Category: Eating Habits

The world’s population of older adults (aged 65 and more) is on the increase. With an estimated 620 million older adults in 2015 (i.e. 8% of the world’s population), the projection is that by the year 2050 the population would accrue to 1.6 billion, surpassing the younger age groups, He, Goodkind, & Kowal, 2015). America’s population is also aging in parallel with the world’s population and projected to more than double its population of older adults by the year 2060 (Mather, 2016). The increasing aging population has the potential to significantly impact the health, and the economy of the United States. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, excessive utilization of health and government services, unemployment (retirement, dependence on pension, poverty, homelessness, older dependency ratio, loneliness, depression, and malnutrition are some of the challenges posed (Goodman et al.,2015; Solanki, Singhal, Mishra & Meharda, 2015; West, Cole, Goodkind, & He, 2014).

According to De Groot & van Staveren (2010), nutrition plays an important role in healthy living in old age and in preventing and managing chronic diseases. In another vein, Tapsell & Probst (2008) also asserted that healthy eating will reduce the burden of diseases related to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several forms of cancer, osteoporosis and dental disease. Increasing the consumption of green leafy vegetables by 2 servings/day will lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 13%, while a serving/day of fruits reduces the risk by 6% (Li et al., 2014). There is also convincing evidence that it reduces the risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and obesity (Boeing et. al, 2012). Nutrition was also shown to enhance the immune system of the aging body (Pae, Meydani, & Wu, 2012; Lesourd, 2004). The role of healthy nutrition in the normal aging process of older adults cannot be overemphasized.

Public health importance of adequate nutrition

Decreased quality and quantity of food intake has immediate and long-term consequences on the health of older adults. Adequate nutrition in respect to quantity varies according to individual differences and it is recommended that older adults should eat just enough food to prevent both undernutrition and unintended weight loss (Dorner, 2010). Nutritional quality is defined by the number of vegetables and fruits, grains, dairy products, sodium, fats, and water consumed. Healthy nutrition is that which is low in fats and sodium but high in the other components (Hiza, Casavale, Guenther, & Davis, 2013). An important concept in the field of nutrition is the growing concern of undernourishment coexisting with obesity in older adults. This phenomenon arises when basic nutrients are not consumed in the presence of chronic overeating or lack of physical activity (Starr, McDonald, & Bales, 2015).

Decreased intake and accessibility to quality food are factors that may directly impact the nutritional status of older adults. The appetite for food generally declines in old age, a term called “anorexia of aging”, but the presence of chronic diseases may further decrease appetite and predispose to undernutrition (Dorner, 2010; James, 2004). Other conditions that can negatively affect food intake include dementia, Parkinson’s disease, polypharmacy, stroke, etc. Frailty, poverty, social isolation, lack of transportation, poor food distribution/network may predispose to inability to access or obtain healthy food (Locher et al., 2005; Kowlessar, Robinson, & Schur, 2015; Vesnaver & Keller, 2011).

Despite well-documented benefits of healthy eating in old age, there exist disparity in accessing and obtaining healthy nutrition among community-dwelling older adults in the United states. It is well documented that malnutrition is predominant among older adults and may be as high as 30% among community-dwellers (Soenen & Chapman, 2013; Kaiser et al, 2010; Agarwal, Miller, Yaxley, & Isering, 2013). Being very old (75 years and above) has been proven to be an independent risk factor for the development of malnutrition (Silver, 2009). One study reported a prevalence of 15% among community-dwelling older adults and a much higher prevalence (23 – 62%) among institutionalized geriatric patients (Soenen & Chapman, 2013). The risk of having nutritional deficiencies is much higher among women, ethnic minorities, and rural-dwelling older adults (Silver, 2009). It is noteworthy that a higher rate of risk of malnutrition has been reported among older adults than those who did have it, the rate which could be as high as 76 – 83% (Hamirudin, Charlton, & Walton, 2016; Guigoz, 2006).

Therefore, identifying elderly individuals with risk of malnutrition is important in preventing the health care cost associated with the complications of malnutrition before they develop it. In addition, the risk of malnutrition is also associated with the likelihood of morbidity and mortality (Cederholm, 2017).

MyDiet Analysis

Diet Analysis is a way to track the entire food one eats for a period of time and analyzes the foods eaten to determine the overall nutritional value of one’s dietary intake. It also helps to determine one’s diet “weak spots,” potential food allergies or disease management issues. The results of this analysis help determine a personal Diet Prescription Plan & are strongly considered when recommending a Diet Meal Plan.

Nutrition has played a big part in my life even prior to taking this Nutrition Class. At a very young age I never really care what I put into my body since I was naturally thin since my high school years. Since I started studying nursing, I have been more aware of my eating habits, but not really doing a good job of my food choices due to my current busy lifestyle.

To say the least, I am fascinated by nutrition. I enjoy reading Men’s Health magazine and watching television shows like The Doctor’s and Doctor Oz because they are filled with nutrition tips, and scientific studies about fitness and health. I also follow the latest nutritional news because I am a firm believer that your diet is the biggest component of your health and I wish to make continue to make it for the rest of my life. Biology 107 has been an extremely useful and knowledgeable course because I can personally relate to it and can apply much of the information learned to my own life. The Diet Analysis project was wonderful because it gave me a first-hand look at my own diet habits. With it, I was also able to analyze the exercises and physical activities I did within the period of time.

During the process of my diet analysis, I realized that in some places I was consuming more than I should be and in some I was consuming less than I should be. There were also those places where I was getting just the right amount. It is so interesting to me to be able to find out what I am consuming and how I am consuming it. Being an active male, it was most interesting and good that I note what I ate, what my average of these days were, and the plan on how I would correct the way I eat to make it a more healthier lifestyle.

