Healthy DIE-T

Maripat McGlynn

A Healthy DIEt

Over the past century, people have been more informed than ever on their health and how to prevent diseases. It seems as though almost every disease or condition has a coalition that is fighting for a cure and give ways on how to prevent a person from getting the disease. We are also all aware that nutrition and exercise are two of the most important factors in preventing disease. But then why is it that our main issue in America is directly related to food?  Obesity has risen immensely over the past 20 years. There is not one state in the United States that has an obesity level below 20%. Thirty years ago not one state in the United States had an obesity level above 15%. Half were below 10%. What is the cause of this phenomenon? Advertising agencies and big corporations would like to say people are demanding more food. In reality I believe people are just being bombarded with more food.  They are manipulated into eating, smelling and thinking about food 24/7. It’s an obsession. But it is so common and "normal" to be surrounded with food billboards and restaurants everywhere that we do not see the problems with it.

 In urban neighborhoods where a lot of lower income families live, fast food is a staple. There is a fast food restaurant on almost every corner. It is no coincidence that these cheap, unhealthy restaurants are located in the poorer neighborhoods. They are put there on purpose because the people “need” cheap, fast food. We all have been informed of how bad fast food really is for people. We see the affects everywhere. But when an overweight person dies from a heart attack because they were too heavy and were eating tens of thousands of calories a day in McDonalds, we don’t feel too bad for them. We tend to think to ourselves, "Well they should have just stopped eating all that junk. They know it’s bad for them." But could it be that this food is addictive? That maybe this food was created to be addictive and unfullfilling? I'd say the answer is yes. At the same time that obesity is rising, other serious eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are afflicting more and more people. Our country has become image obsessed. The diet industry is profiting from feeding us junk and then taking the pounds off. What we don’t realize is that how are they going to keep getting that money if we don’t keep cycling. Therefore people are struggling with food, and body issues more than ever before. It is mind boggling as to how people are profiting off of others illnesses but they are. The only way to stop it is to inform, make people aware and to realize that our bodies deserve respect. Diet, junk and unrealistic goals are cycling. Balance is the key.

One More Drink Won't Hurt...Or Will It?

"Submitted by Phialy Noun:"

In our society today, we treat certain activities as if it was a social norm. Some of the activities are morally, traditionally wrong and even illegal. We as the people of the society had created bad things to be legal but are constantly abused such as alcohol. One of the major problems that goes uncovered is binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as drinking an excessive amount of alcohol. In pennsylvania, the legal limit of blood alcohol content is 0.08. Some see binge drinking a right of passage, while others just do it for fun. Our culture makes it a norm to binge drink. Drinking makes people feel curious and older. Alcohol is highly promoted in ads, songs and tv shows such as Jersey Shore. College parties invented games to make binge drinking exciting but encourages more consumption.

Binge drinking can lead to health and financial problems. About 76% of binge drinkers say they do it because its fun, 65% says it makes them more sociable and 41% says it helps them forget their problems. Hangovers and drinking related illness costs about 17 million job days a year. Binge drinking causes about 223 billion dollars in property damage, criminalization, health care and loss of work production. One third of auto accidents and deaths are related to alcohol intoxication.Binge drinking causes neurological, intestinal, cardiovascular, and financial damage. The brain can get highly effected by alcohol and cause a stroke. Alcohol damages the liver and causes metabolism problems or liver cancer. Too much alcohol consumption can cause the body to shut down and become unresponsive. About one in twenty females are sexually assaulted due to alcohol. STDs are a risk factor when binge drinking. Nearly 50,000 cases of intoxication are reported yearly. For example, a 19 year old student name Danny Daniels at California State University died from alcohol poisoning. In 2009, a 20 year old student at Penn State died from his injuries after falling off a balcony and ending up in a stairway.

In conclusion, binge drinking relates to some of the health problems in our society. The pressure from our peers and social norm to drink makes it difficult to fight against at times. Being responsible and socializing with the right people helps prevent alcohol related injuries. Life is too sort so by binge drinking that life span is decreased dramatically. In some cases that one drink too many could be the last drink you'll have.

McDonaldization disregards health

Submitted By Edwin Rivera

     Its bizarre to see how far some of the world's most popular organizations will go to make achieve higher sucess. Sadly, businesses are not as concerned with the health risks of their customers as they are with their growth in income. Marlboro is a good example. Marlboro is the world's largest selling brand of cigarettes. Cigarettes can lead to many types of cancer, but are still purchased by hundreds of millions of customers.  Approximately 87 percent of all lung cancer cases in the United States are caused by cigarette smoking. These large businesses are selling poisonous products that simply harm consumers.

     McDonald's is the world's largest chain of fast food hamburger restaurants. There are McDonald's everywhere, and even though people know that McDonald's food isn't healthy, they continue to eat it. McDonald's is quick and cheap, so you can't lose right? Wrong! McDonald's, like Marlboro, is a popular business that is more concerned with income than they are the health of their own customers. McDonald's (like other fast food restaurants) can affect many health risks. These foods are fatty, and many of the ingredients are unheard of. McDonald's burgers are super high in salt. (Keep in mind that anything with the right amount of sodium won't rot.)

     A very interesting experiment that has been done multiple times proves that McDonald's burgers and fries do not decompose. Even after two decades of a McDonald's burger being out, it did not decompose. That means that after 20 years, a single burger did not have any mold. These are the same burgers that are served every day to people. A burger that won't rot doesn't sound like the healthiest thing to serve customers. Although McDonald's is familiar with these experiments, they continue to serve the same burgers that have been satisfying millions of people all over the world.
      These burgers contribute to McDonald's success. In such a short amount of time, you can sell many burgers that take only a few minutes to prepare. In McDonald's, quantity = quality. The burgers always taste the same, their only goal is to sell the same products in the shortest amount of time possible. Of course McDonald's isn't concerned with the health risks caused by eating their foods. If customers continue to buy these standardized burgers, they are only contributing to the success of the world's favorite fast food restaurant.

     In the fast food industry, efficiency is the key to a successful franchise. The simpler the food preparation process is, the more sales will be made. The burger making process is so standardized that no matter which McDonald's you go to in the world each burger is EXACTLY the same. The video below is an experiment done with McDonald burgers. Perhaps McDonald's should consider the possible risks these burgers could put costumers in.