Why Vending Machines Should Be Banned From Schools Persuasive Essay

While schools may place blame on the vending machines for continuously providing students with unhealthy snack options, the greater issue lies within the meals provided by the cafeteria. Schools should offer healthier and more suitable lunch options for their students to improve their mental health, promote healthier diets, and to cater to students with dietary restrictions. 

One of the many reasons that students object to the lunch offerings are due to religious beliefs. Koshers, or people who prohibit the ingestions of particular foods due to their religion, often find themselves limited when choosing between the lunch options. For example, the Muslim population in the Bay Area is estimated to be over 250,000 people. As a result, the Muslim community accounts for 3.5 percent of the overall population of the Bay Area and therefore, has one of the biggest Muslim populations in the country.  When it comes to brunch or lunch, these people have very few options and on top of this, the meat products in the meals provided are not included on the menu. This puts Kosher students in danger of assuming that there is no meat in their food, which could lead to devastating consequences. 

Nutritious lunches are critical for student health because they provide students with the energy needed to learn and process information throughout the day. Receiving free or reduced-price school lunches has been shown to reduce food poverty, obesity rates, and bad health. Ayesha Mozum, a student at Glenbard West High School in Illinois says, “ I have noticed that there is always Pizza and fries. I believe that a menu like this is extremely unhealthy for us and puts us into a habit of eating it without realizing it's unhealthy because we are presented with these limited options”. Students are oblivious of the harm they are inflicting to their general health, according to Mozum, because they are served food that is out of balance. Since they are the ones who consume the food, the students should have the final say on what they eat.

Another health benefit that nutritious lunches provide is the  encouragement of the growth of "good" bacteria, which has a positive impact on neurotransmitter production. The brain receives clear, positive messages when neurotransmitter production is in good shape, which is reflected in emotions. Kids currently suffer from depression and anxiety as a result of school-related concerns, such as exams or important sporting events. Healthier school foods would almost certainly decrease tension among children. According to a study conducted by the John Hopkins School of Medicine, nutritious meals can involve areas of the brain that lower stress because the brain perceives tastier food as a reward.

All in all, the vending machine is not the problem, students should always have a choice on what they want to eat. Students would rather have tastier and more nutritious lunches than go to the vending machine for a treat. Lunch only comes once a day, so students use the vending machine to get a quick easy snack that they want to eat. But if schools want to rid the vending machine of unhealthy foods, they need to start at the root of the problem which would be the cafeteria.