argumentative essay junk food

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Essay on Junk Food: Samples in 150, 250 Words

Updated on
Oct 5, 2023

Food is the main source of energy. It is important to consume healthy food. Any food product that contains a high percentage of saturated fats or trans fats is referred to as Junk food. The term junk itself indicates that it is harmful to our health. To lead a healthy lifestyle it is important to avoid the overconsumption of junk food. However, junk food has gained popularity because we consume it on a regular basis. Here we have provided an essay on junk food for children and school-going students. It will provide a general overview of how to draft an essay on junk food. Continue reading!

Essay on Junk Food in 150 Words

Junk food has become a prevalent component of the modern diet. It is not only attracting the young generation but is also getting induced in their daily diet. Habitual consumption of junk food causes serious health issues because it is high in calorie content. Processed food with high content of saturated and trans fats, or high sugar content comes under this category.

Street food places and the majority of food chains and restaurants are serving food in high quantities, thereby reducing the consumption of healthier options. People are now prioritizing taste and neglecting the culinary diversity of traditional food.

Another aspect of the over-consumption of junk food is ordering food on a daily basis due to a busy schedule. Besides that, munching on snacks to satisfy hunger is another bad habit that leads to health issues. Such food products lack nutritional components such as dietary fibres, protein, vitamins, iron, etc.

To conclude, health is an important part of life so, it is important to take care of healthy food habits and avoid the excess consumption of unhealthy or junk food.

Also Read: Tips for cooking while studying abroad

Essay on Junk Food in 250 Words

Junk food refers to the unhealthy food. Consumption of junk food such as pizzas, burgers, fried items, pastries, etc. has alarming consequences. Its effect is witnessed as the global obesity epidemic because the masses are more inclined towards eating junk food.

Impact of Consuming Junk Food

Food high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats contributes to weight gain. It will ultimately cause obesity. Obesity is the key source of other diseases that are difficult to cure. Some of the chronic diseases that occur due to the consumption of junk food are high risk of heart failure, GIT disorders, hypertension, diabetes, etc. So, it is crucial to eliminate or reduce the consumption of unhealthy food and replace it with nutritional food.

Affordability

Another factor that contributes a lot in favour of a high intake of junk food is its affordability. Junk food is more accessible as it is available on the streets at a cheaper price. The price factor affects people who cannot afford healthier options. Thus, people tend to consume junk food that is comparatively more affordable and accessible.

Taste over Nutritional Value

Nowadays, people are more inclined towards enjoying the taste of food. It’s obvious that crispy and spicy food will attract you more as compared to salads and pulses i.e. much healthier options with high nutritional values. Consuming junk food on a regular basis has become common for many, and this has led to homogeneity in their diets. So, it’s important to choose the healthy option over a tastier option to minimize the negative health impact due to junk food.

In conclusion, having junk food occasionally is acceptable when you visit any party or celebrate any occasion. However, its regular consumption will disturb your dietary habits and also hamper your health for the long term.

Also Read: Taking Care of Mental Health while Studying Abroad

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Junk Food Should Be Banned in Schools

Junk Food Essay Abstract

Nowadays, the trend of eating junk food is catching up with every teenager. Most teenagers love junk food because it is quickly cooked and delicious. Basically, junk food is sold in grocery stores or restaurants with precooked or preheated ingredients. Recent studies indicate that teenagers are consuming junk food at an alarming rate. Therefore, most junk food advertising is primarily focused on teenagers. However, many teenagers are not aware of the health effects of consuming junk food. The food in the picture is a good example of junk food. Such food looks nice, it tastes well, but is disastrous.

Junk Food Essay Introduction

Despite the consumption of junk food is popular, most of the teenagers know totally nothing regarding the health effects associated with the consumption of junk food. In most cases, they have trouble resisting the urge to taste the food when the shelves of grocery stores, commercials, and fast-food restaurants are overfilled with treats. Hence, it is important for a junk food essay to demonstrate the effects of eating junk food among teenagers.

This junk food essay will also look at ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers. One possible way is to reduce the availability of junk food is informing about its effects at schools. It would be very beneficial if the consumption of junk food among teenagers would reduce at school because, typically, students spend most of their time there, interacting with their peers. It is through this interaction that they are swayed by their peers to eat junk food. And schools’ dining places usually have plenty of junk food for sale. During class breaks, teenagers swarm into dining halls to buy snacks or purchase them from vending machines. There are other possible ways to reduce the harms, such as schools offering nutrition class and grocery stores selling teenagers modified “junk food.”

The topic of junk food is very controversial. It elicits debate whenever it is mentioned. The argument against junk food gets most backing from health experts. This is primarily because they have conducted extensive research on the effects of junk food on teenagers; hence, they are justified in opposing the consumption of junk food. Additionally, parents have begun to realize the harms of teenagers’ eating habits; however, they do not have a good method to keep teenagers away from junk food. On the other hand, teenagers love eating junk food and they are largely affected by what their peers’ are doing. Even the images of fat people do not discourage them from eating junk food either at school, at home or at a restaurant.

The issue of junk food is thought-provoking and exciting because the majority of American teenagers consume junk food on a daily basis and seems to be not concerned with the negative health effects (Spurlock 195). Most of the diseases including heart attacks, high blood pressure, cancers, diabetes, and obesity have been closely associated with the consumption of junk food. Out of all these diseases, obesity takes a central role when it comes to the harmful effects of eating junk food among teenagers. Moreover, many teenagers eat junk food, oblivious to its harmful effects.

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Many high school students gained massive weight in a short time when they were teenagers. For example, Nibin is a close friend of mine who gained nearly 20 pounds in a span of four weeks when we were still in elementary school. He used to eat pizza and hot dogs after school. He gained that much weight because he ate a lot of junk food, which is against the recommendations of medical experts. Other kids called him “Junk Food Dude” just as the boy in the book “The Adventures of Junk Food Dude.” Undoubtedly, experience with Nibin enabled us to see the devastating health effects associated with the consumption of junk food. The below image clearly demonstrates the effect of the consumption of junk food on teenagers.

Research Objectives

To establish the harmful effects of junk food consumption to teenagers’ life;
To determine ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers.

Research Questions

What is the effect of junk food consumption on teenagers’ life?
What are the ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers?

Significance of the Study

There is a huge variety of junk food available in the United States, which makes the issue severe than any other country. What is most important to note is that teenagers take having junk food every day as an eating habit. These junk foods may lead to diseases and health problems. Disturbingly, not many teenagers are aware of the health effects of eating junk food. The information obtained through this study will facilitate the determination of ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers. More so, further research can be conducted from the information obtained.

Purpose of the Junk Food Essay

Junk food is a key issue since its consumption negatively affects teenagers in that they might become obese or suffer from heart-related diseases. Many countries look upon the United States; therefore, it would be prudent for it to take a bold step in educating the teenagers on the dangers of consuming large amounts of junk food. For this reason, it is important to conduct a study on the consumption of junk food among teenagers. Ultimately, the purpose of this junk food essay is to determine ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers.

The results will be presented to parents to persuade them to comprehend the effects and convince that their children were exposing themselves to those negative effects while eating huge amounts of junk food. Some of the parents might not be cognizant of the harmful effects of eating junk food. Therefore, by interacting with them, they will realize the effects of junk food. Hence, they can take measures to ensure that their children do not consume junk food.

Furthermore, the results will be presented to the administrators of schools to the administrative office and hope the report can catch their attention. Through the report, schools would be made aware of the health dangers students were exposing themselves to by consuming junk food and schools’ responsibility of taking care of students’ health, as well as their study. Furthermore, schools will be presented with suggested ways of reducing the harms of junk food to teenagers. If they implement these suggestions, the health hazards associated with junk food will be a gone case in a few months.

