The food we eat has a major impact on almost every aspect of our lives. Considering this, why do we tend to not care what’s on our plates? Apart from the food tasting good, most people don’t put much thought into how nutrition impacts their life in a tremendous way. Your overall health takes a major toll when you eat bad and as philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “The first wealth is health.” Without proper health you can’t enjoy life as long, and all the luxuries you may have obtained go out the window if you can’t live long enough to enjoy them. Not eating well can cause multiple diseases, and even alter brain chemistry. On that note, regardless of how healthy you think you may be, it could be time to properly inform yourself on what’s healthy and what’s not. 

Researchers have found substantial proof that eating too much fat, sugar, and salt are major contributors to some very serious diseases. If that’s not scary enough maybe the terms cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or stroke might pique your interest. According to an article by the National Institutes Of Health, “nearly half of all the deaths in the United States in 2012 that were caused by cardio metabolic diseases were associated with sub optimal eating habits.” That is an insane statistic, just think out of 10 people you know 5 of them will die of a disease related to their food consumption. One of those 5 could be you or a loved one. So if you didn’t understand the importance before now it’s staring you in the face. 

While the effects of unhealthy eating are bad on physical health and most everyone is already aware of that, not everyone is aware of how eating impacts the mind. Have you ever heard the term brain food? That is accurate. All that we eat influences our brain function in different ways. The brain, like all other organs of our body reacts negatively to foods lacking nutrition and consisting of all unhealthy things. Research even suggests that indulging in junk food can cause depression, anxiety, and memory problems. According to an article by the bayside, “Junk foods can hamper the signaling of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin (the happy hormones). This can lead to depression and other mental health disorders.” Most people eat junk food to feel that hit of dopamine right? So what’s even the point of it actually just makes you sad instead. 

A high school cafeteria is where most students get some form of daily nutrition. How does Hughson factor healthy eating into the food it serves? Does Hughson even consider healthy choices? Well according to the cafeteria worker, Denise “They are required to take a class on nutrition.” Francis also added, “We use fresh ingredients, fresh vegetables, and fruits in the breakfast and lunches.” So the consensus is that Hughson does take healthy eating into consideration. When asked about how Hughson could improve how they incorporate healthy eating into their menus, Crystal added, “Learning about different ethnic backgrounds and making foods from those ethnic backgrounds that incorporate more vegetables and other healthy foods.” Another good point that Crystal made was, “Everyone could learn and educate themselves better on nutrition.” Not every food that appears healthy is healthy and that’s definitely confusing so proper education on food is vital.