The Danger of Violent Video Games - Essay Example

?Introduction: Obesity has become a major problem in the modern world. It has become a global issue due to unhealthy eating habits as well as people’s changing trend towards junk food. Obesity can be cured only by controlling our diet. People think of taking diet pills, which cause even bigger problems like side effects. The strong will power of a person to follow the controlled diet will help him or her to loose the unwanted fats in the body. People will have to change their lifestyle if they wish to lead a healthy and happy life. Many researches and studies are being conducted regarding this topic so as to find an effective solution for this worldwide phenomenon. Obesity can simply be described as the over accumulation of fats in our body. It poses a serious threat as it may lead to several heart diseases and even diabetes. The main reasons for obesity are overeating, irregular eating patterns and habits as well as lack of daily physical activity. Some of the common problems caused by obesity are increased sweating, difficulty in breathing, difficulty in doing physical activities and so on. As mentioned earlier, the only remedy for this health problem is to lose weight through a systematic and organized diet system, which incorporates both elements: food and exercise. Our body needs a certain amount of calories each day. The excess calories that we obtain through overeating is stored as fat. This stored up fat can be burned out only by exercising. “Patients with obesity often have multiple nutrition-related medical problems (e.g. Hypertension and diabetes) that make a needs assessment necessary to prioritize the treatment approaches” (Gumbiner, B., 2001, P.170) This paper deals with an investigation and comparison of Atkins diet and the Cabbage Soup Diet, the two popular diet plans that may help people to reduce weight and set them free from obesity. Atkins diet was created keeping in mind people who eat too much. These people take in large amounts of carbohydrates daily. The body is designed in a unique way to obtain energy from the food eaten. This is done by burning the carbohydrates and fats stored in the body. Atkins diet tries to reduce the use of carbohydrates, which will lead to the use of excess fat in the body that will help in loosing weight. “By restricting carbohydrates drastically to a mere fraction of that found in the typical American diet, the body goes into a state of ketosis which means it burns its own fat for fuel” (The Atkins Diet, 2011). When a person is in this state, his or her body burns the excess fat instead of the carbohydrates, which reduces the feeling of hunger and this ultimately results in weight loss. On the other hand, the Cabbage Soup Diet is just a restrictive diet. It has a well planned, systematic list of the things that one has to eat each day of the week. Kathleen M. Zelman says that these meals have to be eaten at home as they are not available in any restaurants. “The Cabbage Soup Diet plan promises a 10- pound weight loss in one week” (Zelman, 2011). It is said that Cabbage Soup Diet helps to reduce weight if one sticks to the list of allowed food on alternate days along with fat free cabbage soup. “The new cabbage soup diet (Margaret Danbront) allows dieters to eat as much cabbage soup as they like, plus other food as directed” (IDEA Health & Fitness. 2002, P. 79). A person following this diet should drink plenty of water and should avoid alcohols at any cost. On the first day, along with the cabbage soup, the individual following this diet system should eat fruits and drink unsweetened tea, coffee or water. On the second day, again the cabbage soup as well as vegetables that contain low calories and baked potatoes with butter must be taken. On the third day, the individual is supposed to have both fruits and vegetables as taken on the first and second day along with cabbage soup. On the fourth day the plan is to consume up to eight bananas with skimmed milk, but without omitting the soup. Next day marks the beginning to eat beef, chicken or fish along with tomatoes and it is advised to drink plenty of water. On the sixth day along with the soup it is allowed to have up to three beefsteaks and also some vegetables. On the last day the individual can have two cups of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and a wide variety of vegetables. It is observed that the better choice is following the cabbage soup diet in order to get rid of obesity. After many studies, it was found that the dieters were able to limit the intake of carbohydrates to 30g a day. Dr Atkins’ book ‘New Diet Revolution,’ shows that “Calorie intake during the ongoing weight-loss phase (when carbohydrate intake is being increased gradually, by 5 g a day) dieters ate an average of 1,500 calories a day and lost an additional 3 pounds in two weeks” (Request white listing, 2009). “The basis of this diet is that cabbage soup contains very little calories, that it’s a ‘fat-burning’ soup” (Cabbage Soup Diet: Calories, 2011). Sticking to the steady cabbage soup diet will result in the shedding off of a few pounds over a short period of time. This diet plan satisfies a person with little amount of food. Less food will lead to few calories and this will ultimately lead to weight loss, which was the main aim of the person. Probably, this type of weight loss is due to the intake of low calories. It is said that the more cabbage soup you eat, the more weight you lose. The diet is called fat burning soup as it contains very less amount of calories and, therefore, the individual does not have to worry about weight. But cabbage soup diet is not an answer to a healthy lifestyle, which one can