Lastly, the results will be presented to junk food companies. Many junk food companies target kids as their future customers, and if they can build brand loyalty now, they will have a customer for life. People have been increasing their attention to living a healthy life. Once a company invents a healthy substitute for junk food, other junk food companies will easily lose the competition. Therefore, it is significant to make the companies aware that producing healthy food is beneficial for teenagers and also the long-term growth of the company.

The fast-food effect is a great concern affecting people around the world. A lot of individuals and companies have created campaigns to notify and educate people. All of them have the same aim - to prevent the consequences of fast food. Since fast food consumption impacts caused campaigns in mass media, communities and schools have been forced to reach various discourse organizations and the genre of these campaigns covers various information.

Nowadays, the United States has the biggest fast food industry than any other country in the world. It also adds to the problem that teens see advertisements with tasty junk food everywhere, they are tempted to try it and think they become cool consuming it. However, an average meal at a fast-food joint has about 1000 to 1500 calories. That is half of the daily calorie intake of a teenager. Teenagers often overeat because of the large portions served. Teens with extra weight are less likely to take part in sports and more likely to transform into couch potatoes. They are at risk of becoming fat, and it has both psychological and health dangers. Overweight teens have to live with teasing at school. This can affect their development and cause low self-esteem. Eating poorly can lead to a vicious cycle of eating more than required, low self-esteem, anti-social behavior, fatigue, and even depression.

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If they are overweight in adulthood, they can be prone to overweight related diseases, like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart problems, and gout. Frequent consumption of junk food makes teens face the risk of developing insulin resistance. Junk food has no nutrition value and makes such harm to the teenage body as overweight, chronic degenerative diseases, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, heart diseases, affection of the oxygen flow to the brain cells and others. It also causes a constant feeling of hunger, fatigue, and tiredness. Teen over-weight usually leads to consequences like depression which has a negative influence on the development and growth, social relationships, performance in school and can sometimes lead to suicide.

The harmful effect and consequences of eating fast food were not clear at the beginning. With time, campaigns have been promoted to make the community aware of these consequences and make people develop a healthier diet. Contrary to it, fast food joints use various forms of marketing to promote their products. Advertising on television, radio, restaurants, websites, and signs as well as social media are all creating advertisements to affect the community about fast food. However, there are a lot of campaigns that try to avert the dangers of consuming junk food. The purpose of such campaigns is to improve knowledge about the dangerous consequences of both direct and long term health diseases because of eating at fast-food restaurants. They provide statistics, reports, nutrition facts, information about growing overweight problems in the United States. These campaigns generally express knowledge to younger adults about the influence of nutrition and healthy lifestyles by concentrating on the hazardous effects of junk food.

Junk Food Essay Conclusion

The teen years are the time of quick physical and emotional development. The food nutrients are the fuel for this growth, and a nutritious diet is important for good health when you are a teenager. Junk food contains items like sweets, chips, and soda that are high in calories and fat but nutritionally low. Understanding the junk food effect on teens' growth helps to stress the importance of a healthy diet.

Junk food seems to be appealing because of its price, taste, and convenience. Children do not usually understand the consequences of this kind of food because it is so appetizing and they easily become addicted (Fleck). Of course, teenagers can sometimes have a burger or pizza, about once a week. But they should be prompted to this kind of food in smaller portions. Adults have to let them know about other food options and the bad effects of junk food. Once they are aware of what they eat, they may go for healthier food. Parents can only tell them more about what they eat. The idea is to attach eating habits from the very beginning but avoid overdoing it. It is good to keep a combination of both healthy and not healthy snacks at home. Sometimes, teenagers should be allowed to have a soda. The harder they are pushed on, the more they resist. So, it is necessary to find the balance - not too hard, not too lenient.

The greatest problem is that junk food is easy to reach, delicious and not too expensive. It is also has a lot of fat and refined starch, and almost no fiber and is highly processed. Teens eat burgers, French fries, pizzas with soda that contains lots of calories. Fast food restaurants are also great places to have fun with friends.

In order to avert the global problem, all possible informative means should be used to make teenagers realize the harmful effects of junk food. It is not necessary to avoid eating it, but it is of vital importance to avoid the habit of eating such food. The conclusion is that young individuals must eat less of the calorie-dense, nutrient-poor meals served at fast-food joints. Schools and parents can do a lot to make children aware of healthy choices. First of all, fast food joints must strongly change their current marketing practices, that teenagers and children do not receive ongoing encouragement to look for food that will greatly damage their health. Additionally, when young individuals visit, the joints should do more to help them make more healthy choices.

Junk Food Essay Summary

The traditional eating habits of American teenagers are not healthy, mostly because they eat too much junk food. However, sufficient efforts have not been put in place to educate teenagers on the harmful effects of consuming junk food. The number of obese teenagers keeps on increasing at an alarming rate. Also, the number of health-related cases caused by the intake of junk food keeps on increasing every day. Evidently, this shows that most teenagers are either not aware of the harmful effects of junk food or are just ignorant of the consequences. The extensive research needs to be conducted in this area to provide schools, parents, and teenagers themselves with adequate information on the extent of the effect of junk food consumption. Ultimately, such research would yield suggestions on how people can work together to reduce the harms of junk food to teenagers.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Junk Food — Harmful Effects of Junk Food for Health and Well-being

Harmful Effects of Junk Food for Health and Well-being

Categories: Fast Food Junk Food

About this sample

Words: 609 |

Published: Sep 5, 2023

Words: 609 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

1. adverse effects on physical health, 2. impact on mental well-being, 3. long-term implications for quality of life, 4. impact on environmental sustainability, conclusion: making healthier choices.

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Junk Food Essay

Essay on Junk Food For Students

Any form of food items that have a high level of calorie content and saturated fats are referred to as junk food. They are unhealthy foods and have low nutritional value for our bodies. Most of the restaurant foods and fast foods are highly processed and are often regarded as junk. It has gained popularity among the young generations who consume it on a regular basis.

Here, we have provided a long essay and a short paragraph on junk food discussing the harmful effects of consuming junk food and how we can deal with it. The two junk food essays provided by us will thus help the students to be familiar with the topic and get key ideas for writing their own essay during their exam preparation.

Such essays are usually asked in exams. Here we have provided a sample of a long and short essay each on the topic along with its conclusion. This provides the students with an idea about how to form perfect essays on any given topic. The information mentioned in these essays will also be useful for students to think about.

Long Essay on Junk Food

This 500 words junk food essay has been provided as a reference for the students to jot down their own essay for exams. This has been written addressing the students of all age groups in a simple language.

With the growing chains of fast-food restaurants and street foods, the young generation today has become more addicted to eating outside and are dependent on these junk foods. This has become a new trend in modern culture. Also, the marketing of various food brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s and McDonald’s have attracted more youngsters to go and consume such food items. Although these items taste good but are not at all considered healthy for our bodies. With their higher level of proteins, sugar and saturated fats, they tend to increase the cholesterol level in our body. They do not contribute to providing nutritional values required for the immune system and lack essential vitamins and minerals.

Due to the busy day-to-day life, we often prefer ordering food from outside or munching on some snacks to satisfy our hunger. As a result, this has increased our addiction to eating junk every day. We often enjoy eating food that satisfies our taste buds and is less time-consuming. Since these junk foods are easily found nowadays with just a click on our phone, we tend to eat more of them. But we should keep in mind that these create a harmful impact on our body later and give rise to several health problems.

As per reports, the increase in the number of obesity cases has resulted due to the regular consumption of junk food items. Some of the severe health issues include cardiovascular diseases, a higher risk of obesity, PCOD/PCOS in females and several other chronic diseases which have a greater impact on our body and mental health.

Some of the commonly eaten junk foods include pizzas, burgers, deep-fries, food items made of processed cheese and high protein meat. Even some of the breakfast items and cereals tend to contain high amounts of sugar content.

