1st Place, Environmental, Health or Science
2023-24, Division 4, News Writing
By Kaitlyn Oversmith
Uncaged
Stockbridge HS
The dangers of food dyes
Dozens of bags of toxic Doritos chips line the shelves, hundreds of bottles of harmful Mountain Dew fill the coolers and thousands of packages of chemical-loaded Gushers pack the snack racks. When you go to grab a simple bag of food or a thirst-quenching drink, are you looking at what you’re actually consuming?
It’s not just bags of Doritos, bottles of Mountain Dew, or Gushers that cause 93 percent of American children to gain unhealthy eating habits, as stated by the National Institute of Health. Consuming these unhealthy foods leaves children and adults alike feeling odd and weak.
A student member of the local gym, Keagan Porter, feels the effects of what bad eating can do to him and the body.
“[Eating Pop-Tarts] leaves me feeling weak and sick after I eat it and even worse if I eat it before workouts,” Porter said.
Pop-Tarts in particular, specifically the strawberry variant, contain not only Red 40 but also other unnatural dyes like Yellow 6 and Blue 1. These dyes have had studies that link them to cancerous ingredients such as benzene.
Junk food leaves people feeling physically unwell, but it also leaves people feeling emotionally unwell. For many people, the feeling of eating junk food is initially good, but quickly falls and leaves them depressed and drained.
“[Eating chips and soda] feels good initially because of the flavor, but after a little bit it makes me feel depressed,” Spencer Smiatacz said, who is another student member of the local gym. Part of this depression could be caused by artificial sweeteners which have been linked in the past to an increased risk of depression, according to Cleveland Clinic.
On the flip side, cutting processed foods and artificial ingredients can help with weight loss in addition to feeling healthier. Ingredients such as artificial flavors, sweeteners and colors can be devastating to a person’s weight.
Meleeah Hall, a loc al student of natur opathic practices, is putting into pr actice what she learns. A naturopath is a doctor who spe cializes in natural medicine, typically in the form of herbs and massage therapy. They study for ye ars to perfect their craft and attempt to move a way from chemicals and harmful ingredients in found in food.
“I’ve been on my detox for about a month now, and since cutting those ingredients from my diet, I’ve lost ten pounds,” Hall said.
Going organic: Better for you, bad for our bank?
Prices are rising and health is declining in America. Although those two facts may not seem correlated, according to Tammy Gardner, a Certified Independent Health Coach, they have just about everything to do with each other. In today’s world, fresh food costs nearly double what processed foods do.
“The price difference between healthier, clean eating choices and processed pre-boxed foods felt significant,” Gardner said. “It was very daunting when I first began my health journey and made it difficult for me to stick to it at the start.”
One significant difference in price is processed lunch meats versus fresh meats. In America, lunch meats cost $6.39 on average, whereas fresh meats cost about $11.62 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These heftier prices not only make it more difficult for most people to afford healthier foods but also make it harder to stick to a healthy diet in the long run.
“I believe the price of healthy eating for families is absolutely the reason people cannot commit to their health,” Gardner said. “Even prepackaged foods have become more expensive within the last year so the struggle for most families just to provide meals has become difficult.”
The inflated prices for healthy foods are the reason why people are following a poor diet, as stated by the World Bank.
However, while this may be the case, people have found how to manage these prices anyway. When shopping at the grocery store, a few tips to save money are to buy products that are in season, cut back on some increased costs by using farmer’s markets and buy local or grow your own food.
Cross Country coach Lissa Avis says she handles the excessive prices by looking for sales and storing up on nonperishables and freezer items. So, while these hefty prices may seem impassable, there are ways around them.
Maintaining a healthy diet is a key factor to living a good, long life, says Harvard Health. Without one you’re exposed to many harmful risks. For example, a poor diet can lead to weight gain, obesity and other chronic conditions that put people at higher risk of at least 13 types of cancer according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gardner mentioned how her life has improved since dedicating herself to eating healthier. She’s no longer sluggish, drained, or in constant joint pain, and has a clearer thought process than she has had in years.