Like instructed by the professor, I created three profiles for the diet analysis, and I used each for one week each to analyze my diet and physical activities. I was able to input the foods I ate daily and also the physical activities I was involved in. And since my diet plan was to loose two pounds a week, I was careful with the food I ate, as I was eating less than usual and I engaged myself in more physical activities. During the first week of diet analysis, because of my goal of loosing weight, two pounds. I didn’t eat so much. Even compared to the recommended value, I took in lower calories. I took in just 73% of the recommended calorie intake that was required for me to achieve my goal of loosing two pounds in a week. Consequently, I lost four pounds in just that week; I ate so little compared to what I really needed. And moreover, I was involved in a lot of physical activities that week coupled with my daily exercises. During the course of that week, I got tired easily. It was so hard on me I felt like just forgetting about achieving the goal for my diet analysis. But I was able to pull through at the end of the week. I realized I took in less food containing carbohydrates and fats. My carbohydrate intake was 80% of the recommended value and my fat intake was 68% of the recommended value, which are both less compared to my protein intake, which was 90% of the recommended value. Thus I had little stored energy. And since my aim was to loose just two pounds and I ended up losing four. That meant I was absolutely doing something wrong.

Due to health reasons and the fact that my goal was to lose 2 pounds a week, after the first week of my diet analysis was over, I waited two week before I continued the analysis in order gain weight back. I didn’t monitor my diet then. Two weeks later, I was 220 pounds back, my weight before I started the analysis. Afterward, I started again. In my second week of diet analysis, I took note of my mistakes from the first week and tried my possible best to meet the recommended value of dietary intake. I also made sure I took in enough carbs and fats to have enough energy to go through daily activities. I increased my carbohydrate intake, it was even more than the recommended value, I took in about 113% of the recommended value. My fats intake too was increased to about 90% of the recommended value, likewise my protein intake, which was 123% of the recommended value for that week. My total calorie intake was accurate with the recommended value as I met 100% of the recommended value. However, I reduced the number of physical activities and exercises I got involved in during the course of the week. After the week was over, I was only able to maintain my weight. I didn’t lose any pounds. I was 220 pounds before the week started and at the end of the week, I was also 220 pounds. This also meant I was still doing something wrong. My goal is to lose 2 pounds a week, but instead, I maintained my weight.

On my last week of diet analysis, I was determined I was going to lose exactly two pounds. I decided I was going to follow the recommended values of food intake to the letter. I was also determined to watch the physical activities I got involved in. At the end of the week, I was able to completely take in 92% of the recommended calorie. However, it seemed I ate a little too much of carbs compared to other food classes as I took in 105% of the recommended carbohydrate intake. Guess I ate a little too much of pasta and spaghetti and macaroni, as those were the food I ate the most during the week. I took in 98% of the recommended value for protein and just about 85% of the value recommended for fats. During the course of the week, I was very active; I did a couple of weight lifting, did some jogging and running. I also walked around a lot. At the end of the week, I weighed myself with a digital weight balance. To my surprise, I didn’t actually achieve my goal of losing 2 pounds in a week, but I was close to it. I lost 1.6 pounds that week and weight 218.4, compared to my initial 220. To me, this seems like a success. Now I know more about my body metabolism. And I know more about the relationship between my body, the food I eat, and the physical activities I get into.

Fast food refers to food that is being cooked easily and quickly then packed and sold in the markets or restaurants. Nowadays, the most common type of food that is increased among human being is fast food .However it tastes good and will be eaten in few minutes but its effects on GIT system remain for long time and may cause diseases that related to GIT system. With increasing fast food among humans obesity and heart diseases are most common diseases that new generation suffering all these years.

With the development in the field of technology and world’s rationality , humans life have been developed so that they will spend little time for going to markets to buy things. Also due to participation of women in all aspects of society and working for many hours in their jobs so they have less time or energy to cook for their households.

In the field of technology markets can delivery the food to costumer’s door in very short time, so there will be no wasting time for going to markets to buy foods .For example McDonalds which is an American fast food company , its delivery is available for 24 hours a day and will get things to costumers doors .As a result technology has facilited humans life.

In those years women take part in world’s rationality ,so they have rights to participate with men in most kind of jobs. In 2010, it was stated that women’s employment in the U.S was 60 million .their participation in full time working was 73 percent, when part time job was 27 percent .As a result of there long time working they prefer those foods that is easily being prepared and eaten ,which is one of the characteristic of fast food.

As fast food being prepared then they will serve it in an amazing scene . those ingredients that presence in it contains high amount of calories that is unhealthy for humans body. fast food contains high amount of carbohydrates that is above normal digestive system’s response to break down it. As a result those carbs can induce spike in blood sugar ,that alter the normal insulin response. and Trans fats that presence in fast food will result in increase level of bad cholesterol ( LDL )and low level of good cholesterol (HDL) . both ingredients carbs and trans fats may cause type 2 diabetes in humans.

Fast food has another effect in body’s health and has been infamous for this charecterise which is heart disease. A Dutch study found that those adults living near the restaurants they will face more developed heart disease than those living further away. In processed foods like fast food that contains high amount of sodium that is not good for cardiovascular health. Sodium ion is the most important causes factor that increase blood pressure. when blood pressure increase more blood move to heart. As a result of moving more blood to heart cause heart attack or stroke and may induce problem in kidney.

In today’s life mankind suffer another problem that one of its reason is fast food which is obesiy.Obesity is a universal problem that defined by The World Health (TWH) as amass of uncommon or excessive fat that can have a negative effect on health. Fast food providing us less amount of minerals, vitamins and nutrients that is necessary to good health, In addition it will give us high amount of sugar and fat that results in weight gain.

