Promoting Healthy Lifestyles and Decreasing Childhood Obesity in America Essay Example
Introduction
The United States has witnessed a significant increase in the number of lifestyle related illnesses. This significant increase has been associated with poor eating habits and consumption of low-quality foods, lack of adequate physical exercise, and increased mental stress. Poverty has further increased people’s vulnerability to lifestyle related morbidities. Due to poverty, people are unable to seek immediate medical attention. Further, they are also unable to maintain healthy dietary patterns since they often prefer to purchase unhealthy fast foods, which are cheap and readily available. The problem of lifestyle related morbidities could be resolved by encouraging regular physical exercises, proper eating habits, the consumption of quality food, and controlling mental stress.
Suitable Eating Habits and Consumption of Quality Food
The modern lifestyle has corrupted the American food culture. As opposed to eating healthy an
...d quality foods, people have turned to the consumption of unhealthy fast foods and low-quality foods, which pose detrimental health hazards. The consumption of these foods has been associated with lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, among many others. Various approaches can be incorporated to curb the consumption of unhealthy and low-quality foods. First, people should be educated on the importance of maintaining healthy dietary patterns. Those who understand the detriments associated with poor eating habits will be a better chance of cutting off fast foods, snacks, among many other unhealthy and low-quality foods.
Further, they will also be at a better chance of avoiding unnecessary food stocking in the house and avoiding the use of low-quality ingredients in food preparation. Secondly, supermarkets, restaurants, and other fast food joints should employ nutritionists that will be required to advise customers on the nutritional composition of th
foods that they intend to buy. Thirdly, the education systems should also accommodate nutrition into the curriculum. This will ensure that children are educated on the importance of maintaining healthy dietary patterns. Typically, the fast food industry often targets children. Therefore, through awareness children will also be in a position to mitigate the consumption of unhealthy fast foods. Education will also promote a healthy food culture.
Fourthly, companies in the food industry should offer comprehensive information, with regard to the ingredients contained in processed foods, and the overall nutritional composition of these foods. By providing this information, food companies will make it easier for consumers to gauge the quality and nutritional composition of the foods that they intend to buy. Fifthly, schools should also offer healthy school eaten lunch. The foods given to children should have balanced nutritional components, which include carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This will also ensure that children consume healthy and quality foods. Overall, through suitable eating patterns and the consumption of quality foods, people will be a better chance of mitigating the occurrences of lifestyle related illnesses.
Encouraging Regular Physical Exercises
The lack of regular physical exercises has been associated with the significant increase in life-style related diseases, in the United States. In the modern day societies, people prefer convenient lifestyles. For instance, people hardly walk. They instead prefer driving, even in short distance locations. This convenience has prevented people from indulging in physical activities. Further, the diversification in technology has also influenced the rate at which people indulge in physical activity. Entertainment has shifted from outdoor activities to indoor activities. Prevalently, a significant majority of children have overlooked outdoor gaming activities.
They instead prefer indoor gaming activities. This has also prevented children from indulging in physical activities.
Physical exercises have been directly linked to the prevention of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, among many others. Various approaches could be incorporated to ensure that people indulge in regular physical exercises. Firstly, physical exercises should also be incorporated into the school curricula. This will ensure that children take part in physical activities and outdoor gaming activities. Secondly, people should also be educated on the significance of indulging in regular physical activities. By understanding the relevance of physical exercises, people will be a better chance of taking part in the regular physical activity. Thirdly, the provision of a safe environment could also encourage people to indulge in regular physical exercises. Safe environments, in this case, could be provided through the establishment of fully equipped gymnasiums.
Controlling Mental Stress
America has witnessed a significant increase in the rates of depression and anxiety attacks, which are caused by increasing stress levels. More often than not, individuals that have high levels of mental stress are more likely to gain weight, which gradually results in the development of lifestyle-related diseases. People could control mental stress in various ways. Firstly, they could seek psychiatric help. Through psychiatric assistance, people will be in a position to manage stress by sharing their predicaments and seeking advice from psychiatrists. Secondly, they could consider taking part in interactive activities, where they meet new people and have new encounters. These activities will distract them, thus, preventing them from accumulating stress that may ultimately result in chronic stress. Thirdly, they could consider thinking aloud. This could be done through writing. Fourthly, they could
also consider finding a companion to share, discuss, and confide. This will make it easier for them to control their stress levels. Fifthly, they could also consider prioritizing rest and breaks. For instance, people could take part in recreational activities such as traveling. This will ensure that they mitigate stress factors that may ultimately result in chronic stress. Overall, by controlling stress, people will be a better chance of managing their weight thus, minimizing the occurrence of lifestyle-related diseases.
Conclusion
In an effort to promote better health standards, America should mitigate the occurrence of lifestyle-related illnesses, which have so far increased significantly. To mitigate lifestyle illnesses, American people should adopt suitable eating habits and consume quality foods. Further, they should also indulge in regular physical activities and control their stress levels. Educating people on the importance of maintaining healthy dietary patterns is important. Typically, proper food culture is required to begin at home. In this case, parents should be educated on the importance of adopting proper dietary patterns. Parents are also required to educate their children. Through education, people will be a better chance of maintaining healthy eating patterns. People should also not overlook the significance of indulging in regular physical activities. Walking several times a day is sufficient, to promote proper health. Further, people should also maintain calm living environments, and find proper means to release stress. This will make it easier for them to manage stress levels. Conclusively, the strategies mentioned above will enable American people to deal with the problem of lifestyle related diseases.
