also get diabetes in recent years. I believe school’s meal can be effectible for children if there are healthy, balanced food with low calories, replace those junk food in the vending machine to some healthier food or drinks, will be so much better for student’s health; not only that but I think students should be educated about their food system and learn how to cook, so they will have better knowledge to improve their self-discipline.

Building up healthy food habit from early age is important for students. We usually eat meals three times a day so it will be twenty one meals per week. I saw, many students eat their breakfast and lunch at the school. If two times a day, five days a week, then students are eating ten meals at the school per week. Therefore, school’s food is affecting large part of student’s body condition. In the high school we have chicken biscuit, a fried chicken in two breads without any vegetable, and it was actually from the fast restaurant, or super sweet bread as a breakfast. It was very tasty but obviously not healthy with greasy food or bunch of sugar. For lunch, there are hamburgers, pizza, and are always too much carbohydrates or high cholesterol with few vitamin or dietary fiber from vegetable and fruits. I think there should be more vegetables and fruits in the school meal; meat should not be the main dish for people’s diet. In my country, my nutrition teacher told us that we only need our palm size of meat, as thin as hand, per day and it is unhealthy to eat more than that. If people value their health from the early age, then their body will reward them in the future. Therefore, I believe serving healthy food in the school will be benefit to children’s future.

Vending machine in the school is also providing unhealthy food for students such as chips or awfully sweet donuts. Even the drinks are too sweet and many people do not even know it is causing them to get diabetes. When I came to America, I was surprised by the sweetness of the snacks. I could not believe when I was hungry at the school, there was no other choice but to eat those chips or chocolate bars and many other candies. I see how people get fat and sick just from the school food. Eating chips not only make us fat, because of high calories, but also cause cancer since it is fried. I really suggest school to serve some bread or cookies contain lower sugar or crackers. A drink in the vending machine is not only too sweet but it is often using chemical colors which damage our cells and causing cancer too. We are actually drinking poison. If school replaces unhealthy juice to freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice will be so much healthier for children.

Many people do not understand what is unhealthy and how it is bad for our body because we are not well educated about the food we eat. If we understand how the food is produced, then we might rethink about our choice when we are shopping. School is a best place to teach how the food is produced and how to cook it. When I was in my country, my school taught us to plant crops in the school such as a cherry tomato, radish, rice, and etc. We even went to farm to dig sweet potato and it was so excited. Our teacher will teach us how to cook after we harvested the crops and it was so delicious. Some schools go to farm to experience how to squeeze milk from the cow. However, I have learned how the plants grow in nature and how the food is important to us. It was a great experience and I thought it was a really good lesson. If there are such classes in this high school, then I believe people will learn what is　healthy food and it might improve their decision. It is so important to learn our food system and I believe school should teach us more about how our food has been produced. May be it is good for students to visit those food companies if it is possible. Also it will be very helpful for students to know how to cook by themselves. Many people do not cook so they do not know too much about food and actually there are many good meals other than hamburgers.

Building our good eating habit can prevent many illnesses and it should be starting early in our life. If the school replace the junk food to healthier food and educate students, then it may help children’s future from getting different kind of sickness. No body can force others to eat healthy but at least during the school time, there is someway to help students to build up healthy body instead of encourage them to get diabetes. I hope school will concern children’s health more seriously and rethink about school’s food.

Sincerely, Sho