Over the past thirty years, obesity and the diseases caused by obesity in the US have increased rapidly. The occurrence of obesity in children aged between 6 to 19 years has tripled from 5% to 17%, and in adults has increased from half to two thirds of the total population. During these years the number of restaurants selling the food has been doubled. As childhood obesity is very common those years. Most of the statistics show that the reason may refer to fast food restaurants that are near schools could have important impacts on obesity among school children. Using strategies to permit school children from going to the nearby fast food restaurants might have a large role in decreasing the probability of becoming obese. However, the case is not the same for adults and the people living near these restaurants. By using the fact that teenagers more important thing is travel costs, so proximity of restaurants has larger effects for them.Because permitting the availability of fast food in residential areas it is may not have large effects on them

Fast food which is the most common these days and we could get it in very easy way and this will ease human’s life in every direction .There are many factors that fast food increased among humans. Those women who is having jobs in full time or half time , sothey will have less time to cook . But we should be aware of this food because of those calories and sodium and much unhealthy ingredient in it.Finally it may cause diabetes, obesity and heart diseases. Fast foods has more influence on children than other because of having restaurants near schools. And similar for adults because they fall off more quickly with distance so it may have large effect for them too.

Whether fast food good or bad for our health we should care about our body and life because we live just one time and our body require us to care about it. And to be healthy we have to eat in a healthy way.

Imagine this; you wake up on your birthday and your mum has made you a delicious breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, two pieces of toast with creamy butter, and a side of crispy bacon. Sounds good right? What if I told you that those eggs came from chickens locked up in cages as small as an A4 piece of paper? The butter spread across your toast came from a pregnant cow that has been forcefully hooked up to an electronic milking machine and frequently suffers from electric shots. The crispy side of bacon came from a piglet that had been slaughtered at the tender age of 6 months. Doesn’t sound too delicious now, does it?

Hello, my name is Lily Nicolaou, and I am privileged to be here today at the 2019 DoSomething conference. Today, I am here to expose the ethically abhorrent practices that continue to exist in the production of many animal products. Before I call on everyone to take action against the unjust practices that continue to thrive in the agricultural industry.

The topic of veganism has been covered dramatically throughout the media recently. You have probably seen story after story, whilst scrolling through Facebook, about militant vegans causing pandemonium all over Australia. Consider this headline: The Cult of the Vegan Vigilantes. This article highlights how an angry army of vegan protesters shut down one of Melbourne’s busiest intersections during peak hour traffic, consequently, disrupting tram routes and forcing numerous ambulances to be rerouted. The article goes on to further explain that the vegan activists have been charged with obstructing and resisting police and roadways. Undoubtedly the vegans caused huge disruptions in Melbourne’s CBD and the media focussed on this and represented them as irrational and delusional ecological terrorists forcing daily commuters into embracing their ideology. Behind this representation is the cultural assumption that vegan activists are justified in causing chaos and anarchy because of their belief that the vegan lifestyle is a healthier and more sustainable way to live. This media portrayal is problematic as it only depicts the most extreme activists of the vegan movement which undermines the effectiveness of the cause and deters society from considering the vegan lifestyle. This is a shame because underneath the irrational behavior, highlighted within the media, at the very heart of the vegan movement, there are some very real, very worthwhile, and very strong arguments as to why going vegan is extremely beneficial. And I am here to tell you why.

I urge all Australians to adopt a vegan lifestyle, as it is not only a more ethical way of living, but it helps save the earth’s finite resources and simultaneously benefits the environment. There is tremendous hope for the future of animals, the earth’s resources, and the environment if we stand as a united front. We, as the consumers, have the power, we have the choice and we have the freedom to be able to make a change, to be able to do something.

The treatment of animals on factory farms is atrocious, it is unjust, and it cannot continue. A factory farm is a large industrialized farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal costs. An Oxford study from 2018 reported that factory farms are the number one cause of animal cruelty in the world today. The conditions on these farms are far removed from the joyful farmyard scenes you used to see in your favorite picture books. Factory farming is the epitome of animal cruelty, the sheer scale of investment in torture is hard to grasp. Jam-packed into tiny sheds, most animals will never see natural daylight, will never roam freely and will never breathe fresh air. The agricultural industry treats animals, as mere commodities, units of production. This is evidenced by the horrific lives these animals are forced to endure from the day they are born, to, ultimately, the day they will be mercilessly slaughtered. Take pigs for example. Sow Stalls is a general practice in the pork industry. Sow stalls are metal cages in which female pigs are imprisoned after being artificially inseminated or mated with a male pig. They must remain confined in the stalls for the full duration of their pregnancy, which is 16 agonizing weeks, as dictated by the Model Code of Practice 2007. The stalls are so small that it offer restricted movement of only one step forward and one step back, and they are unable to move sideways. Sadly, as they are unable to move, they are forced to live in their own feces. Moreover, once a piglet is born, if it weighs less than 15 kg and is 3 weeks of age, it can be killed via blunt force trauma to the head which the Code of Practice states can be carried out with a “hammer or other suitable solid heavy objects.” Why are we allowing farmers to perform such satanic acts? Unfortunately, animal cruelty does not stop there, just as appalling practices are carried out on other animals as well. According to scientific research, farmed animals are sentient beings, meaning they are emotionally complex and intelligent, they have feelings just like you and me. In the 21st century, it is difficult to comprehend that such callous practices continue to exist. But with your help in adopting a vegan lifestyle, you are choosing not to support the morally bereft practices that continually occur in the agricultural industry.

