CAROL’S SUMMARY
The study below shows that fast-food restaurants near schools is linked to obesity among students. But the issue doesn’t stop there. Many school cafeterias serve high sugar, high carb menus with a plethora of soft drinks available from vending machines for purchase throughout the day. Data suggests that students who have diets high in sugar and carbs with very little protein have a hard time focusing, staying awake and keeping their attention on the subject matter at hand.
The Steamboat Springs school district in Colorado just banned these types of foods and beverages from their schools. No doubt with the obesity link and the even greater risk of students with attention problems, more districts around the country will follow suit. Parents would do well to think of ways that students can reduce sugar dependence and experiment with meals that feature protein and vegetables, which can form lifelong patterns of health. The alternative is a large crop of emerging students who become adults that tap out our healthcare system because they didn’t form healthy eating habits in their youth.
ARTICLE
New York Times
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Ninth graders whose schools are within a block of a fast-food outlet are more likely to be obese than students whose schools are a quarter of a mile or more away, according to a study of millions of schoolchildren by economists at the University of California and Columbia University.
To view the entire article visit
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/health/nutrition/26obese.html?emc=eta1
