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.

Food, Technology, and Other "Necessities"

Christopher DiNicola
Food, Technology, and Other "Necessities"

As our phones get smaller, TV’s get slimmer, and pockets shrink quickly our waists have grown tremendously.  Philadelphia has struggled greatly with a reputation of obesity and has been given the factual title of fourth fattest city in the America, though at a time it was first.  So who or what is to blame for the increasing obesity rates?  Is it the food we eat, the technology we have become a part of, or the wants in our lives that we deem as necessity?

When taking a literal look at obesity, the food we eat is the only thing to blame!  Put aside the medical illnesses and what else is there to point your finger at?  Whether you have taken a nutrition course before or not you know that changing your diet is the key to changing your figure.  The decision for many consumers is in the sizes of their wallets on what foods they will choose to eat which in turn determines the size of their belt.  While wealthy leaders in the food industry such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Checkers feed their pockets and convey misleading advertisements, middle class consumers look their way for the cheapest way to stay in shape.  On the other side of the spectrum, food industry giants such as Acme, Shop Rite, and Super Fresh offer consumers a wider range of healthier food choices and discounts at the larger cost of leisure.

Are food and medical illnesses the most accountable culprits of America’s growing obesity problem?  If you are reading this article today then you most likely remember a time in your adolescence when you knocked or called for a friend instead of texted, owned a slingshot you could control in your hand and not through a phone, and asked people for information instead of using Google.  The internet boom took place in the mid 90’s and noticeably took over information sharing within 10 years.  In the mid 90’s the average rate of obesity in America was between 10%-14% and 10 years later doubled to 20%-24%.  In contrast the average weight of a 24” TV has gone from 62lbs in the early 90’s to as low as 13lbs today! We have watched technology grow in power and speed and shrink in size for over 20 years but watched our weight do the opposite.

So, what else can we blame?  The question would be better answered if we looked at who and not what.  The food we eat may depend on the wages we earn but for all classes of society, aside from those in poverty, there are price competitive healthier choices such as Acme.  While on one side it is safe to say that technology plays a big role in obesity it is also safe to say that advances in technology have enhanced just about everything in life, especially productivity and health.  If the main culprits of obesity have just as many positives as negatives and if not more then I ask:  Who is to blame?

Breaking the "Fat Stigma" in America

By: Amy Hutton

          There are two ways people choose to view health. One being the weight centered approach – which is defined as, the idea being that we can judge ones health based upon weight and that health problems can be solved with weight loss.  The other is the health-centered approach – this is where health becomes separate from weight. Which means weight is not a diagnosis.  Our society has become obsessed with weight, whether it be weight loss, weight gain or weight maintenance. It appears that a persons overall health has fallen wayside during this obsession. The way people view fat and its correlation to poor health has been completely exaggerated. There are living, breathing, healthy fat people, and in the same respect, unhealthy thin people. This alone proves that weight does not equal health. Health is defined by Wikipedia as the general condition of a persons mind, body and spirit also, to be free from illness, injury and pain. So why do we as a society correlate ones weight to ones overall health?

         

          Society is quick to write off a person of size’s health problems. As an example, a woman of size can appear to her doctor with complaints of knee joint pain and the doctor writes her off with a prescription for weight loss. When a thin woman appears to the same doctor with the same complaint, is the doctor going to write her a script for weight loss? Chances are, no. She will most likely get thoroughly examined, be given a medication prescription and possibly have x-rays done. Overweight and thin people get all the same diseases’, being thin is not a cure nor should it be a preventative. The most common health indicators are blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. All of these can be improved simply by lifestyle changes and that does not mean weight loss.

          Women, more so than men, are taught at a very young age to hate their bodies. Studies show girls as young as 8 years old dieting. They are taught to restrict their calorie intake or keep a food journal because they are not “good enough” or they are not “normal.” Whose standards are we basing this “normal” concept from? Is it your standards, mine, teachers, doctors, parents, health insurance companies? Shouldn’t it be your own personal standards? As stated before, dieting often includes a food journal, restricting calories and having food restrictions, ruining your relationship with food and discrediting your own body. This is an eating disorder. Society pushes down our throats that we need to conform to a certain size in order to be healthy, happy and beautiful. There are people who think of food negatively and view their own bodies in disgust; I don’t know about you, but that does not sound healthy to me. Humans are diverse in nature, there are different colors, shapes, heights, hair colors, nose sizes that are all considered normal. Why then do we scream ‘abnormal’ or ‘unhealthy’ if one does not conform to a narrow height-weight ratio?

Who is Healthier???