Since the risk of obesity and heart disease has become a major concern today, we should avoid the consumption of junk foods and sugary items. Replacing highly processed food items with a bowl of green salads and fruits can reduce the risk of high cholesterol in our bodies. Although we can consume junk food on some occasions, it must be followed by some physical activity to burn the calories consumed.

To conclude, the health of an individual is an important part of their life and must be taken care of. It is, therefore, essential to make a habit of healthy eating instead of relying on these highly processed junk foods. This junk food essay in English is thus provided as a reference for the students to give them an idea about the harmful effects of junk foods.

Short Essay on Junk Food in English for Students

This short paragraph on junk food is provided for the students to be familiar with the health risks of consuming junk foods. This short essay will provide all the key information on this topic to help the students prepare for their examination.

Any food item which contains a higher level of saturated fats, sugars and proteins which can increase our cholesterol level is regarded as junk food. These can either be highly processed meat, a pizza or a burger and can even be breakfast cereals that have high sugar content. These junk foods tend to satisfy our taste buds but leave a harmful effect on our bodies in the long run. Regular consumption of junk foods has resulted in several health issues such as a higher risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, liver problems and other chronic health diseases.

Consumption of junk foods has become more common these days due to their easy availability in the market. All the fast-food chains and food brands tend to promote the consumption of these foods and as such people get more attracted towards them. Most of the time, we often order food from outside and many snacks while studying/working, and thus we end up consuming it regularly. These junk foods are unhealthy and reduce our immunity as they do not contain any nutritional elements or vitamins. Before these junks take a high toll on our health, we should cut down the consumption of this highly processed food and switch to healthier food options. Parents are also advised to teach their children to develop a habit of healthy eating and try some healthy alternatives for junk food. A habit of regular consumption of fruits and green vegetables must be inculcated in the children.

To conclude, regular consumption of fruits and vegetables will help us maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is advisable to avoid regular consumption of junk foods as they do not add any nutritional value to our body and thus, makes us inactive.

Few Pointers to Keep in Mind While Writing Essays

Carefully understand the topic that you are going to write the essay on. Analyze how much information you already have on the topic and how much more research needs to be done.

After understanding the topic, work on defining your argument. Carefully lay out the important points and think about how you are going to present them.

A good essay must have a good introduction, informative and touching content, and a strong conclusion. An eye-catching and captivating title is also a must.

Make sure that you write clearly and stick to the topic.

You must also analyze your audience and write accordingly. If you are writing the essay for your school, ensure that all the guidelines explained by your teacher are met.

Make sure that you do not include unnecessary technical jargon if you are writing for a simple audience.

Your conclusion should sum up your arguments and also send the message that you want to convey clearly.

Recheck your essay for any grammatical errors.

Think about where you can make your words more eloquent and effective.

Have a rough draft in mind before jumping on writing. This ensures that your essay is organized coherently and is not all over the place.

If you are writing the essay in a live exam, make sure you keep the word count in mind. Have some general guidelines prepared before appearing for the exam.

FAQs on Junk Food Essay

1. Is Consumption of Junk Food in a Smaller Amount Harmful?

No, consumption of a very small amount of junk food on rare occasions doesn’t cause any harm. But after consumption, one must continue eating healthy food and perform some sort of physical exercise to burn the amount of high calorie that is being consumed. One must incorporate a healthy lifestyle. In addition to eating healthy and nutritious food, one must avoid a sedentary lifestyle and stay physically active. With such a healthy lifestyle, eating small amounts of junk food can be enjoyable and harmless.

2. Why are Breakfast Cereals Considered Under Junk Foods?

Most of the cereals that we consume for breakfast have high sugar content in them which is not good for our health. Also, most of them are produced from refined wheat and refined sugars which add up the cholesterol and diabetes level in our body. Thus, they are regarded as junk foods. Also, they are more dangerous because people usually eat them thinking that they are healthier alternatives to other breakfast items and thus end up eating them more.

3. How can one make better food choices?

There are several things that we can do to adopt a healthy overall lifestyle and also make better food choices. Here are a few of them:

Always check labels before buying prepackaged items. Avoid items that are high in sugar and trans fats.

Avoid eating outside regularly.

Prepare fresh home-cooked meals every day.

Include foods rich in fiber like fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.

Maintain a well-balanced diet.

Avoid buying prepackaged items that claim to be healthier alternatives.

Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Get healthy snacks like peanuts, dates, makhanas etc to munch on when hungry.

4. Why do students end up eating more junk food than any other age group?

Students of today live very hectic and stressful lives. This is true in particular for students who are driven and aim to have a competitive edge. With the extensive syllabus and tight schedules, care is rarely taken to eat healthily. Students, therefore, end up going on long hours without eating anything and then end up munching on unhealthy junk food as a quick reprieve. Social media and exposure to various global food chains is another reason why students end up eating more junk food than others.

5. What are some components of writing a good essay?

A good essay has a captivating heading and an introduction that draws the reader to read the entire essay with interest. The body of the essay is also extremely important. It should be such that it conveys the message to the reader without including unnecessary technical details. If you are writing for the exam, then the word count should be kept in mind while writing the essay. Vedantu provides several sample essays on its website to help the students. In addition, students can refer to Essay Writing tips by Vedantu's experts to further excel in writing essays.

Essay on Say No to Junk Food

Students are often asked to write an essay on Say No to Junk Food in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Say No to Junk Food

Understanding junk food.

Junk food refers to food that has little nutritional value. It often includes fast food, sweets, and sugary drinks.

Why Say No to Junk Food?

Junk food can lead to health problems like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. It’s high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and salts.

Healthy Alternatives

Instead of junk food, choose fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. These foods are packed with nutrients and keep you healthy.

Saying no to junk food can be tough, but it’s crucial for your health. Choose wisely and stay healthy!

250 Words Essay on Say No to Junk Food

Introduction.

Junk food, the term coined for food that is high in calories and low in nutritional content, has become a significant part of our daily lives. Despite its convenience and taste, it poses severe health risks, which necessitates a collective movement towards saying “No” to junk food.

The Allure of Junk Food

Junk food’s appeal lies in its immediate gratification. It is quick, cheap, and delicious. The high sugar, salt, and fat content stimulate our brain’s reward system, making it addictive. However, this immediate pleasure comes at a high cost.

The Hidden Costs of Junk Food

The regular consumption of junk food leads to obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. It also impacts mental health, causing depression and anxiety. Moreover, it contributes to poor academic performance as it lacks the essential nutrients needed for brain development and function.

Steps Towards a Healthier Lifestyle

Saying “No” to junk food is not about adopting a restrictive diet but about making healthier choices. It’s about replacing processed food with whole, nutritious food that nourishes our bodies and minds. It’s about understanding the long-term effects of our dietary choices and making a conscious effort to choose health over convenience.

In conclusion, saying “No” to junk food is a commitment to our health and well-being. It’s about prioritizing our long-term health over short-term gratification. It’s a journey of discovering the joy of eating right and living a healthy, fulfilling life. As educated individuals, it’s our responsibility to make informed decisions about our diet and inspire others to do the same.

500 Words Essay on Say No to Junk Food

The ubiquity of junk food, the detrimental effects of junk food.

Junk food, characterized by high levels of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, contributes to numerous health problems. Regular consumption can lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other serious conditions. These non-communicable diseases are currently responsible for a significant proportion of premature deaths worldwide, with junk food being a major contributing factor.

The appeal of junk food is not solely based on its taste. It’s a product of our environment and lifestyle. The convenience of fast-food restaurants, the aggressive marketing of unhealthy food products, and the stress of modern life all contribute to the ubiquity of junk food. Our brains are hardwired to seek out high-calorie foods as a survival instinct, a trait that is exploited by the junk food industry.

The Role of Education and Awareness

Practical steps to say no to junk food.

