In today's culture, people judge food based on its convenience and taste. Processed and quick foods are quick, easy, and taste pretty good. Children, especially, appreciate fast food and packaged snacks. While this may seem like a good solution for this fast-paced society, it is actually a dangerous habit. 15% of children between the ages of six and nineteen are overweight and the number is growing (Back to School). Even if a child is not obese, he or she often does not eat healthily and is at risk of becoming overweight. Processed and preserved foods and fast food negatively impact the health and future lifestyle of elementary-aged children. First, let's consider the convenience factor. Processed and preserved foods are easy to obtain and stay fresh for long periods of time. However, these foods are unhealthy due to the refining process and additives. “Refining destroys and devitalizes most of the goodness of food” (Jordan 1). The Department of Health still allows food to be bleached, even if it has a toxic effect. Today there are different types of ready-to-eat foods. They share the same qualities, such as chemical additives, and lower nutritional value than real food. The level of chemicals they contain differentiates them. The first is processed food, which is real food enriched with chemicals and preservatives to keep it fresh longer. To achieve this, it is stripped of nutrients and pumped with additives that the body cannot digest efficiently (Jordan 1). The second type of convenience food is junk food. This contains very little real food and is made up of processed foods, fats, chemicals and preservatives. The chemicals in junk food are cheaper than real food, so it's cheaper to mass produce. T...... middle of paper .......org/articles/article_9824.cfm>.Ludwig, David and Suzanne Rostler. End the food fight. New York: HoughtonMifflin Company, 2007. “The 4 Most Harmful Ingredients in Packaged Foods.” Reader's Digest. February 1, 2012. .O'Dea, Kerin. “Are low-fat foods always a healthy choice?” ABC Health and Wellbeing. April 27, 2011. January 31, 2012. .Romm, Aviva Jill. Naturally healthy babies and children. California: Celestial Arts, 2003. Green, Tara. “Fast Food Nutrition Facts: Mystery Ingredients Are Industrial Chemicals.” Natural news. December 3, 2011. January 31, 2012. .Zinczenko, David and Matt Goulding. Eat this, not that! For children. New York: Rodale Inc., 2008.