follow throughout his life. “Cabbage is well known to have fewer calories compared to the other types of vegetables. Soups normally are low fat-making contents. Ingredients in the cooking of the cabbage soup are high on fiber instead of calories” (Loose fast and easy through cabbage soup diet, 2011). Michael Aziz in his work, “The Perfect 10 Diet: 10 Key Hormones That Hold the Secrets to Losing Weight,” points out the disadvantages of the Atkins diet. He says “This very high-fat diet can shut down HIGH production. It is also very high in protein, which can lead to thyroid disease” (Aziz, 2010, P. 398). He also points out that this diet endorses products with soy protein isolate and Splenda. Both these are forbidden on the perfect 10 Diet. As there is a chance of consuming more processed meat, he says that there is a possibility of developing cancer. The main advantage of the cabbage soup diet is that it helps to rapidly reduce weight within 7 days. This plan supports supplementary food items, which provide the necessary proteins that the body requires. This diet promises a desirable change in the individual who follows the plan. After following the procedures favorably, one can experience the best result out of it even though the result is not long term. The American Heart Association (AHA) argues that Atkins diet is not at all safe as it has not been proven to be effective in the long run. This diet restricts healthy food and is supplied with high protein food like meat, egg etc, which may cause several heart diseases. It does not provide high nutritious foods. It may lead to high cholesterol problems as well. “The AHA asserts that most people already eat more protein and fat than their bodies need, and eating a high-protein, high-fat diet raises the risk of many types of disease” (The Atkins Diet Debate, 2007). Therefore, it is advisable to follow the Cabbage Soup Diet as it does not have the risk of causing any diseases related to the heart or kidney. Moreover, by following this diet, a person is forced to intake large quantities of water, which is essential for the body. Even though the Cabbage Soup Diet is not a long-term plan, it is much healthier than the Atkins diet. Studies have proven wrong many facts regarding the Atkins diet which the people once believed. The Cabbage Soup Diet is just a 7-day plan, which will help in reducing the extra fat that is accumulated in the body. If a person strictly follows the plan by consuming the soup along with the supplementary nutritious food items, it will prove to be effective just within one week. In dietary plan, the food items contain both proteins and fiber with less amount of fat in them. But on the other hand, the Atkins Diet is largely fat centered diet and it will make a person to consume even more fat, which will become nothing but a bigger problem rather than being a solution to the obesity that people face. To be brief, Atkins diet is a high protein, high fat and low carbohydrates concentration. This must be followed only under a medical supervision. Cabbage Soup Diet can be followed according to ones own wish without the supervision of a doctor, but being regular without breaking the continuity of the one week duration. Therefore, it could be concluded that Cabbage Soup Diet is more applicable when compared to the Atkins Diet as it proves to be safer than the other in reducing the overall body weight. This will help a person to become slim within one week. Following this diet will make it possible for an individual to get both physical and emotional satisfaction as he or she may achieve the goal of becoming slim without much effort. Reference List Aziz, M., 2010. The Perfect 10 Diet: 10 Key Hormones That Hold the Secret to Losing Weight and Feeling Great-Fast. [Online] Sourcebooks, Inc, P.398 Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=spkEKSsfgSQC&pg=PA398&dq=disadvantages+of+Atkins+diet&hl=en&ei=sI7XTbPLBo_jrAel7ZH_BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=disadvantages%20of%20Atkins%20diet&f=false [Accessed 21 May 2011]. Cabbage Soup Diet: Calories, 2011. [Online] Lycos. Available at: http://www.lycos.com/info/cabbage-soup-diet--calories.html [Accessed 21 May 2011]. Gumbiner, B., 2001. Obesity. [Online] ACP Press, P. 170 Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=O6AhVYcJN70C&printsec=frontcover&dq=obesity&hl=en&ei=NKPXTbfUBcjIrQe535nqBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=reasons%20for%20obesity&f=false [Accessed 21 May 2011]. IDEA Health & Fitness. 2002. Help Clients Lose Weight. [Online] IDEA Health & Fitness Association, P.79 Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=YpYuvOaFPXgC&pg=PA79&dq=Reasons+why+cabbage+soup+diet+plan+may+be+successful&hl=en&ei=GpnXTamfM8norQewpZD1BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Reasons%20why%20cabbage%20soup%20diet%20plan%20may%20be%20successful&f=false [Accessed 21 May 2011]. Loose fast and easy through cabbage soup diet, 2011. [Online] cabbage-soupdiet. Available at: http://www.cabbage-soupdiet.org/loose-fast-and-easy-through-cabbage-soup-diet/ [Accessed 21 May 2011]. Request white listing, 2009. [Online] Best Low Carbs. Available at: http://www.bestlowcarbs.com/article1100.html [Accessed 21 May 2011]. The Atkins Diet Debate, 2007. [Online] Healthy Weight Forum. Available at: http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/diets/atkins_diet/ [Accessed 21 May 2011]. The Atkins Diet, 2011. [Online] WebMd. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/diet/atkins-diet-what-it-is [Accessed 21 May 2011]. Zelman, KM., 2011. Healthy eating and diet. [Online] WebMd. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-cabbage-soup-diet [Accessed 21 May 2011]. Read More