One effective strategy is to replace junk food with healthier alternatives. Instead of reaching for a bag of chips, consider snacking on nuts or fruits. Cooking meals at home allows for control over the ingredients and portion sizes. It’s also crucial to be mindful of emotional eating, as stress and boredom can often lead to unhealthy food choices.

Policy Interventions and Regulations

On a broader scale, policy interventions can play a significant role in reducing junk food consumption. Implementing taxes on unhealthy food, restricting advertising of junk food, especially to children, and mandating clear nutritional labelling are some measures that have proven effective in various countries.

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Argumentative Essay about Junk Food

It is vital to remove junk foods from primary and secondary school cafeterias and vending machines. This action has several negative consequences: it adversely affects the academic performance of children, promotes unhealthy eating habits, and raises the likelihood of future health issues that can harm future generations.

Isn’t it crucial to teach students about the importance of adopting healthy eating habits and a healthy lifestyle? In our modern society, fast food restaurants are everywhere, and we are constantly tempted by unhealthy snacks found in convenience stores, supermarkets, and vending machines. While these affordable meals may satisfy our cravings, do they genuinely contribute to our overall health? Additionally, children are exposed to non-nutritious items within their school surroundings. Therefore, schools must prioritize promoting and offering only nutritious food options.

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Eliminating junk foods from elementary and high school cafeterias and vending machines is essential for maintaining optimal performance. These unhealthy foods have a negative impact on children’s academic achievements, encourage poor eating habits, and increase the likelihood of diseases that can harm future generations. It is important to provide nourishing fuel in the form of nutritious food to support the body’s needs.

Research conducted at the University of Michigan has found that unhealthy foods and drinks sold at school are negatively impacting students’ academic performance. Middle school children who do not meet their daily nutritional requirements tend to have lower scores in math, memory, vocabulary, and visual skills. They also have a higher chance of repeating a grade compared to peers who consume healthy meals. Furthermore, over 75% of junior and senior high school teenagers regularly use vending machines that provide nutritionally deficient products.

Research suggests that students must maintain concentration and focus in order to attain satisfactory academic performance. Moreover, studies indicate that poor eating habits can negatively impact concentration and impede cognitive function. Consequently, parents prioritize their children’s educational success and advocate for schools to provide nutritious meals rather than compromising grades due to inadequate nutrients. In conclusion, achieving excellent grades takes precedence over temporarily indulging in unhealthy snacks!

Additionally, the continuous availability of unhealthy food choices at schools can greatly worsen a person’s unhealthy eating patterns. A study conducted from 1998 to 2007 monitored numerous children throughout the United States from kindergarten to eighth grade. The study found that 79% of students relied on school cafeterias and vending machines for their meals and snacks. Furthermore, it was discovered that during their time at school, 85% of these students increased their intake of non-nutritious foods by 48%. This increase was largely attributed to the convenient access provided by cafeteria services and snack machines.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that school lunches typically contain processed and refined foods with high amounts of sugar, fats, and calories. The majority (90%) of school lunch programs fail to meet the nutritional standards set by the U.S. government. Students who depend on these lunches consume more fatty meals and sugary beverages but consume fewer fruits and vegetables compared to students who bring their own lunches.

More than half of students in schools are impacted by unhealthy eating habits, which also makes them more susceptible to future health problems. Eating unhealthy food while at school greatly increases the chances of children and teenagers developing health conditions that can harm their overall well-being.

Unhealthy eating is linked to various health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis, and different cancers. It is concerning that unhealthy junk foods in schools have contributed to the increase of these illnesses among young individuals. Within the last two decades alone, the number of overweight teenagers has almost tripled. This rise in obesity among children and adolescents results in significant health concerns since conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are now being diagnosed at younger ages.

School lunches, beverage and snack machines are thought to be a factor in the rising rates of obesity, according to research from the American College of Cardiology. The study found that children who participate in the National School Lunch Program are more likely to be obese compared to those who bring their own meals. This not only affects individuals consuming these low-quality foods but also has consequences for future generations. Inheriting unhealthy eating habits from family members can lead to more severe health issues. More than 70% of overweight or obese teenagers continue to face weight problems into adulthood.

It is crucial to remove unhealthy food from elementary and high school cafeterias and vending machines. This is because it negatively affects children’s academic performance, encourages unhealthy eating habits, and contributes to future health problems. It is disappointing that schools, which are responsible for teaching children about making good choices, offer these fatty products.

To create a secure and comprehensive environment, schools should remove all unhealthy food choices from their cafeterias and vending machines. This step will have a positive effect on students’ physical health, academic achievements, and future prospects. By implementing these tactics, we can expect a decrease in youth health issues, improved scholastic performance, and enhanced overall well-being for future generations.

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Argumentative Essay Junk Food

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Astrakhan Oblast, Russia

The capital city of Astrakhan oblast: Astrakhan .

Astrakhan Oblast - Overview

Astrakhan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia, part of the Southern Federal District, situated in the Caspian Lowlands where the Volga River flows into the Caspian Sea. Astrakhan is the capital city of the region.

The population of Astrakhan Oblast is about 989,400 (2022), the area - 49,024 sq. km.

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4 March, 2020 / Astrakhan - one of the oldest cities in southern Russia .

18 May, 2019 / Colorful summer sunset in the Volga River delta .

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11 May, 2017 / Astrakhan Kremlin after the Restoration .

13 December, 2016 / Astrakhan - the view from above .

History of Astrakhan Oblast

In ancient times, the territory of the Astrakhan region was crossed by trade routes of the Persians and the Arabs. In the 8th-10th centuries, the territory belonged to the Khazar Khanate. There is a hypothesis that Itil, the capital of the Khazar Khanate, was located on this territory. It was destroyed by Prince Svyatoslav in 965.

Later, Polovtsy settled on this land. In the first half of the 13th century, the Mongol-Tatars came to the area. After them, Tatars of the Astrakhan Khanate and Kazakhs became the main population of the region.

In 1556, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the Astrakhan Khanate was annexed to the Russian state and ceased to exist. Astrakhan krai became the southeastern military outpost of Russia. In particular, in 1569, the Turks unsuccessfully besieged the fortress of Astrakhan.

In the 17th century, trade, fishing and salt industries developed in the region. In the middle of the 17th century, the uprising of Stepan Razin took place on the territory of Astrakhan region. In 1722, near the mouth of the Kutum River, a shipyard called the Astrakhan Admiralty was built. In the 1730s-1740s, the processing of silk and cotton began here.

Astrakhan Oblast was created in 1943. The region gained its current borders in 1957.

Steppe landscapes of Astrakhan Oblast

Astrakhan Oblast scenery

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Steppe road in the Astrakhan region

Astrakhan Oblast - Features

Astrakhan Oblast is located in the south-east of the East European Plain within the Caspian Lowlands. It is an area of deserts and semi-deserts. Astrakhan oblast borders on the Volgograd region in the north, the Republic of Kalmykia in the west and Kazakhstan in the east.

It is located on the border between Europe and Asia, the Volga River gives access to five seas. The main cities of the region are Astrakhan (518,700), Akhtubinsk (35,500), Znamensk (25,700), Harabali (17,100).

The climate of Astrakhan Oblast is continental, dry. Winters are with little snow, frequent thaws and unstable snow cover; summers are hot. January is the coldest month, the average temperature is minus 10-20 degrees Celsius. July is the hottest month - the average temperature is plus 35-45 degrees Celsius.

According to the 2010 census, the ethnic composition of the local population is the following: Russians (67.6%), Kazakhs (16.3%) and Tatars (6.6%). Orthodox Christianity is the main religion. However, Muslims also make up a significant group of the population (more than 20%). Historically, this province was a place where Kazakhs and Tatars settled. The largest Kazakh community in Russia lives in the Astrakhan region.

