The Unhealthy Diet of College Students Research Paper

An ongoing predicament is parents and students thinking if school lunches should have more restrictions and healthy content. I believe that school lunches in fact, should have more restrictions and healthier content. This is because unhealthy food can permanently affect the bodies physical health, mental health, academic performance and the brain itself. Let dive in on how an unhealthy diet can affect the bodies physical well being. 

We are all aware of how diet is an important factor in our physical health and the consequences. Such as obesity and sickness, but there is much more to it than just gaining weight. There are also long term health problems, sugar crash, digestive issues, heart disease, stroke and early death even. Almost one third of students face obesity issues due to the school systems unhealthy food options. Even as they try to lower calorie intake most students are left unsatisfied by the food and binge on unhealthy snacks to make up for the leftover hunger. Long term health problems include heart disease, cancer and even stroke, this is caused by the lack of vitamins and minerals provided in school lunches. This lack of vitamins and minerals can cause exhaustion lowering students' ability to participate in extracurricular activities such as sports and other physical activities. Sugar crash, also known as “sugar high” can also be caused. When we eat junk food which is typically high in fat and sugar our body digests it quickly and since there are no nutrients the body takes the sugar as energy giving us a temporary energy sensation. This energy is false and runs low quickly leading us to feel fatigue and nauseous. When we eat processed food that is low in water and nutrient like content our body slows down the digestive process causing us to bloat, which leads to obesity later on in life. Gastrointestinal cancer can also be developed due to the lack of fruit and vegetable intake. 

As we know the body is connected to the mind and if our bodies are not properly nourished our minds won't be either. The unhealthy weight gain caused by junk food can be linked to self-esteem problems, which can lead to depression. If a student develops depression they can suffer greatly and have impacts on growth, development, social relationships, academic performance and can even lead to suicide. When we eat a lot of carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and rice we can enter a “slump” because these kinds of food make us tired causing us to lose energy and focus. This is because our digestive system is forced to work harder in order to break down the food. Our circadian rhythm can also be affected, studies have shown that people who eat less fiber and more saturated fats endure worse sleep than those with healthier diets. The brain structure can also be changed, studies have shown that people who eat more junk food show that their hippocampus don't perform as well as those with a better diet. Our hippocampus is responsible for learning and memory, which are very important in performing well academically.

We talked about the effect junk food has on the body and mind, but how does this affect our academic performance? Well, junk food can have behavioral effects such as hyperactivity. A 2009 study concluded that students who had a high junk food diet showed more symptoms of hyperactivity than those who didn't. Hyperactive students often have trouble focusing and concentrating on simple tasks and affecting social relationships. Fatigue and cognition are another result of an unhealthy diet. Although this is a physical symptom it can manifest into academic performance problems. A study with rats showed this, one rat was given a healthy diet and another was given an unhealthy one and once they ate they were put into a maze. The rat with the unhealthy diet made more mistakes than the rat who ate healthy. This showed the cognitive difficulties caused by junk food. Other cognitive issues include inability or trouble with decision making, which the hippocampus is also responsible for. 

On the contrary to unhealthy food, healthy food has many positive effects. This contains energy level, the reduced chance of getting type 2 diabetes, heart health, stronger cartilage and teeth as well as weight management. Unlike the false energy given by unhealthy food, healthy food, when properly nourished with nutrients and fats can give energy and increase focus and concentration. It is also proven that people with a plant based diet or healthier diet have a 23% less of a chance in developing type 2 diabetes. This is because type 2 diabetes is caused by a high intake of fat, cholesterol and sugar. A good diet can also help reduce your risk of coronary heart disease which means you’ll stop gaining weight inevitably decreasing your risk of getting diabetes and high blood pressure. Calcium is a big factor in having strong bones and teeth. Since our body does not naturally produce this we have to absorb it in what we eat. When we don't have enough calcium it increases our risk of tooth decay, damage and osteoporosis. 

I believe we need to put more restrictions on school lunches in order to decrease the risk of developing health and mental problems in the future. Having an unhealthy diet can significantly affect a child's physical health/growth, mental health/growth as well as academic performance. As a society we must work on feeding our kids and students a better diet in order to benefit them later in life.