Taxes on Junk Food

When people go out to eat or do their daily grocery shopping, they don't always make healthy choices in the food that they choose to buy. They're lured in by the price, packaging, and overall delicious appeal of that food. Things that make food unhealthy are extra amounts of sugar, sodium, and fat; excessive amounts of these ingredients can lead to obesity and other serious health problems. If people know this junk can kill them, why are they continuing to make awful decisions with their diets? Here's why; unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food. The answer to this is to apply a tax on junk food. Although unhealthy food is appealing and delicious, taxes should be implemented on them because with a higher price, people will less likely buy it, resulting in fewer health problems.

When you rummage through your refrigerator or cupboard, what do you look for? Is it a bag of chips, a fruity flavored yogurt, or some buttery popcorn? Whatever you choose, it impacts you. It affects the way you sleep, the energy you have, and your blood sugar. The inner debate of picking a chocolate bar and an apple will affect you in the long run. "Teenagers' diets should sustain growth and promote good health... This is also a time when teenagers begin to develop real independence from their parents, including making decisions about the food they eat... there are many opportunities to encourage healthy dietary habits in teenagers... Ensure there are plenty of healthy options available at home for healthy meals and snacks," states an article from the UK. Making healthier choices now when we are still growing can become easier if all unhealthy foods were more expensive. Most teenagers in high school don't have unlimited funds; they rely on their parents income to pay for all their "necessities." Therefore, wherever they can save some money to buy more important things, the assumption is that they'd jump on that offer. If the opportunity of cheaper, normal, healthier food is given with unhealthier food being more expensive, I have faith in this generation that they'd preserve their money and buy the healthier option, protecting their bodies from harmful ingredients. Thus, having a tax on junk food can potentially protect future generations and start the current one on a path of healthier diets.

While some may feel taxes on unhealthy food is a sure-fire way to lower health risks, others aren't quite on board. They believe it is no one's business but their own on what they eat. Less government intervention is best; they are wrecking the country that was founded on independence. The freedom to eat a piece of chocolate cake might not sound quite as thrilling as freedom of speech or religion, but the ability to choose how to live our lives is the ultimate independence. What someone eats is no one's business but their own. If people need to be healthier, it's up to them, not the government.

Although that is a very valid point, willingly choosing to continue this lifestyle, exposing themselves towards higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and death, is not the smartest choice. If a tax was implemented, the many problems revolving around junk food would decrease drastically because people would choose the now cheaper, healthier food. One problematic issue that would be fixed is that junk food tends to replace other, more nutritious foods, causing multiple health risks. When people drink lots of soda, for example, they are usually not drinking plenty of water, low-fat dairy items or other healthy beverages like green tea and orange juice. While they're snacking on candy and chips, they're also not filling up on fruits and vegetables. Already