(surprisingly the female to the right)

          In our society, everyone is judged by their outward appearance. Opinions and judgments are made simply by viewing a person’s height, weight, size, shape, clothing, haircut, etc. A common misconception is that you can tell how healthy a person is by the way they look on the outside. This may be the furthest thing from truth. There is a fat stigma in our society, labeling them to be bad. As surprising as it may be, there are some fat people among us who are healthier than you. There are three definite things that you can not tell about a fat person simply by viewing them; How much and what they eat, how many times a week they exercise, and how healthy they are. The only thing you can tell about a fat person is that they are fat. 

          The obsession with weight in our society has become out of control. Focusing on someone’s health has been misconstrued and turned into controlling someone’s weight. People have been brainwashed to believe that weight and health are the same thing, when in fact, they are not. Thin and fat people alike have the same ailments in life and weight loss is not the cure. Our children are being taught to hate their bodies because they do not look like everyone else. Society writes off anyone who does not conform to what they were taught ‘healthy’ is. None of these things sound good for a person’s mind, body or spirit. It sounds as though society needs a health checkup and a reevaluation of what healthy really is.

          

THE FOOD HABITS AND LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT

submited by : IVAN, M.

         According to Joyce Mitchell and Lee Haroun the purpose of attaining good health is more than hoping to prevent disease and extend the length of life. It includes improving the quality of life. The United states remains the first nation in the world with a large rate of obesity, which is mainly caused by a bad food habits. The proportion of obese persons in the U.S grows regularly,and  it has gone straight up over the years. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the estimation average of people who are overweight or obese is 64% of adults and 30% of adults age 20 and above are obese. Which means, in this society we don't eat properly as we are supposed to,we eat unhealthy and that has a huge impact on our health condition. This clip shows us how the rate of obesity is gone up over the years.

                                                                               
                 The  bad food habits, as well as the lack of activity, are the main factors responsible for this outbreak of obesity. And this phenomenon also gets young people, the category in which the percentage of obese men and women does not stop growing. Why such an increase? According to some specialists, it is the settled way of life, the way of living and of feeding which is still and always the cause. The American children spend  numerous hours in front of any sorts of screens. So, they neglect the physical activity. Over and above the fact that meanwhile, they do not stop eating fast food and gulping down extremely sweetened drinks. This imbalance leads them invariably to gain weight. On the other hand we have this case of poverty, which is one of the reason of obesity if we can say that. People living in poverty don't have access to good and healthy food. They cannot afford it. That's why they refer themselves at the corner stores or fast food store where there are all the junk and unhealthy staff, because is cheap and that's all the can afford. Here is a clip that discuss a little bit of what I pointed out.

Obesity is not the only disease caused by a bad food habits, or a lot of stress there are some other diseases as well. For instance we have cardio-vascular diseases, strokes,diabetes, high blood pressure and so on. The question is what can we do to avoid all those diseases. I guess we have to change our food habits and lifestyle by eating fresh, more vegetables, fruits, grains and less food with high calories, avoid stress, sufficient exercise. A good idea will be also to create groups and organizations with a purpose to teach our population some good food habits and a good lifestyle management.

Childhood Obesity

Submitted By Lisa C. Hickson

I think by now we all know that obesity is a problem in this country, but I think childhood obesity is devastating.  We are responsible for our children.  There are several factors that may cause childhood obesity.  Some children's genetic make-up make them prone to being overweight, but with a managed diet and exercise this problem can usually be corrected.   I think the biggest problem is children not being served  the proper foods.  Children are dependent on their caretakers, usually those caretakers are the parents.  There may be several reasons why parents don't serve healthy foods.  One reason could be money ; after watching the clip in class yesterday, it seems people feel that buying fast food or going to the corner store is cheaper than buying healthy food.  I beg to differ,  I think people are using money as an excuse.  The truth is it's easier, more convenient to go to the corner store, or to purchase fast food.  Parents are letting children tell them what they will and won't eat; they're afraid children won't like the meals that they prepare.  What we must do as parents is start early, with our children's diet.  We can't wait until this issue becomes a major problem.  I know we want to blame the government for everything that is going wrong in our lives, and usually that is the case, but not now.  We also want to blame the media ;  we feel that advertisers are trying to ruin us.  Newsflash this is our problem, we are creating it, like I said "we are responsible for what our children eat"!  What we have to do is take a little extra time.  We have to be more involved with our children's daily activities.  We have to give them alternative things to do ; something other than sitting in front of the televison with a happy meal or playing video games.  We should exercise with our children; remember we are their first teachers.    I think people are uninformed about healthy foods being very expensive, we have to look for items that are on sale, the best thing to do is try growing some things, I know for a fact seeds are not as expensive as you think.  It might sound like a lot of work, but aren't our children worth it?  I picked this video so that everyone who reads this blog will know this is a serious problem.