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Astrakhan Oblast - Economy

Natural resources of the region include natural gas, oil, salt, gypsum.

The industrial complex of Astrakhan, the economic center of the region, includes shipbuilding, pulp and paper industry, fish processing industry. The leading industries are fuel industry, mechanical engineering, power engineering, food industry. Astrakhan gas condensate field, the largest in the European part of Russia, is located in the area. Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant produces gas for cars, diesel and boiler fuel.

Agricultural lands make up more than 3.4 million hectares - the cultivation of tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, onions, cabbage, watermelons. Rice is traditionally grown along the Volga. The leading branch of livestock is sheep breeding.

The region stretches for over 400 km in the form of a narrow stripe on both sides of the Volga-Akhtubinsk flood-lands. Flooded for a long time, the territory of the delta serves as spawning-ground for such fish as sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, white sturgeon and others.

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Limanskiy Khurul in Astrakhan Oblast

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Astrakhan: Russia’s least Russian oblast at the crossroads of emerging separatisms

Astrakhan Oblast is an ethnically diverse federal subject of Russia located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the North Caucasus. The region’s previously marginal pro-independence movements have been gaining popularity since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What is the probability of intergroup violence in the Lower Volga area and how do members of Russia-wide opposition groups react to this challenge?

Basy, a village in the Liman district of Astrakhan Oblast in an area contested by Kalmykia. Photo: Dor Shabashewitz

Once an independent Turkic khanate of its own, today’s Astrakhan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia, albeit a rather atypical one. Bordering Kazakhstan, Kalmykia and the Caspian Sea, it has been a hotspot for ethnic diversity for centuries. The formal designation “oblast” is usually given to Russia’s overwhelmingly Slavic regions as opposed to the republics and autonomous okrugs with a significant and formally recognised indigenous presence, but Astrakhan is an exception.

According to the latest census , 57 per cent of Astrakhan Oblast residents who declared any ethnic affiliation identified as ethnically Russian. With as many as 15 per cent of the region’s population lacking ethnicity data – a consequence of the census being carried out under COVID-19 restrictions – one can only speculate on the actual percentage of the ethnic minority population. The more reliable data from earlier censuses combined with the general demographic trends suggest that it falls between 30 and 40 per cent, likely closer to the second figure. Not only is this higher than in any other oblast, it even exceeds the share of the “titular nations” in several republics such as Karelia and Khakassia.

Astrakhan’s ethnic minority population is highly heterogeneous. The largest groups besides Russians are Kazakhs (18 per cent of the region’s total population), Tatars (six per cent), Nogais (one per cent), Chechens (0.8 per cent), Azeris (0.8 per cent) and Kalmyks (0.8 per cent). A few smaller groups such as Turkmens (0.5 per cent) are also viewed as an integral part of the region’s cultural landscape because they reside in long-established, monoethnic rural communities. The geographic distribution of ethnic groups within Astrakhan Oblast is uneven. Urban localities tend to have a higher share of the ethnically Russian population and recent immigrants from outside the region, whereas many rural areas are dominated by Kipchak Turkic-speaking ethnic groups, most notably Kazakhs, Tatars and Nogais. These three ethnicities combined form a majority of the population in four out of the region’s 11 districts.

Astrakhan is often described as a “home for everyone”, that is, a region not associated with any particular ethnic group as its primary “owner”. This well-deserved reputation can be illustrated by the case of the Meskhetian Turkish immigrants from Central Asia, who moved to rural Astrakhan in the 1990s and settled in the villages of Raznochinovka and Pody. Less than 20 years after the move, new streets in these villages were officially named after Turkey and its historic leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This is an obvious sign of the immigrants feeling at home and claiming their new place of residence as their own and the locals agreeing – even despite the Turkish community being a minority in both settlements. Two other regions in South-Western Russia, Rostov Oblast and Kalmykia, experienced a larger influx of Meskhetian Turks. There, they have become a majority in several localities, yet no places are named after them: the street names are all Russian and Kalmyk, respectively.

This openness to immigrants comes from the history of Astrakhan as a settler colony. While many regions of today’s Russia have been settled by the colonising empire, Astrakhan is somewhat unique in the variety of places these settlers came from and ethnic groups they belonged to. Not just the Slavic majority, but most of the region’s minorities, now often referred to as “indigenous”, have in fact settled in Astrakhan within the last three or four centuries. Tatars from the Middle Volga, Karagash Nogais from the North Caucasus, Kalmyks from East Asia, Turkmens from across the Caspian and numerous other groups arrived in Astrakhan after it was conquered by the Russians, founding new settlements of their own along the region’s numerous rivers. This history is evident from place names. The village of Tambovka was settled by Russian peasants from today’s Tambov Oblast; the village of Novo-Bulgary was founded by Tatar settlers and derives its name from Volga Bulgaria, a historic state that existed in and around today’s Tatarstan; and the village of Sarmantayevka got its name from a Kazakh clan. Sure enough, these villages have sizable Russian, Tatar and Kazakh populations, respectively, to this day.

Emerging separatisms

The Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked a myriad of discussions pertaining to a hypothetical dissolution of Russia. The topic has gained attention both from Russia’s own activists, primarily those identifying with one or more ethnic minorities, and foreign politicians and scholars, many of whom consider this scenario more likely than ever as the Russian government is getting weaker. Numerous pro-independence movements have emerged among the forced émigrés from Russia’s republics and certain other regions. Although the government-imposed Russification of ethnic minorities, lack of regional autonomy, unfair budget redistribution, and exploitation of natural resources have been common complaints for decades, it was the war in Ukraine that gave regional activists the opportunity to form coalitions and gather support from a broader population.

Russia’s ethnic minorities are commonly said to have been disproportionately affected by the war. Research by independent media outlets such as Mediazona shows that people from the Siberian republics of Buryatia and Tuva are several dozen times more likely to die fighting in Ukraine than Moscow residents. Reasons for this include the impoverished state of these regions, where career opportunities are few and military service is often the most accessible . However, some authors have called this a deliberate decision, part of the Kremlin’s political strategy. Residents of poor, geographically remote rural areas with little access to higher education and a lower share of internet users are significantly less likely to protest against their family members being sent to the war, and even if they do protest, it is easier and less costly for the authorities to ignore their dissent compared to that in Russia’s largest and richest cities. As a result of centuries-long colonial policies, these impoverished and easy-to-disregard areas tend to be the ones that have a higher share of ethnic minorities, whereas the more developed and politically relevant cities are universally majority Slavic.

Since independent polling is practically impossible in today’s Russia and pro-independence activism is illegal, it is hard to estimate the actual popularity of the emerging separatist movements. The only metrics of their significance that are more or less verifiable are their social media followings and participation in public events organised in exile such as the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum. In most cases, the correspondence between ethnic groups, regions and significant pro-independence movements is relatively clear-cut. Russia’s republics are typically considered legal ethnic homelands to specific “titular nations” that enjoy certain formal – albeit practically nonexistent – privileges and are the source of the regions’ names. In most cases, such republics have just one secessionist organisation that represents them at international meetings and speaks on behalf of the respective “titular” ethnic group.

Like any territory affected by Russia’s regional inequality and having a sizable minority population, Astrakhan Oblast has had a disproportionate share of its non-Slavic residents recruited to the war. Out of the 218 known names of Astrakhan Oblast residents who have died fighting in Ukraine, 54 per cent are clearly non-Slavic, despite ethnic minorities making up between 30 and 40 per cent of the region’s population. Most of them have Turkic, Mongolic or North Caucasian origins. It is worth noting that many of Russia’s non-Slavic indigenous groups tend to have Russian-sounding names, which makes their members impossible to distinguish from ethnic Russians by names alone, so the actual share of non-Slavic combatants from Astrakhan is likely even higher.