Her skin has cle ared up, her eyes se em brighter, her hair feels less dry and brittle and her blood tests look g ood for the first time in a while.
“What you put in your body is what you can expect to get out of it,” football, wrestling, soccer and track Coach Ben Kruse said. “You put in nutritional food, you’re going to be energized and healthier in general. However, you put in junk food, and the opposite happens.”
With a similar mindset as Kruse, Avis reminds students that being mindful of what you eat is very important for athletes in particular to keep in mind. Eating healthy and hydrating play a big part in sports, Avis says, and athletes need to get to know just the right foods to eat that will help, and not hinder, their performances.
It seems Avis’s teachings have rubbed off on her athletes.
“I try to eat healthy because it’s been shown in studies that it’s better to back away from sweets and it’ll help you run better,” freshman Cross Country state qualifier Emily Satkowiak said. “And I think that it plays a part in my success as a runner.”
Satkowiak isn’t the only one who feels this way. Her fellow Cross Country athletes, Juniors Ava Vaccaro and Finn Coffman, have similar thoughts.
“In general, I do eat pretty healthy,” Vaccaro said. “And I would definitely say that helps me on my runs.”
While not as adamant as Vaccaro, Coffman still agrees.
“Obviously, I’m not going to eat something like McDonald’s before a run,” Coffman said. “You know, like, the grease from the food would probably make me feel sick and cause me to perform poorly.”
As it turns out, athlete or not, paying these higher prices in exchange for good health seems to be a worthwhile trade.
“Eating healthier absolutely improved my life in many ways,” Gardner said. “And it’s because of that that I would say the increased price to eat healthier is worth it for the benefits you get for your overall health.”
Taking too much during the season of giving
Feasts are an integral aspect of the holidays. Families gather around a crowded table with dishes spread on every inch. Laughter rings through the air; adults and children alike have smiles plastered on warm faces. By the end of the night, not one person is hungry, and leftovers often crowd the counters.
Food can bring whole communities together, but the increase in food consumption during these cheery times has created excess waste that is also tearing the world apart.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that the average U.S. household generates an increase of 25 percent in food waste during the holiday season. As agricultural communities strive to produce enough food to meet this increase, it creates unnecessary land, water and energy usage while also polluting the environment from all the pesticides and fertilizers used.
To prevent this environmental harm, households need to consume mindfully to reduce food waste and slow down the intense food demands during the holiday season.
Katie Krejci, a registered dietitian focused on homesteading and living self-sufficiently, prioritizes mindful consumption during holiday celebrations to reduce her and her family’s waste.
“I try to be mindful of how much food I’m preparing and if there are any leftovers, I freeze or freeze-dry them to be consumed at a later time,” Krejci said.
Local efforts are also being put in place to reduce food waste. Erin Smith, the lead organizer of the free Stockbridge Thanksgiving Dinner, serves 400-500 meals yearly. She has found creative ways to ensure that those in need can stay satiated during this season of giving.
“Every year, leftover food is taken to the Interfaith Shelter in Jackson and donated to the homeless,” Smith said.
Stockbridge senior Amber Knoll and her family have taken a simpler approach that almost all households can integrate into their routine to reduce food waste while also giving back to the environment.
“All of our food scraps go into our compost bin to reduce the amount that we throw away,” Knoll said.
So as the holiday season swiftly arrives, food waste will be at an all-time high. By integrating new practices to reduce this extreme waste, the season of giving can kick off with a present to none other than the environment itself.
NW-17. Environmental, Health or Science
This story will focus on an environmental, health or science topic. It can be a straight news story or an investigative piece.
Judging Criteria
- Topic relevant to the school or students and covers health, science or environmental story that is informative
- Sharp, attention-getting lead grabs reader and arouses curiosity
- Shows thorough reporting skills through research and interviewing
- Effective use of facts/quotes from both primary and secondary sources
- Balanced, fair and sensitive presentation
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Proper diction/grammar; use of third person