Unhealthy diet habits - Essay Example

? Unhealthy Diet Habits Unhealthy Diet Habits Unhealthy food habits are causing big problems at present to people all over the world. Instead of eating healthy foods, current people are running after tasty foods, especially fast foods. Fast foods on the other hand contain ingredients which are harmful to human health. “The problem with fast foods in America is that Americans tend to be people who get extreme--they either like something and want it all the time or they don't like something at all and never want any of it” (Fast Food And Health Problem, n. d). Another reason for the increased popularity of fast food is the cheaper price. Compared to other foods, fast foods are cheaper. In short, better taste and cheaper price encourage people to use fast foods more and more. As a young person, I am extremely lazy about my health. I do not eat fresh foods; instead, I eat fast food which is convenient to me. Fast food habits forced me to sleep more and getting exhausted. I lost interests in my studies, which affected my grades. Low grade destroyed my self-confidence and I started to experience depression. However, I realised the problems associated with my unhealthy food habits and I started to eat fresh and nutritious foods cooked in the kitchen. At present, I am successful in regaining my lost energy as a result of the stoppage of fast foods. My advice to the people, especially to the younger generation is to avoid fast food at any cost to safeguard your health. This paper analyses the problems associated with practicing fast foods. Problems associated with fast food At the time of eating, fast foods provide eating pleasure to people; however in the long run, it causes huge damages to health. According to Paul (2011), “eating just one fast food meal can pack enough calories, sodium and fat for an entire day or more. Eating fast food on a regular basis can lead to a host of different health problems, both physical and psychological” (Paul, 2011). Fast foods contain lot of fats and oils. Because of the lack of physical activities, the extra energy received from fast food will be deposited in our body in the form of fat. As a result of that, fast food users may develop high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, heart problems etc. Fast food offerings typically feature red meats, which are high in saturated fats. They also often include deep fried foods, such as breaded fish and chicken, breakfast sausage, onion rings and french fries. Deep fried foods typically contain high amounts of trans fats and saturated fats. These fats elevate low-density lipoprotein levels in the bloodstream, which can clog children's arteries and increase the risk of heart disease. Fast food sandwich buns are frequently made from white flour, a simple carbohydrate that raises blood glucose levels. Other fast food staples, such as pancakes, french fries, onion rings, french toast sticks and breadsticks, are also loaded with simple carbohydrates. Heavy reliance on these carbohydrates can lead to the onset of diabetes (Pearson, 2011). Many teenagers have the false belief that diabetes or cholesterol related problems may occur only to old people. However, some of the recent studies have shown that these problems are increasing day by day among teenagers. It should be noted that old people develop these problems because of their inability to do enough physical work outs needed to burn out extra energy deposited in their bodies. Current teenagers are also the culprits of the same problems. They are also spending less time in playing grounds at present and more time in front of the computers or mobile phones. Obesity is a global issue. It is reaching epidemic proportions in developed nations and many developing countries now also have problems. In a survey, 40% of people attribute food as the culprit - 20% chose 'unhealthy food choices' and another 20% chose 'unhealthy food habits like eating at irregular hours' (Fast food addiction, obesity and other weighty issues, 2008). According to the 2011 statistics published by National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), “About one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese” (U.S. Obesity Trends, 2011). Obesity is a big social problem at many parts of the world. One of the major reasons of obesity is fast food consumption. Teenagers are not much worried about their health and they consume foods which are tastier to them. At the same time, they are not much bothered about burning out the extra energy they received through fast foods. Current teenagers are more interested in spending time in front of the computers than playing in grounds. Thus, they fail to burnout extra energy and because of that they will develop obesity or over weight. Obesity can cause physical as well as mental problems. Many studies have proved that obesity may cause depression like psychological problems. An obese teenager will face lot of harassment from his friends because of his failure to move well just like others. Such harassments may cause huge damage to his confidence and he may try to stay away from others. Thus he may develop depression as a result of obesity. Solutions Avoid fast foods as much as possible is the only way of avoiding fast food related health problems. Kitchen made foods should be used more regularly even if it is not much tastier. Teenagers should realise that kitchen made foods may provide health whereas fast foods may provide diseases. They are free to decide which one they require. You can't prevent your children from eating fast food, but you can ask them to make healthier choices. You can ask them to ask for less cheese topping on their pizza and have more of low-fat toppings like onions, mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables of their choice. They can order roast beef, turkey or chicken sandwiches made of whole wheat breads or biscuits. Burgers can be single meat patty with extra lettuce leaves, tomatoes and onions. They can opt for salads with lettuce leaves and assorted vegetables. Grilled bake, roasted or broiled meats are a better choice over breaded or fried types. They can avoid anything that is cream based like 'creamy tomato soups'. They can choose low-fat milkshakes or juices over sodas and colas. Low-fat frozen yogurt, fruit ices, etc. make excellent dessert choices (Effects of Fast Food on Children, 2011) In this fast moving world, it is difficult to avoid fast foods always. Under such circumstances, it is better to increase the physical activities. In other words, teenagers should try to spend more time in play grounds than in restaurants or in pubs. They should realise that physical exercises are necessary to keep the burn out the extra energy they consumed through fast foods. A healthy life style always requires a healthy sleep. In the absence of proper sleep, people may develop lot of physical as well as mental problems. In order to get proper sleep, stoppage of fast food consumption is necessary. In order to keep the health in proper condition, we require balanced amount of carbohydrates and proteins. Only the foods prepared in the kitchen can ensure nutrition needed to health in adequate amount. “When we eat "for fun" which we do a lot of in our society, we typically eat foods which are chemically made to taste very good and also provide a lot of calories” (SueW, n.d). Young people have a habit of considering eating as a recreational activity. In other words, teenagers often visit fast food restaurants while they wanted to celebrate something. For example, for celebrating birth day party or for some achievements, teenagers usually gather in fast food restaurants. Moreover, whenever they get enough leisure time, they will visit fast food shops. Such habits should be avoided as much as possible. They must realise that life is not for eating alone. In fact eating is done to sustain life. Physical workouts should be increased as much as possible. Many teenagers have the belief that physical activities are necessary only to maintain physical health. However, it is a fact that physical activities can increase physical health as well as mental health. Physical activities increases blood circulation to brain which is necessary to keep the brain in a healthy condition always. Conclusions Fast foods are good only for taste; it is bad for health. Fast foods can develop so many physical as well as mental problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes cholesterol, heart problems, depression, etc. Many people use fast foods because of taste and cheaper prices. They are spoiling their health while knowingly or unknowingly. Kitchen made foods are nutritious than fast foods. In kitchens, we can make sure that what the ingredients we used for preparing foods are. On the other hand, we do not have control over the ingredients used in preparing fast foods. In order to increase the taste, fast food manufacturers use several harmful ingredients while preparing fast foods. In short, it is better to avoid fast foods and increase our physical activities as much as possible to conserve our health. References 1. Effects of Fast Food on Children (2011), Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-fast-food-on-children.html 2. Fast Food And Health Problem (n. d), Retrieved from http://healthfood-guide.com/fastfoodandhealthproblems.aspx 3. Fast food addiction, obesity and other weighty issues (2008), Retrieved from http://www.synovate.com/changeagent/index.php/site/full_story/fast_food_addiction_obesity_and_other_weighty_issues 4. Pearson O. (2011), Fast Food Health Problems For Children. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/364418-fast-food-health-problems-for-children/ 5. SueW.(n.d). Why are We So Fat?. Retrieved from http://obesitysurgery-info.com/obesityreasons.htm 6. U.S. Obesity Trends”. 2011. Centers for disease control and prevention.(2011). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html Read More