When adopting a vegan lifestyle, you are not only thinking about the animals, but you are putting food on a plate for a poverty-stricken family. Children, women, and men, worldwide, continue to suffer because of the colossal demand for animal products. As of today, we have enough food to feed 10 billion people, while there are only 7 billion people in the world. However, 50% of grains worldwide are being consumed by animals in the agricultural industry whilst 82% of children living next to the production of livestock are starving. For example, in Brazil alone, the equivalent of 5.6 million acres of land is used to grow soya beans for animals in Europe. This land contributes to the increasing epidemic of world malnutrition by forcing impoverished populations to grow cash crops for animal feed, rather than food for themselves. Where is the dignity in choosing to put food in the mouth of an animal rather than the mouth of a starving child? Yet, considerably lower quantities of water and crops are required to sustain a vegan diet. Choosing to eliminate animal products from our diets is not only the simplest way we can reduce the strain on food, but it’s also the simplest way to fight inefficient food systems that disproportionately affect the poorest people all over the world. Therefore, it is evident that converting to a vegan diet is one of the easiest and most effective ways to help put food on a plate for a starving family.

Food is one of the single largest contributors to our environmental footprints – and animals are the biggest culprits. Around 50% of man-made pollution comes from the meat industry, with factory farming delivering higher emissions of greenhouse gasses than that of Australia’s transportation industry. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that cutting meat and dairy products from our diets could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint by up to 73 percent. Surely, that’s got to be a good reason to put down your ham sandwich. What’s more is that rearing livestock for animal-based commodities requires significantly more water, energy, and land than producing grain. For example, the meat and dairy industry are estimated to use 1/3 of the earth’s fresh water. Let me put this into perspective. Your average hamburger takes 2498.37 liters of water to produce. This is equivalent to showering for two months straight! Yet, by being vegan up to 2,744,149.638 liters of water could be saved per person each year. Now you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that, that is a massive amount of water saved if everyone converted to a vegan lifestyle. Furthermore, roughly 91% of all Amazon deforestation is due to animal agriculture. It is predicted that every second, 2 acres of rainforest is destroyed to make room for pastureland. Over the past 25 years, the amount of forest that has been cleared is equivalent to the size of India! As a result, 110 animals and insect species are being reported as extinct every day. Therefore, it is evident that adopting a vegan lifestyle is one of the most helpful ways to reduce our ecological footprint.

The misrepresentation of vegans in the media as hostile, ecological terrorists, has put a colossal strain on how vegans are perceived within society. This misrepresentation deters people from adopting a vegan diet which is a shame as it offers numerous benefits not only to the individual but to animals and the environment. However, if we stand as a united front, we can make a change. So, to all of you inspiring men and women of the future, I ask you to join me in creating change! Change for the better! We are part of the largest demographic; millennials have the choice and the freedom to create a cultural change. It is our responsibility to avoid eating meat and dairy products and start paving the way to a brighter future!

You just finished up your lab class and feel the hunger creeping up on you. Thinking about which small snack you can have before heading to your next class, you grab a Cliff bar to get you through to dinner. A Cliff bar looks healthy and it’s a little pricey, but you just consumed 240 calories with 22 grams of sugar, when the maximum amount of added sugars an adult should consume is between 25-37.5 grams. This scenario shows that healthy living isn’t very accessible to the common man and that commercialism makes it nearly impossible for us to eat healthy.

Families worldwide struggle to provide for themselves and eat nutritious meals. Low-quality diets are often associated with lower-income families. For instance, it is more likely that higher-income households buy whole grains, seafood, lean meats, low-fat milk, and fresh produce, whereas lower-income households purchase more cereals, pasta, starchy produce, legumes, and fatty foods. Their vegetables and fruits are often limited to iceberg lettuce, potatoes, canned corn, bananas, and juices loaded with sugar. According to Adam Drewnowski, and Petra Eichelsdoerfer’s journal research article “Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?”, nutritionists claim that all Americans have equal access to healthy fresh foods; if only they made the effort. However, various factors must be taken into account when understanding the disparity between the upper and lower classes’ relationship with food. “Food deserts” are known as geographic locations where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options such as fresh fruits and vegetables is impaired or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance. For instance, according to a report prepared for Congress by the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture, “about 2.3 million people (or 2.2 percent of all US households) live more than one mile away from a supermarket and do not own a car. [1] In urban areas, access to public transportation may help residents overcome the difficulties posed by distance, but big corporations have driven grocery stores out of many cities in recent years, making them so few and far between that an individual’s food shopping trip may require taking several buses or trains. In suburban and rural areas, public transportation is either very limited or unavailable, with supermarkets often many miles away from people’s homes.” As a result, people are deprived of the same options as everyone else, which shouldn’t be the case for a “first-world” country. People’s dietary choices are limited by their budget as well. A lot of chain supermarkets sell “cheap meat” and processed foods. The reality is that these foods are cheap, tasty, and convenient to buy when compared to organic, natural, and non-GMO foods. Parents can feed multiple children with cheaper produce and prepackaged meals than they can by wasting time and money on nutritious home-cooked meals. This raises the question of whether people have a choice in healthy eating and what they can put in their bodies. Policies to address the large price differences between healthier and unhealthy foods may help improve diet quality in the United States.