In many regions, it was the need to talk about this disproportionate use of ethnic minorities as soldiers that triggered the emergence of civic movements, which later adopted pro-independence or at least strongly regionalist rhetoric. Social media communities such as Free Kalmykia first appeared during the so-called “partial mobilisation” in September 2022 as chat groups aimed at helping fellow co-ethnics emigrate to avoid being sent to the war. Once the first round of mobilisation was complete, they began covering a wider array of anti-colonial topics. Among their most recent posts are reading lists on Kalmyk history, videos of émigré pro-independence rallies, examples of racism in Russian society, and explanations of decolonisation as a concept.

Although Astrakhan’s minorities face a lot of the same problems as their Kalmyk neighbours, be it the disproportionate draft or more general things like xenophobia and forced linguistic Russification, no truly equivalent movement has appeared in the region so far. Nevertheless, the future of Astrakhan Oblast during and after a hypothetical dissolution of Russia has been a matter of numerous heated debates, often between movements that primarily represent other regions and do not even include members from Astrakhan.

A village in the Liman district of Astrakhan Oblast. Photo: Dor Shabashewitz

The Nogai claims

The Nogais are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group of Kipchak Turkic origin. They are closely related to the Kazakhs and Karakalpaks of Central Asia but primarily live in the North Caucasus. Unlike many other minorities of Russia, they do not have a designated republic and reside in several non-contiguous areas scattered throughout five federal subjects. Dagestan and Stavropol Krai have a combined Nogai population of 62,000, slightly more than half of their total number in Russia according to the 2010 census.

Official figures suggest there are between 7000 and 9000 Nogais in Astrakhan Oblast, but this is likely to be an underestimation. Isolated from the larger, heavily Nogai areas in the North Caucasus, Astrakhan is home to three distinct Nogai subgroups that speak divergent dialects and differ in culture and identity: the Karagash Nogais, Yurt Nogais and Utars. Despite the Nogai origin of these communities, confirmed by linguistic and historical research and remembered by many of their members, the Soviet government formally considered them part of the Tatar people. Tatar was the legal ethnicity in Astrakhan Nogais’ Soviet passports, and so was the language taught at their village schools as their supposed “mother tongue”. By the time of the dissolution of the USSR, that is, after decades of state-imposed Tatarisation, many Astrakhan residents of Nogai origin genuinely identified as Tatars.

In the 1990s, the Karagash faced a far-reaching ecological challenge after a gas mining field was discovered close to their villages. A gas processing plant was built next to them, and its toxic emissions forced most of the community to relocate for health and safety reasons. This disaster helped the community consolidate and fight for its cause, which in turn led to the emergence of a stronger sense of ethnic identity. Soon afterwards, a group of Karagash activists pressured the regional government to change the language policy so that Nogai rather than Tatar became the language taught as their “mother tongue”. Thirty years later, the vast majority of Karagash people identify as Nogais for all intents and purposes, including census questionnaires. The two other groups of Astrakhan’s Nogais did not face any comparable challenges and thus largely continue identifying as Tatars, just like their parents and grandparents did in the Soviet era. With this in mind, one could speculate that the actual number of Astrakhan Oblast residents of Nogai origin is closer to 30,000 and not 7000 or 9000.

Members of the only Nogai secessionist movement variously branded as Free Nogai El and The Nogai Republic go way beyond that figure. In an interview with RFE/RL, one of the movement’s leaders, Edige Bekmurzayev, claimed as many as 100,000 of Astrakhan Oblast’s residents were Nogais and said Astrakhan should become the capital of a future Nogai state based on “historical sources”. The basis of the second claim is that the Yurt Nogais are the only group directly descended from the pre-colonial population of the Astrakhan Khanate – a theory not universally supported by researchers but commonly cited and believed to be true by most local history enthusiasts in Astrakhan. Ironically, these days most people of Yurt Nogai origin identify as ethnic Tatars, and a local activist promoting the revival of a Nogai identity in the community even faced pressure from municipal authorities shortly before the 2021 census.

The importance of Astrakhan to the Nogai secessionist movement can be seen from the name of its social media group on Telegram, a Russian messenger app. The group self-described as a platform for “supporters of independence for the once sovereign Nogai state currently occupied by Moscow” and bears the name “Nogai Republic (Astrakhan)”, hinting at their future capital city of choice. The movement’s leaders Edige Bekmurzayev and Anvar Kurmanakayev, who have taken part in the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forums, have stated numerous times that they want all of Astrakhan Oblast’s current territory to become part of this future state.

It is worth noting that most promoters and supporters of the Nogai Republic project come from the North Caucasus subgroups of the Nogais and have no direct connection to Astrakhan. The only known exception is Anvar Kurmanakyev, who has lived in Astrakhan for over a decade, but even then he is originally from elsewhere and is not considered a well-known activist by the local community. Astrakhan’s most important community leaders, such as Ramil Ishmukhambetov, Amir Musayev and Eldar Idrisov, who had been promoting the Nogai language and culture for years by the time the separatist movement appeared, either ignored the new organisation or made negative comments about it.

A 19th century Persian caravanserai turned into communal housing by the Soviets. Photo: Dor Shabashewitz

The Kalmyk claims

The Kalmyks are a predominantly Buddhist ethnic group of Mongolic origin. Despite their close relation to a number of East Asian peoples, the vast majority of Russia’s Kalmyks live in what is considered geographic Europe. The Republic of Kalmykia is one of Russia’s poorest and least populated regions and lies between Astrakhan Oblast and Dagestan by the Caspian Sea. Ethnic Kalmyks make up over 60 per cent of the republic’s population. Russians, Kazakhs and various Dagestani ethnic groups are the largest minorities.

The history of the Kalmyks has been connected to Astrakhan since their original arrival to the Lower Volga region. Under the Russian Empire, most of their settlement area was administratively incorporated as part of the Astrakhan Governorate. When the Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast was created by the Soviets in 1920, Astrakhan became its first capital city and was home to many Kalmyk institutions, politicians and intellectuals. It played this role until 1928, when the capital was moved to Elista. Seven years later, the status of the oblast was elevated to that of an autonomous republic.

In 1943, virtually all ethnic Kalmyks were forcibly relocated to remote Siberian settlements by NKVD troops on the direct orders of Joseph Stalin after he accused them of siding with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Soon afterwards, the Kalmyk ASSR was dissolved and its districts redistributed between the neighbouring regions, most notably Astrakhan Oblast and Stavropol Krai.

When the Kalmyks were allowed to return to their homeland in 1956, their republic was re-established, but with different borders and a smaller land area. Stavropol Krai wanted to keep the Iki-Burul district, but Kalmykia’s new leader Basan Gorodovikov managed to get it back through the courts. Gorodovikov was not so lucky when it came to the two districts originally known as Privolzhye and Dolban, which were transferred to Astrakhan Oblast in 1943 and renamed to Narimanov and Liman, respectively. According to the Kalmyk historian Maria Ochir, Gorodovikov planned to give a speech at a high-level Central Committee meeting in Moscow, asking for the two historically Kalmyk districts to be returned to the republic on behalf of his people. He was arrested after the draft of his speech was leaked to the KGB and had to quit his position. Since then and until the dissolution of the USSR, Kalmykia was headed exclusively by ethnically Russian politicians because the Kremlin considered ethnic Kalmyks dangerously prone to “irredentism” and “Pan-Mongolism”. The two districts remain part of Astrakhan Oblast to this day.

The 1990s saw another uptick in discussions about the fate of the contested districts. According to Ochir, Moscow forced Kalmykia’s first post-Soviet leader Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to introduce an informal moratorium on the topic, and the dispute over the two districts has not been brought up by Kalmykia’s authorities since then. However, a number of smaller disputes regarding several isolated and sparsely populated stretches of desert arose and became an important part of the region’s political discourse, recognised and openly talked about by members of Kalmykia’s government.

