Healthy Eating Habits and Lifestyles
Laney Brown
COM/ 172 Elements of University Composition and Communication II
26 October 2014
Cindy Cunningham
In today’s American society, many individuals have developed unhealthy eating habits. A study done in 2012 states fifty-two percent of polled Americans thought that doing their taxes was easier than trying to figure out how to eat healthy. There are many things that people look at as hassles to healthy eating rather than looking at the big benefits healthy eating has on someone. Many people think of these issues when they think of healthy eating the cost, the availability of the food, that it is “hard”, they do not want to diet, and so on. Changing the eating habits of an individual
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Nate Miyaki gives an example, “Of nine training sessions and thirty- five meals or snacks geared toward body composition improvement a week, that works out to about 20% accounted to physical activity and 80% accounted to diet.” Participating in regular exercise is very important but does not mean someone should eat unhealthy. Eating unhealthy causes damage to an individuals insides. When someone eats healthy they find themselves less tired and they also find that they have less health issues than someone that eats unhealthy. When an individual eats better they feel better. Put good in, get good out. So the better an individual eats the better, the more energy they have, the more motivation they have, and they feel better as a whole. Within a week of eating healthy an individual can begin to feel better on the inside. When an individual makes the change to eating healthily they will notice that they feel better and have more energy. There are more ways to eat healthier without having to diet at all.
A great food guide for an athlete to follow is the Canada’s Food Guide. According to the guide an individual needs about sixty percent carbohydrates, fifteen to twenty percent protein, and twenty to thirty percent fat in their daily diet. Healthy eating is more than just about what an individual eats and puts on their plate. Healthy eating is also
In the article “How Junk Food Ends Obesity,” David H. Freedman, an author and writer, discusses the pros and cons that weight engages in people all around the world. Freedman’s purpose is to solve society’s issue with obesity rates increasing by pushing and pressuring more processed food industry to be healthier. He incorporates ways for customers to eat what they like, but in a healthy way. This article, in my eyes, impacts many individuals that do struggle with weight in a time in their life. Freedman originates with a plan that if he can find a way to push healthcare system to eat better, business will expand. Not only will business expand, but more people will become healthy by eating the same food but without it being processed. His plan is to create a wholesome food movement that could work better, reducing the chance of obesity rates increasing.
In the documentary “Fed Up” presented by Katie Couric and Laurie David they focus on the fabrications presented by the food industry in regards of creating healthier choices for the public. According to the documentary 2 out of 3 Americans are either overweight or obese, and it is surpassing cancer rates (Fed Up, 2014). In order to address the problem health professionals recommend their patients that in order to lose weight they must exercise and eat less. It is a simple solution to a condition that is greatly stigmatized by society. This documentary argues that eating less and exercise will not guarantee weight loss in individuals.
The United States as a nation is struggling tremendously with high an outrageous obesity rate. According to the documentary “Weight of the Nation,” obesity is number five out of the ten leading causes of death. The lifestyle in the United States has become a “norm” that has to be changed quickly. It is imperative that we as adults draw into our youth the importance of eating healthy. We as people are in control of our own health and can prevent ourselves from getting chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
In America’s society today, Individuals are taking the blame off of themselves and shifting it onto the food industry. The food industry does indeed put up a very tempting environment for Americans, targeting unhealthy choices, but nevertheless, it is up to the customer as to what they spend their money on. Even with attempted changes in nutrition within the food industry, most people take no interest in it. But, when someone is motivated, results of a healthier lifestyle is shown in multiple ways. Americans need to realize that dedication can overcome temptation and not only lower numbers on the scale, but better their overall
The choices American’s make about their eating habits has drastically changed over time. Today America is an obese nation, because food is everywhere: at the grocery store, on billboard signs, or even at the hardware store. There are statistics that prove America is an obese nation, the public just has to go search for those. Many diets and experts have tips to give to help American’s and others lose weight. This is the point that Susan Brink and Elizabeth Querna are trying to get across in their article, “Eat this Now.” Within the article, the two go in to detail about how Americans eat all the time. Brink and Querna’s article really bring to light the problems that American’s have by showing how American’s eat to
Improving the health conditions of the American population ensures the increased quality of life. People eat for various reasons with the fundamental reason being for survival purposes. However, the issue of eating to live and living to eat affects people in different manners as most people develop poor eating habits that affect the body’s nutritional intake and affects their health. Being healthy involves careful considerations of what one is eating and engaging in activities that contribute to better healthy lives that do not imply daily prescriptions or
“Dieting.” With the amount of unhealthy food around us, we tend to go against our healthy eating rules. When we twist our rules, we end up being the prey of bad diets unknowingly. Did you know that 50 million Americans eat fast food every day! That is the entire population of Canada! Fast food tricks us into thinking that it’s better for us than fresh and healthy foods. Many Canadians know the damages of unhealthy foods but deny all that might happen to them. Due to that stubbornness, over 12,000 people go to hospitals because of adult-onset diabetes. If we don't change the way we eat, we will gain more chances of high cholesterol,
While it is common for many Americans to be preached to on a daily basis about the importance of healthy eating and exercise, what most don’t consider is that one doesn’t have to completely give up the food that they love in order to strive to become more healthy. Even though the best thing for America to do would be to give up unhealthy eating habits completely, this goal is just not realistic. Fast food and unhealthy eating are too deeply ingrained in American culture to change within a decade. As of now, the best thing to do would be to incorporate better foods into their daily diets in order to better balance out the unhealthy food. This way, at least not all of the total calories consumed on a daily basis are from saturated fats, and other bad foods. Approaching America with this idea can be less intimidating than to suggest completely taking away junk food. This way people are more coerced into the idea and are more likely to switch over to a healthier diet than telling them to eat healthy right off the