More often than not we are unaware of how many calories we’re truly consuming. Something so small like a croissant can be hundreds of calories. We’re under the impression that if it’s a salad it must be healthy or if it’s meat it must be lean protein. I, myself fell into that pit of naivety until I started tracking my calories. By doing so, I was aware of every single thing I put in my body and the results were shocking. What I considered to be healthy eating was a diet filled with processed foods and artificial flavoring. Fast food restaurants claim to come out with healthy food alternatives that are more affordable, however, it’s debatable how healthy these foods are. For example, Burger King recently came out with the Impossible Burger. These meatless burgers claim to be a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. The protein content of these newer plant-based burgers has been said to compete with beef and poultry gram for gram. Both the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger have comparable amounts, the former deriving protein mainly from soy and the latter from peas and mung beans. The downside to these burgers is that they are heavily processed and are high in saturated fat. Daniel Neman, a food writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, shared his personal experience trying the Impossible Burger in his article. In his experience, “You think you’re eating something healthful, but you’re consuming 630 calories, only 30 fewer than a regular Whopper (though the low cholesterol and zero trans fats do count on the healthy side). You think you’re eating cheap fast food, and you are, but the Impossible Whopper still costs a dollar more than a regular Whopper.” This still creates an issue for the lower-income people who depend on fast food for their meals. Even if they try to go for healthier options, they cost more and are just as unhealthy. People will not be willing to waste their money on food that is more expensive yet has similar nutritional value or lack thereof. Therefore, they will resort to their normal eating routine, with big-macs and whoppers. The bottom line is that meatless burgers are good for the planet, but not always good for our health. Commercialism is the driving force for this “healthy food wave”, but it’s also the reason that companies are deceptive with their ingredients and labels.

Mcdonald’s has advocated healthy eating geared toward children and has made changes in their portions to accommodate this. This has garnered a very positive public reaction for their brand because they are doing something good. The brand has added four salad options to most of its menu boards, however, each one contains about 70% of the recommended daily value of sodium—as much as a Big Mac. Margo Wootan, the director of nutrition at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, in the article “Fast Food Has Coopted an American Value to Market Unhealthy Food”, claims that “On kids’ meals have been a gradually replacing fries with apples. McDonald’s was the first to take soda off the kid’s menu, which leveraged other fast food chains to do the same. Only Subway and McDonald’s have nutritional standards for their kid’s menu.” Fast food places are known for their large serving sizes. By reducing the servings, they give the illusion that the food is healthier and portion controlled. Even when changing the order to a small soda and a small fry, you would still be exceeding your daily recommended intake of sugar, get three-quarters of your daily sodium, and consume about half of the 2,000 daily calories needed by the average person. The choice often isn’t between healthy and unhealthy: It’s between small amounts of unhealthy foods and large amounts of unhealthy food. So even when fast food restaurants add a salad or veggie wrap to their menus, the impact is minimal. They create these healthy options in hopes of appealing to everyone and making them more accessible for all, but that doesn’t seem to truly be happening.

With veganism becoming increasingly popular, more and more restaurants have opened up to cater to that group. Accessibility to vegan-friendly options has increased which in turn can encourage people to adopt the vegan lifestyle. The reasons why veganism is so expensive is that there are fewer to no government subsidies and a smaller market involved which leads to a smaller production scale for vegan products. As a result of this, the produce will be charged at a higher price when there is a demand for it. The stigma behind vegan food being more expensive is mostly true when organic products are being used. That label alone increases the price quite a bit. Another factor in the establishment of veganism in society is that everyone has different preferences and follows different traditions, which may or may not make following a universal diet difficult. I attempted to try veganism in high school after being inspired by a very close friend. In my culture, we are only allowed to eat halal meat, which is not always easily accessible in restaurants in America. Consequently, I would venture off with my friend in pursuit of new vegan places to try. I noticed that vegan food cost more and was not always available in every neighborhood. When I mentioned the idea of becoming fully vegan to my parents, they refused to support it. As a family who ate meat 5 out of 7 times a week, adhering to my needs was something they didn’t find necessary or possible. My parents knew how expensive meat alternatives were as well as having to cook separate meals for me. As a result, I never fully converted to a veganism lifestyle. I do believe that the reasons to go vegetarian and vegan are growing, however.

The food crisis needs to be tackled and averted. Maggie Dickinson in her article, “Where Do Food Banks Fit into the Fight for a Green New Deal?”, proposes a solution. The Green New Deal is a resolution that calls for building a “more sustainable food system that ensures universal access to healthy food…By creating federal jobs and regulating food waste, GND legislation could upend the persistence of food insecurity and poverty in the United States.” By making more federal jobs available to the lower class, living wages would be ensured and workers would be given more benefits. Because poverty would decline when a jobs program is implemented, the overall demand for emergency food would also decline, offering food charities renewed institutional stability that would allow them more time to concentrate their efforts on community food security projects, like community farms, composting projects, and agriculture-centered youth development programs that contribute to resilient and sustainable food systems.

Transforming the food system to a more vegan-friendly lifestyle has great potential to sequester carbon, expand well-paid, clean energy jobs, and help reverse the public health crises of food insecurity. By adding a focus on food, New York’s Green New Deals also has the potential to involve larger influential organizations. In Maggie Dickinson’s opinion piece on the Green Deal, she mentions that if New York’s money was spent on healthy, sustainably grown food produced, cooked, and served by decently paid workers, healthy food options would be a possibility open to lower-class people as well. Public food dollars can also be used to make sure that stores that accept SNAP stock healthy, affordable products and that public institutions purchase more food grown and produced in New York State. Expanding the number of local food hubs can help promote mini businesses and sell local products.

A lot of the fight for accessibility to healthy foods relies on public opinion and support. A food-enhanced Green New Deal could expand that support by engaging all New Yorkers who want to leave their children a healthier and more sustainable future. By including food in the vision for a Green New Deal, we have an opportunity to make our city and state a better place to live, work, and eat. And that is something people are willing to fight for.

