Giving Kids Candy Is Anything But Sweet Essay

Children are attracted to sweets as much as ants are attracted to them. They prefer to eat chocolates, candies, or ice creams than healthy sandwiches or snacks. This is the reason why majority of the companies target their products to young children. They know children simply cannot resist sweets. The author in the article states that it has become very hard for him to limit his kid’s access to candies and other sweets because everybody else is doing the exact opposite of what he is doing. People see sweets as something to give to children as a reward when they do something good. They do not see the unhealthy effect it brings to children’s way of thinking and health, as the article also suggests. It is not very hard to find candies and other kinds of sweet foods. Groceries, convenience stores, and even the dentist’s offices have them in varieties. Any parent who wants their children to have a healthy eating lifestyle might as well forget about doing this because it seems impossible with all the sources that kids can easily get their sweets from. The media also does not help because of the commercials and advertising of these unhealthy food products. This makes it even harder for parents to get their child to eat better and healthier foods. Fruits and vegetables are definitely out of the question, which threatens the health of these young children and brings the discussion to the second idea of the article. Kids nowadays are very much up to date when it comes to technology. They spend countless of hours in front of the Internet to play games, chat with their friends, and check their emails and personal webpages. They are also addicted to video games because they find them fun with or without playing with their friends. Watching television is also one of the things that young people spend their time on. Because of these things, they have become accustomed to an inactive lifestyle. The author states that â€Å"there are many bigger issues facing our world today than candy consumption† but what he is concerned about is the health of these young children (Beasley, 2005). I agree that this kind of lifestyle and the promotion of the public that eating sweets is okay are not helping teach children that being healthy is important. The sedentary lifestyle they have developed and the availability of sweet foods everywhere can lead to serious conditions including obesity, hypertension, or diabetes. These kids do not take health issues seriously because they feel that they are â€Å"too young† to develop them. It is never too early to be concerned about one’s health. Parents need to stand their ground with regard to their children’s health no matter what the media says or how available are the resources for sweet food products. They also need to take time and educate their kids the dangers of getting used to a sedentary lifestyle, as well as the different diseases that can be developed from inactivity and unhealthy eating habits. The public also has to do their part and realize that what they are promoting such as giving candies as a reward or a making kids believe that they can never have too much candy are not helping the parents who want the best for their children. Reference Beasley, D. (2005, April 18). Giving Kids Candy Is Anything But Sweet. Newsweek.