These disputes are different in nature: the arguments of both sides are more legal than historical. While the contested areas fall within Kalmykia’s constitutionally recognised borders, Astrakhan Oblast officials consider them part of their region based on indefinite lease agreements handed out to a number of Soviet-era collective farms, whose headquarters were located in undisputed Astrakhan territory. These disputes have been the subject of lawsuits and even led to real-life conflicts, such as Astrakhan park rangers confiscating the cattle of a nomadic herder from Kalmykia and forcing him to leave the territory they considered theirs – contrary to what was shown in all the maps, including government-approved ones.

An even wider array of unofficial territorial claims have appeared in local media outlets from both sides in the past 30 years. In 2020, the head of the Kalmyk branch of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, Anastasia Kravtsova, stated that the Astrakhan village of Rechnoye should join Kalmykia. It does not belong to either of the two major contested districts in their current form, and the reasoning is not legal: it is just that Rechnoye is home to the one and only Kalmyk Buddhist temple built before the USSR and still standing today, so it has a special symbolic significance to many Kalmyks. In 2021, Kalmykia’s head Batu Khasikov mentioned a social media publication calling for the Kalmyk town of Tsagan Aman to join Astrakhan Oblast and asked the regional prosecutor’s office to investigate it as a potential case of extremism.

Unsurprisingly, these numerous territorial disputes became a hot topic after secessionism became the mainstream form of ethnic activism in Russia’s republics. The first organisation to discuss the topic in 2022 was the Oirat-Kalmyk People’s Congress. Unlike most secessionist movements in today’s Russia, it existed prior to the war in Ukraine. It emerged in 2015 as the organising committee for a biannual public event based in Kalmykia’s capital Elista, where members of the national intelligentsia and various political opposition groups discussed the region’s future and elected grassroots representatives through direct voting. In early 2022, the elected members of the Congress condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine and were forced to emigrate under threat of political persecution. Later that year, they signed a provisional declaration of Kalmykia’s independence, which mentioned the need to return the contested areas without listing them explicitly.

Earlier statements by the Congress show that its members reached a consensus in that they view the Narimanov and Liman districts of Astrakhan Oblast as an integral part of Kalmykia. Individual members of the organisation, such as Erentsen Dolyaev, went beyond that and publicly called for incorporating all of Astrakhan Oblast’s territory into a sovereign Kalmyk state once it is formed, engaging in internet debates with the aforementioned Nogai leaders who, too, claim the entirety region as their own.

A Kalmyk Buddhist temple in Vostochnoye, a village in the Ikryanoye district of Astrakhan Oblast that was built two years ago by descendants of the victims of Stalin-era deportations. Photo: Dor Shabashewitz

Local opinions

As is evident from the discussion above, the most heard opinions on the future of Astrakhan Oblast after a hypothetical dissolution of the Russian Federation are expressed by people who have little to no personal connection to today’s Astrakhan and its population despite representing ethnic groups that do have historic ties to the region. One can only speculate as to why no secessionist movement has appeared within Astrakhan itself so far, but its internal diversity seems like the most plausible reason. Most pro-independence movements have a strong ethnic bias and are nationalist in nature, which means it might be hard to launch one in an area that half a dozen ethnicities rightfully call home.

Nevertheless, there is a significant group of anti-war and anti-Putin politicians and activists from Astrakhan, including Mikhail Doliyev, Yelena Baybekova, Yaroslav Savin, Marina Mitalyova and Sergey Scherbakov. Despite their affiliation with Russia-wide opposition groups such as the People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS) and Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which are routinely labeled as imperialist by anti-colonial movements, these activists hold regionalist view and have expressed dissent with the Kremlin’s Moscow-centrism and exploitation of Astrakhan’s resources and population. Most of them, too, had to flee the country after February 2022.

Today, the highest concentration of Astrakhan émigrés is in Germany, and a few of them have expressed moderately pro-dissolution opinions. Doliyev, who was the head of the regional PARNAS branch until his forced emigration, talked about the once-independent Astrakhan Khanate that was conquered and annexed by Russia and pondered what today’s Astrakhan would be like had this never happened. He came to the conclusion that it could have been much more successful and comfortable to live in, comparing its location in a desert area at the crossroads of trade routes that is rich in natural resources to that of the UAE.

Mitalyova made the assumption that Astrakhan may become part of Kazakhstan if Russia’s government loses control over most of the country and there is a power vacuum, and explained she viewed this as a positive scenario. Interestingly enough, both speakers also mentioned the scenario they deemed the worst – Astrakhan being taken over by the Chechen Republic, which seems extremely unlikely and probably speaks of their older fears as Russians without a minority identity who lived through the Russo-Chechen Wars.

One more local opinion that is worth mentioning is that of Muslim Yunusov, the imam of an Astrakhan mosque and a Tatar community leader. Although he has not made any public statements on the political future of Astrakhan since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, he expressed a unique point of view closely related to the topic in 2021 while commenting on the aforementioned incident regarding the status of Tsagan Aman, a Kalmyk semi-enclave surrounded by Astrakhan Oblast.

Yunusov proposed a merger of Kalmykia and Astrakhan Oblast into a new, larger federal subject as the best solution to the endless territorial disputes between the two. He also suggested adding the Nogai district of Dagestan to the mix, saying it belonged to the same cultural macro-region and once was a part of the pre-Soviet Astrakhan Governorate. This unusual approach practically combines the interests of all the parties involved in the ongoing debate between the secessionist movements, even though it predates their emergence.

Yunusov likely faced pressure from the authorities after he shared this opinion in an interview. Just one day later he wrote an apology post on Facebook saying he was not an “extremist” and did not want to call for any changes to the borders of Russia’s federal subjects. This just goes to show how touchy and dangerous the topic was even before the war and without explicit mentions of secession.

Probability of violent conflict

Even before the emergence of significant secessionist movements, land disputes between Astrakhan Oblast and its neighbours, most notably Kalmykia, would often lead to heated debates. This is evident from the comment sections on the news websites that covered controversial claims coming from both sides. There, users would quickly resort to mutual insults and radical calls, such as those for the abolition of the other federal subject as a separate entity.

Real-life ethnic conflicts are no stranger to the Lower Volga either, with the 2005 mass unrest in Yandyki being the most notable case. Yandyki is a small town in the Liman district of Astrakhan Oblast, one of the two areas formally contested by the Oirat-Kalmyk People’s Congress. It has a Russian ethnic majority with significant Kalmyk, Kazakh and Chechen minorities. In February 2005, a group of young Chechen residents of the town desecrated several graves at the local cemetery, including that of Eduard Kokmadzhiyev, a Kalmyk man who died fighting in Chechnya on the Russian side. At first the Liman district court sentenced them to two years in jail, but quickly suspended their sentence after what most Yandyki residents thought was a bribe. This perceived injustice caused a brawl so massive and violent that over 1200 police officers and soldiers had to be sent to the town to stop the fighting.

That being said, local experts with first-hand knowledge of the region’s rural communities through extensive fieldwork such as Maria Ochir consider the probability of violent clashes between the parties of the land disputes low even if the Russian government loses control over the area. According to Ochir, all other cases of inter-ethnic violence recorded in the region in the past few decades stemmed from mundane quarrels with no political motivation, where the fighting parties just happened to belong to different ethnic groups – something natural for an area that diverse.

While the Yandyki unrest may be considered an exception, it is worth noting that the town’s Kalmyk, Russian and Kazakh communities took the same side and fought together against the Chechens. This, too, has been the case in other, lesser-known and smaller-scale conflicts throughout the Lower Volga region, where ethnic communities perceived as “indigenous” would universally side with each other against those perceived as “immigrants”.