Eating habits have changed greatly over time as the world develops. Unlike in the past when most people ate healthy food prepared at home, today more and more individuals are eating junk food such as French fries, cheeseburgers, pizza, and milkshake among others. Whereas the dark side of such fast foods is a widely known fact, the popularity of the delicacies seems to be growing by the day. Under such a background, it is worth investigating the causes and effects of eating junk food. The trend of consuming junk food, which is mainly driven by changing lifestyles and advertising, leads to various health issues both physical and mental.

Change in lifestyle is a key reason why an increasing number of people, especially young adults, are eating junk food (Moisio, Arnould, and Price, 376). In the contemporary period, many individuals work long hours, others attend extended school days, while some people have to work and study at the same time. In addition, unlike in the past when not many women were working, today families are faced with situations where both partners are employed. Such families, therefore, may fail to cook for reasons related to lack of time (Wolfson et al., 146). For instance, some individuals may wish to prepare supper but lack the time to do so because they have to study or carry work home. Similarly, others may fail to cook because by the time they get home, the places where they could buy ingredients are closed. Such people, thus, often take to fast foods that are readily available or easy to prepare. However, beyond the busy lifestyles, convenience is a key driving factor for eating junk food. Fast food outlets have mushroomed in almost every street in our cities from where one can purchase various ready foods or even have it prepared within no time. People, therefore, find that ordering fast food save them time to engage in other important engagements and to relax after long days at work.

Another main reason for eating junk food is advertising and the attractiveness of the meals. Most countries around the world adopt a free-market economy where advertising always presents new products to society. The fast food industry spends billions of dollars on promotion initiatives, especially through television advertising. The industry also invests in other media of advertising such as the internet, newspapers, and billboards. The ads make the foods look so attractive that the audience want to try new options every now and then. A study by Boyland and Halford, for instance, established that children develop brands’ loyalty to various fast foods through advertisements aired on television (238). The situation is aggravated by the fact that various firms use appetizing price offers to draw customers to prefer junk foods to healthier options oblivious of their impacts. Besides, contemporary society is also characterized by consumerism where people compete in acquiring and trying as many goods and services as possible. At the same time, there is a growing middle class who are easily tempted to spend their disposable income in showing off, for instance, by eating expensive junk foods from such renowned brands as Panera bread, long john silver’s and papa murphy’s.

Fast food has various effects on users, most of which are negative, especially on one’s health. Some of the serious health impacts include low energy levels, unhealthy weight gain, as well as illnesses such as dementia, depression, asthma, eczema, and rhinoconjunctivitis (Ellwood et al., 351). For instance, most people eat fast foods for immediate gratification and though it can spike one’s energy quite fast, the energy levels plummet quite fast since the foods contain fewer nutrients. Increased appetite for junk food also means less intake of healthier diets and inability to control cravings. Hence, one could easily become obese because most fast foods have high fat and sugar content. Besides the impacts on diet, junk food has also been shown to contribute to memory and learning problems. Excessive consumption of fatty foods and sweetened junk food can considerably increase one’s insulin levels. The body produces insulin in the pancreas where it helps in transporting glucose to other body parts. Insulin is also produced in the brain where it facilitates the communication of signals between nerve cells and forming memories. Higher insulin levels hinder the brain from responding to insulin by triggering resistance to the hormone. Impaired brain functioning can affect one’s ability to create or recall memories leading to Alzheimer’s disease (Suzanne, 475). Dependence on junk food can also put one at the risk of depression.

To sum up, there has been a significant increase in junk food consumption in recent years. The key causes of fast food popularity include busy lifestyles, advertising, attractiveness as well as the convenience in accessing or preparing it. People, however, need to be wary of the effects of the junk food that include weight gain and such diseases as diabetes, asthma, and dementia among others.

Chocolate has been known for its good taste and also could be enjoyed as a dessert or snack for centuries. There are three main types of chocolate such as white, milk and dark. In each category has provided benefits and different ingredients which is important in a part of health. The researcher at Mintel revealed that “the progressively better understood health benefits of dark chocolate may be increasing its popularity as more consumers are looking for indulgent foods that can serve multiple functions such as nutrition or convenience” (2013). Being healthy is the main happiness that everyone craves nowadays no matter middle age or what age does care about diet and nutrition. Eating dark chocolate could protect your skin and hair from the sun, protect blood pressure prevent heart disease and also could improve brain health and mood.

Inside of the dark chocolate there is a lot of ingredients that consisted of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar with little or sometimes no milk. It tastes slightly bitter flavor because its high cocoa and less sugar composition. There are 30-80 percent of cocoa which has the highest percentage of cocoa solids and cocoa butter and it is also drier than the other two varieties such as white, chocolate and milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is consisted of nutritional compounds that have a positive effect on protecting skin and hair from the sun. It is as a topical beauty treatment indulgent food can do for skin. Protecting from sun damage by giving a smoother skin, 25 percent less skin redness when exposed to the sun, and provided skin hydration. Flavonoids in chocolate help to protect harmful UV rays off skin, help fighting skin discolorations, preventing sunburn and some conditions from skin cancer. Moreover, dark chocolate prevents premature ageing by reducing spots and pigmentation and keeps skin glowing and healthier. Especially, the improvement of collagen content and helpful to delay the appearance of wrinkles. Likewise, increasing hair volume minerals like copper, iron, and zinc in dark chocolate enhance cell growth and rise blood flow to the skin and scalp, promoting transfer of nutrients to the cells, thereby leading to healthier, stronger hair and also helping to fight hair loss. The quality of development hair that nutrients in dark chocolate not only boost hair growth but also improve the quality of tresses by providing strength to each stand making them shining and soft. For instance, in cocoa contains the source of highly vitamin D2 which is preventing from sunburn mostly in dark chocolate. It keeps avoiding from melanoma that is a type of skin cancer include overexposure the sun.

