A recent study shows that more than fifty percent of elementary school students have the option of buying junk foods like ice cream, potato chips and other snacks while at school. Researchers implied that schools should heed health warnings and be encouraged to improve nutrition at school, both during lunches and between periods.
When children are presented with appealing sugary and salty snacks, they are more inclined to skip the healthier, more balanced meals for trips to the vending machines.
According to Lindsey Turner of the University of Illinois, elementary school is “really a crucial period where the preferences and behavioral habits are being developed.
“If kids are early on in that environment where that junk food is around, then it potentially becomes a habit that’s harder to break,” she said. She added that the recent findings are “disappointing.”