America is a great country; with high emphasis on freedom, education, acceptance, and philanthropy, there is a strong basis to create a diverse, successful country. However, there is one aspect that America lacks: nutrition. The average American’s diets exceeds the recommended intake of solid fats and added sugars, refined grains, sodium, and saturated fats, and the average amount of calories consumed per American has increased approximately 600 calories per day. Clearly, America struggles to keep citizens’ diets nutritious. In fact, recent studies have projected that by 2030, half of all American adults will be obese (US Dept. of Health). At this rate, Americans will struggle
The United States is mindful of this deadly disease and the lives it has taken, yet little has been done to spread awareness and decrease the amount of sugar, carbohydrates, and fat in foods sold. In fact, America encourages unhealthy eating by displaying advertisements which convince the audience that the food will not have a negative effect on their health. A majority of these advertisements are directed towards children due to the fact that they are easy to convince. And this is a huge reason behind the increasing obesity rate in the United States because the decisions made as a child reflect those made in adulthood. If a child is constantly eating unhealthy food, rarely exercises, and is unaware of the consequences that come from the lack of living a healthy life, he or she will grow up continuing this lifestyle. O’Connor explains that, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, seventeen percent of American children and teenagers between the ages twelve and nineteen years old are overweight (39). Unless the child is taught about the harsh reality of eating so unhealthy, it may be too late before he or she becomes obese. Similar to tobacco and alcohol, food has addictive qualities which are hard to change. Another factor to consider involving the obesity epidemic in the United States is the expense of healthy foods. This high price hinders U.S. citizen’s ability to pay for a healthy diet. One of the many low income mothers in the United States, Maria Gonzalez, comments, “When you only have a dollar to spend and you have two kids to feed, either you go to the market and try to find something that’s cheap or just go straight through a drive thru and get two hamburgers for them and say, ‘Okay, here. Eat this.’ This is what’s going to fill her up, not that one single item at the market”
We live in a world where we acquire the necessities we need through simple means. One of the main things that we need, food, can be acquired through groceries and food markets. They present us with options that comply with almost every preference that customers are willing to buy. With the variety that they present, may it be organic, naturally grown, or processed the problem of obesity comes along. Abundancy of food has taken a toll on the weight of humans, especially Americans. It affects one – third of the adult population in the United States, the numbers are about 78.6 million Americans who are affected by obesity (Obesity Society). Obesity can be caused by a number of reasons not only because of the food that we intake (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) and it has also affected and continues to affect the health of numbers of people (Center of Disease Control and Prevention). There are times that we fail to take notice that it is a problem that needs solving. When is the right time to make a change? Are the changes that we have already implemented enough for Americans to take it seriously? What are the ways in which we can prevent this from happening to children? There are always going to be a bunch of questions that we
The environment in which people live in plays a huge role in the choices people make when it comes to food and activities. The subliminal marketing and the easy accessibility of junk food makes America a toxic place to live. It’s tough for individuals to make the right choices when bad influences are woven into the fabric of society. What can we do to fix this widespread epidemic that is affecting the country? Small changes in a person’s lifestyle can have a drastic effect on their health. Weight gain is closely linked to “a high intake of potato chips, potatoes, [and] sugar-sweetened beverages” (“Obesity in America”). So a change in a person’s diet to a healthier one can be very beneficial. Also, exercise and physical activity can help protect against sudden weight gain. Another culprit for obesity is TV, it is one of the biggest enemies of exercise and the friend of snacking. Under the protection of the First Amendment, manufacturers have the right to promote their products freely, regardless of the negative effects it has (“Pounding Away”). Thus, many people are overly exposed and tempted by many junk or fast food products that are heavily advertised. Putting down the remote and exchanging hours of surfing the net for leisure exercise can significantly change a person’s well
Just like we say “We are what we eat”, the role nutrition plays in our life is essential to determine our health status.Obesity can lead to other critical diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems or even cancer.Overweight is an issue that is increasing rapidly and it is being inherited by generations. More than just a social issue obesity is taking control of obese people's life by placing them under a category of American citizens who believe they are not capable to overcoming their weight. One of our perspectives on the topic is that obesity can be prevented if Making America healthy can inspire and teach Americans for a better nutrition. Many issues develop into huge problems because of the lack of information to solve them.Our solution is focused on providing free information and about a healthy diet along with effective practical solutions to every American willing to take the journey with us making no exceptions on race or social status. Other fact is that healthy food in general is more expensive and it takes time to be prepared. The American life is consider as being busy, Americans rarely spend time on their kitchens that is why many citizens lean towards greasy fast food most of the time of low prices due to the
Pollan defines the American problem as “unhealthy people obsessed by the idea of eating healthily.” (Pg. 3) The vast majority of consumers in our society are ones that envision themselves as striving towards a healthy lifestyle, yet many of these consumers don’t realize that in their attempts at eating healthy they are on a slow decline. A large sum of the population garners their information on which foods to eat from their daily news sources, trying new fad diets and picking up any food that Buzzfeed or the Huffington Post tells them will better their health (Pg. 1). This behavior in turn leaves those desperate for a slimmer and healthier bodies utterly confused and desolate.
Eating healthy is imperative for your life. A healthy diet is the key to being fit. It is unlike any other regimen. You will feel so pure, balanced, and alert. A solid regimen even prevents some health issues. You will love your body and your body will love you if you begin healthy eating habits. There are significant reasons why eating healthy is vital to your health.