Furthermore, eating dark chocolate can prevent blood pressure and heart disease. There is contained a number of vitamins and minerals that can support health. More interesting thing there are 70-85 percent dark chocolate has about eleven grams of fiber per 100 grams. Some of the following vitamins and minerals in high concentrations such as 89 percent of the reference daily intake (RDI) for copper, 58 percent of the RDI for magnesium, and 67 percent of the RDI for iron. It also has plenty of potassium, selenium, and zinc. Beside this magnesium is one of the main sources of others in dark chocolate which has hundreds of important functions in the body, from energy production and proper nerve function to muscle relaxation. The magnesium itself or from a combination of magnesium and other beneficial nutrients such as fiber and potassium work together can do to help heart and healthier. By controlling high blood pressure that relax the muscles that control blood vessels and allowing blood to flow freely. Magnesium also plays a role to reduce elevated blood pressure, and an important factor to decrease the risk for heart attack and stroke. It helps equalize the levels of potassium and sodium in the blood. Regulation heart rhythm in order to help nerve function throughout the body. Magnesium is really important for coordinating the heart muscle active and the nerves that initiate the heartbeat. If magnesium levels are low, the more likely to be risk for arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) and heart palpitations. For example, the study figured out 24 chocolate studies involving 1106 people. It has been shown that dark chocolate contains at least 50 to 70 percent of cocoa will have lowered blood pressure in all participants.

Last but not least, dark chocolate has positive effects on brain health and mood. It is contented antioxidants which is capable of preventing the oxidation of cells. In raw cocoa bean stand among the highest oxygen radical absorbance capacity foods position. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity measures how well a sample food can disable free radical. More than this, cocoa-rich dark chocolate also has organic compounds like polyphenols, catechins, flavanols, and has more function as antioxidants. Compounds in dark chocolate boost memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving by increasing blood flow to the brain because of the flavonoids. It can develop overall brain health, focus, and concentration, and even make more cheerful. Dark chocolate raises the production of feel-good chemicals called endorphins. Chocolate is a top dietary source of tryptophan, an amino acid before the serotonin, apart from this the neurotransmitter of happiness and positive mood antioxidants protect brain cells by neutralizing free radical damage and prevent premature brain cell aging. Getting more magnesium from chocolate can improve memory, focus, mood, sleep, and reduce stress. The consumption of flavonoid-rich foods like cocoa holds the potential to limit, prevent, or reverse age-related brain decline. And helping to keep it fit and fully functioning for a lifetime. Since dark chocolate contains magnesium, it can help to reduce stress, which prevents collagen breakdown, keeping your skin healthy as well. For instance, in the U.S. chocolate products are the third highest source of dietary antioxidants because of chocolate happy countries like the Netherlands and France have a lot of amounts of flavanols from cocoa which contains 85 percent or more.

In conclusion, the advantages of dark chocolate are really important with providing a lot of positively affect minerals, nutrients and antioxidants to protect skin cancer and harmful form UV, containing vitamin D2, blood pressure, prevent heart disease, brain health, mood, mental health benefit. Leads to these reasons above having dark chocolate is help for beauty, metal health and body health for everyone who enjoys having it.

People need energy to do activities. The energy can be obtained from carbohydrate, fat, and protein that contained in food. Breakfast is one of the important actions so the body gets enough energy intake to do activities. However, according to Riset Kesehatan Dasar year 2010, 59% of Indonesia people skipped breakfast even though it had an impact for health. I am going to present 3 reasons why we should eat breakfast. First, I’ll tell you about the effects of breakfast on the brain, then I’ll tell you about the effects on the body, and finally, I’ll tell you that breakfast helps you improve your memory. Finally, I will summarize my speech.

First, I’d like to talk about the effect of breakfast for the brain. Glucose has an important role as a source energy for our brain. Where can we get glucose? We can get it from breakfast. If we have enough glucose, we can concentrate more on working, so it can increase your productivity. Also, glucose can improve memory. Based on research by Benton&Parker in 1998, glucose level has significant correlation with memory function. High and low glucose level has an effect for the memory. Therefore, you should have breakfast for good concentrate and good memory.

The next reason is its effect to body. Breakfast will give us some important nutrients for our body such as protein, fat, vitamin, and mineral. These nutrients are really useful for physiological process in our body. Now we can see that prevalence of malnutrition in our country reached 17.7%. It becomes one of the health problems in Indonesia. Our government efforts to overcome this problem is inform the public to increase daily milk consumption because it has protein, fat, and vitamin to support growth. Increasing daily milk consumption can fulfill nutritional needs but only a little. Furthermore, we should at least have breakfast to help complete it.

The last reason is that breakfast helps you improve your memory. During night sleep, our body does not get food, but our organs are still working. They work by using energy from glucose, glycogen and insulin. Then in the morning, glucose, glycogen, and insulin levels drop significantly, and this causes memory impairment. According to a study by Nissa Awaliyah in 2018, 68% of students have short-term memory loss due to skipping breakfast. This will affect the success of students. Therefore, breakfast can replace reduced glucose, glycogen and insulin levels. The higher the glucose level, the better the memory.

From what I have explained, we can conclude that breakfast is really important for us. Without breakfast, it will be difficult for us to concentrate, our memory will deteriorate, which will also affect our achievements, and in the long run, we can become malnourished.

Eating breakfast every day is very important for our health and has a number of benefits confirmed by scientific research. In this essay, I am going to argue my point of view on why we should eat a solid breakfast every morning.

According to Gail Rampersaud in her 2005 book, ‘Journal of the American Dietetic Association’, those who choose ready-to-eat cereals obtain more vitamins and minerals and are also more likely to have higher calcium intakes from milk in cereal. This has been associated with having a healthier body mass index, or BMI, and a decreased likelihood of eating disorders like obesity. Breakfast consumption has led to a reduction in impulsive snacking throughout the day, which has turned into the leading cause of obesity among students.