As noted before, almost all of the major ethnic groups in today’s Lower Volga are descendants of immigrants who arrived in the region within the last three or four centuries. That being said, locals tend to make a distinction between the more integrated groups labeled as “indigenous” and those who arrived more recently, universally referred to as “immigrants”. Based on my personal observations, the two main criteria a group has to meet to be considered “indigenous” is a historic presence of longer than 100 years and at least one monoethnic settlement within Astrakhan Oblast or Kalmykia, typically founded by members of the said group and universally viewed as the respective group’s “local homeland”. The main groups that fit this description are Kalmyks, Russians, Kazakhs, Tatars, Nogais and Turkmens. Others, like Chechens, Dargins, Azerbaijanis and Meskhetian Turks are generally viewed as “immigrants”, even if this only becomes a relevant label in times of conflict. Since all of the parties engaged in the debate on Astrakhan’s future represent ethnic groups considered “indigenous”, Yandyki-scale clashes indeed are unlikely.

A gravestone at an abandoned cemetery called Shaitan Töbe (“Devil’s Hill”) near the Kazakh village of Vinny. Photo: Dor Shabashewitz

The future of the oblast

As an ethnically diverse frontier region rich in natural resources, Astrakhan Oblast should receive more attention from international scholars, analysts and policy makers in this time of uncertainty. Although no cohesive secessionist movement has been formed within the region so far, it should not be disregarded in discussions of a hypothetical dissolution of Russia. Multiple pro-independence groups that are primarily focused on one or more of the neighbouring regions have claimed parts or all of Astrakhan Oblast as their own for historical, legal and cultural reasons. Most significantly, such claims were expressed numerous times by the Oirat-Kalmyk People’s Congress, whose members have delivered speeches in the European Parliament and established ties with government officials of several western countries.

Perhaps the most unusual trait of public discussions regarding the future of Astrakhan is that they are initiated by and held between movements and individuals who represent the least numerous of the region’s minorities. Between the heated debates among the Kalmyks (7000 people in Astrakhan Oblast) and the Nogais (8000 people in Astrakhan Oblast), it is easy to forget that the region has a 150,000-strong ethnically Kazakh population and over 50,000 Tatars. This goes on to prove how nationalist and ethnicity-focused the secessionism in today’s Russia is. The Kazakhs as an ethnic group have a sovereign state of their own, and the Tatars have Tatarstan – a larger and more developed federal subject of Russia that does not border Astrakhan and has a long tradition of pro-independence movements which partly succeeded in the 1990s. The existence of these entities might be the main reason for the relative inactivity of Astrakhan’s largest minorities. The members of these two communities who find ethnic self-determination important simply move to their extant nation-state or join the larger movement for the independence of Tatarstan, respectively, instead of forming new movements focused on Astrakhan.

Interestingly enough, ethnically Russian members of Russia-wide opposition groups who happen to be from Astrakhan tend to speak favourably or neutrally of a potential dissolution of the federation – contrary to the general reputation of their Moscow and St. Petersburg counterparts, commonly labelled as imperialist by anti-colonial activists. This may be explained in part by Astrakhan’s atypically high level of diversity, which leads to its Slavic residents being more familiar with the discrimination that ethnic minorities face on a daily basis. However, the very visible impoverishment, neglect and exploitation of this resource-rich region by the federal government are likely a bigger reason.

Another notable trait of the secession discourse in Astrakhan is the utterly passive approach to the issue taken by members of the “mainstream” opposition. While ethnic minority activists eagerly “divide the skin of a bear they haven’t yet caught”, as per the Russian saying, local politicians aligned with Russia-wide anti-Putin movements talk of Astrakhan’s future as something they cannot and will not control. They rank the scenarios they foresee from good (full sovereignty or merging with Kazakhstan) to bad (becoming part of Chechnya) but do not seem to have any plans to try and influence the situation in one way or another.

It is too early to make detailed predictions, but it is already clear that numerous emerging powers will clash over Astrakhan in the event of a dissolution of Russia, and the now cohesive region may end up divided by new national borders. That being said, local experience shows that the territorial disputes are likely to be resolved in ways more peaceful than violent conflict thanks to the extant dynamics of intergroup relations.

Dor Shabashewitz is a Russia-born Israeli journalist with a background in anthropology. He covers ethnic minority rights and regional politics in the Lower Volga and Central Asia for RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service. He worked as a researcher at the RAS Institute for Linguistic Studies and conducted extensive fieldwork in Astrakhan’s Kazakh and Nogai rural communities before he was forced to leave the country by the Russian Federal Security Service in 2021.

All photos courtesy of Dor Shabashewitz.

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Why Are Free School Lunches Becoming a Campaign Issue?

Here’s what you should know about federal and state programs to feed children, and what the two parties are saying.

Children eating lunch at a long school-cafeteria table.

By Kim Severson

School lunch has been popping up in the news lately, and not just because students are starting to head back to the classroom.

The federal government has been buying students lunch since 1946, when President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act. The idea was to provide food to needy school-age children while using surplus crops, which would help prop up food prices.

When Vice President Kamala Harris picked Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate this month, the issue of “universal school meals” entered the spotlight because last year, Mr. Walz signed a bill that allowed public schools to provide all students with free breakfast and lunch. It made his state one of eight that offer free meals to students regardless of family income. The concept, which tends to be more popular with Democrats than Republicans, is likely to become an issue in the presidential contest.

So what exactly does “universal school meals” mean?

Essentially, a school district provides a free breakfast and lunch to every student who physically attends a public school (and, in some cases, charter schools), regardless of need. It’s often referred to as “healthy school meals for all.” Most of the money comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which dictates the nutritional requirements for each meal. State and sometimes local dollars fill in the gaps.

Although the idea has long been promoted by some educators, nutritionists and people working to improve the quality of school food, only a handful of states offer free meals to all. New York City has offered free school breakfast and lunch since 2017.

How many children eat free school meals?

On an average day during the 2022-23 school year, about 11.1 million children ate a free breakfast provided by a public or charter school, and 19 million children ate a free school lunch, according to the U.S.D.A. Another 1.6 million ate breakfast or lunch for a reduced price — 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.

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The authors explored how the children perceived healthy foods, the importance of a healthy food environment and what criteria children use to decide what foods to buy. Findings - Children's food preferences were mostly for unhealthy foods, and these were readily available in the canteen. The perception about what foods were healthy was limited.
Unique nature of Astrakhan oblast · Russia Travel Blog
The nature of Astrakhan region is unique for Russia. Nowhere else in the country will you be able to find a territory composed of semi-deserts and deserts, where camels live, and the most famous Russian river Volga carries its waters. Astrakhan oblast is located in the south-east of the East European Plain. The region is situated in the Caspian ...
Astrakhan Oblast, Russia guide
The industrial complex of Astrakhan, the economic center of the region, includes shipbuilding, pulp and paper industry, fish processing industry. The leading industries are fuel industry, mechanical engineering, power engineering, food industry. Astrakhan gas condensate field, the largest in the European part of Russia, is located in the area.
Astrakhan Oblast Map
Astrakhan Oblast. Astrakhan Oblast is a region in the Lower Volga, descending from steppe along the Volga to the northwestern Caspian Sea. It borders Volgograd Oblast to the north, Kalmykia to the west, and Kazakhstan to the east. Photo: Alfredovic, CC BY 3.0. Photo: Wikimedia, CC0. Ukraine is facing shortages in its brave fight to survive.
Astrakhan: Russia's least Russian oblast at the crossroads of emerging
Astrakhan Oblast is an ethnically diverse federal subject of Russia located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the North Caucasus. The region's previously marginal pro-independence movements have been gaining popularity since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What is the probability of intergroup violence in the Lower Volga area and how do members of Russia-wide opposition ...
Free School Lunches: Where Do Trump and Harris Stand?
The popularity of universal school food rose when the Covid pandemic hit. In 2020, the Trump administration decided to provide free school meals to all students. The program expired in the fall of ...