The realities of college life – increased workload, less structure, and peer-focused – have collided with anxiety, learning issues, and poor self-esteem. The result is that anorexia has led in eating disorders among college students. Food restriction and an unhealthy focus on body weight due to this stressful environment of college has developed these eating disorders. Combined with a student with high metabolism, the habit of skipping breakfast results in high risk of dangerous weight loss and this anorexia disorder.

However, this habit might be developed because breakfast comes at a sensitive time for some people’s digestive systems. Because of fasting while sleeping, your stomach may not be ready to take on a lot of food first thing in the morning since digestion slows down at night. Similarly, eating a larger meal right before bed can result in nausea by the next morning since the body still needs time digesting.

Aside from just keeping your body in healthy condition, your brain uses half of your body’s energy which emphasizes the importance of having better psychological performance to carry you through your day. In terms of mind-related issues involving not eating breakfast in the mornings has evolved around having a poorer memory, lower energy levels, less concentration, and even worse moods. According to Gwen Chapman and Christina Melton’s 2008 article, ‘College and University Students’ Breakfast Consumption Patterns’, breakfast has improved memory enhancement and gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school. Hunger pangs and other food-related thoughts lead to distractions and decreases focus, attentiveness, and self-motivation because of lack of energy. According to Boyer’s 2018 article ‘Benefits of Eating Breakfast for Students’, mood is an important key factor that dictates your mindset for the rest of your daily duties. Skipping breakfast can leave you feeling tired, restless, and grumpy and lead to low self-motivation to anything done. Start the day with a healthy breakfast, and you’ll enjoy a more positive, upbeat mood that will carry on for the rest of the day because of the energy exerted from lunch and dinner later that same day.

While countless studies have proven the effects a morning breakfast may have on your mind and body through the day, you may even begin to see results in your academic performance in class. When it comes especially to academic testing, countless researchers have studied for decades whether or not students who eat a nutritious breakfast will perform better than students who consume unhealthy foods for breakfast. Eating certain foods such as eggs, yogurt, and oatmeal are vital and have become clear-cut options to better academic performance, especially during ACT/SAT testing rather than breads, cereals, and muffins that you may want to avoid. According to Sarah Mayhugh’s 2017 article, ‘Why Eating Breakfast as a College Student Is Important’, breakfast provides the energy necessary to increase cognitive, or thinking, speed and problem-solving skills, which is why students tend to score better on academic tests in math, reading, and science, much needed on an ACT/SAT test.

According to Katie Adolphus’s 2018 article, ‘The Effects of Breakfast on Behavior and Academic Performance in Children and Adolescents’, changes in behavior are even likely to be reflected by changes in reading and comprehension. Following breakfast versus no breakfast, an increase in attention may be reflected by an increase in on-task behavior during lessons, vital to any important in-class test, presentation, or paper that may be soon to come. The benefits of eating breakfast on cognitive performance are expected to be short term, and with lunch soon approaching, breakfast was certainly what your body needed to get kick-started.

In summary, breakfast is the most important meal, especially for students. A healthy and hearty breakfast has a positive effect on our behavior, psychological activity, academic performance, mood and general well-being. That is why I am absolutely convinced that we should eat a solid breakfast every morning.

Eating outside of the home is now a popular habit. Many of us need to eat outside due to our daily activities, and others eat outside because they find it to be a practical way to save time and energy. However, the food you find outside your home is most cases unhealthy due to the nutritional content they contain. The majority of the time the food we eat outside provides us with more calories and nutrients than our body needs (Frazzo,1998; Lin, Guthrie & Frazao, 1999). For that reason, providing nutrition information through menu labeling has been identified as an important key to telling the population what they are actually eating. Ironically, the industries of food service have always been worried about labeling their food because they feel fear to have a decrease in their profits.(Almanza, Nelson, & Chai, 1997: Glanz et al., 2007).However, in America, all restaurants with more than twenty locations need to provide the energy content of their menus under certain conditions.

In the article “Investigating the Impact of Menu Labeling in Revenue and Profit in a Foodservice Operation” a study was done with the purpose of investigating if labeling the menu in two different ways would make a distinction in the way people buy food and at the same time to see if those changes have a significant economic effect in the food industry. The study was held in a hospital cafeteria where ten locations offering different types of food were the target, and the researchers implemented four types of conditions such as simple labeling, complex labeling (which the Cafeteria was already using), and two types of places of the menu label on the countertop and on the floor menu. The results of the study have a large significance because it will help the food services industry to understand the real effects of menu labeling, at the same time it will provide the food industry with the tools needed to implement and develop new strategies to improve their profits at the same time that they provide to all consumer the nutrition information of the food they are about to consume.

The study was conducted for 23 weeks, and after analyzing all data they conclude that among all the conditions in the study the changes made to the labeling menu were not significant in the demand for those foods, and at the same, the profits and revenue did not have significant changes. Furthermore, making a menu with simple labels easy to read can help the food industry to increase the satisfaction of the customers (Cranage, 2004) and will potentially increase the opportunities of having more financial growth for all food services. In my opinion, customers are becoming more aware of what they are eating, and labeling food represents an excellent way to help society to make smart decisions about what to buy. Foodservices should take this as an opportunity for growth in the food industry. In addition, food services should always include fresh produce alternatives in their menus because this will be the new form to make more money. This does not mean that fast food needs to be banned. Everyone will have the same freedom to choose what they want to eat but is only a great opportunity for all food services to expand their menu with fresh and healthy options available for all the population.