Assignment 4 first draft

Kevin Lim

English 201

Leah Benedict

4/12/12

American Obesity

Thesis:  Just like how people change physically and emotionally through the effects of time, so are our view of societies social norms.  Back in the early twentieth century we see the models of top women that were pole dancers or the strippers in a club.  However, in our eyes today we wouldn’t consider them top at all.  If we actually think about it we would think that those women were overweight and needed to hit the gym from time to time.  The government has heightened its standards of a normal BMI and many people are now considered “fat.”  It is definitely true that American Obesity is a rising epidemic  so maybe this is the governments way of solving this problem.

                According to the Surgeon General of the United States, many children are in very good health, immunization records are at an all-time high, and the future generation of children are less likely to smoke or do any kinds of drugs.  However,  obesity is still a problem especially since two out of three Americans are carrying excess weight, and at least 1 out of 8 deaths have a direct relation to obesity.  There is also a study that was made by the New York City health department which concluded that almost 1 in every 4 children are considered obese.  There are three main things that have to be done if we want the future generation to have a healthy future.  These things are “Increased physical activity, healthier eating habits, and improved health literacy.”   The surgeon general states that throughout the time period of 40 years, the percentage of obese individuals have tripled to 15%,  considering this in the large numbers that we have , that is a huge number.  This is just one of the problems that have been noticed,  another very obvious cause of this is just that most children are eating too much while not having any exercise .  Of course there is an exception to this like genetic or environmental problems but this is just a handful of individuals who can’t really control their weight problem.

                There are many business leaders, foundations, and schools who are realizing that there is definitely a problem and they are trying to make a difference.  They want our children to be active for just 60 minutes a day.  These activities don’t even have to be sports! These activities can  just simply be taking the stairs instead of an elevator or riding a bike to the park which is only a 5 minute walk instead of taking a car.  Even a simple game of tag would suffice this requirement we just need children to leave the couch while watching television and eating potato chips.  Apparently, it is counterproductive to blame the cause of obesity on the child, this would make them feel inferior and it would lead them to eat more “comfort foods,” this consists of ice cream or cookies, something that offers a person comfort by eating.  This would make the child eat more instead of eating less and getting more exercise.  What we should do is lead by example,  if the future generation sees the role models of their lives, especially the parents, make healthy choices like going out for a run in the morning or eating their broccoli, children are inclined to do the same.

                There are a few ways that the obesity rate can decrease in the United States but the simplest thing would probably to just eat less and also to make healthier food choices.  It can be very tempting to see those flashy colorful ads by fast food companies like McDonalds or Wendy’s, they use sly advertisement to make a child want to go there constantly.  Of course these meals aren’t offered at an expensive price either.  They show children all these cheaply made toys that can be acquired for free if they decide to buy their kids meals; however what about the consequences?  Many do not know how many preservatives are in those pieces of food.  The more preservatives there are the more calories and chemicals there are.  This is not all, they also add a lot of extra oil and fattening sauces to make the food almost addictive, this is not helping us decrease the obesity rate in the United States.  We as the last generation should try to be a good example to the future so this problem of obesity doesn’t rise any further. 

                There are also many other restaurants like Chinese takeout that is also very bad.  Chinese takeout has a lot of preservatives in it.  Many dishes that they serve have been modified to fit the westernized taste.  These dishes would sometimes include the word “crispy.”  This is a very bad health decision because it has been deep-fried in oil;  dishes that say stir fried or steamed are a lot better choice.  Everyone likes free food right? Especially the free eggrolls and noodles that they give out for free, making a person think that they are actually getting their money’s worth?  These are actually bad health choices, especially egg rolls, because they are fried.  If a person ever sees how much oil is in those egg rolls, I highly doubt that many people would eat it.  If a person sets that eggroll on a napkin for a few minutes, they can see all the oil saturate into the napkin.  Another favorite that most people love are spare ribs over rice,  these might taste really good but not when there is really fattening pork that is drowned in sauce that is very high in sodium.  The all-time worst Chinese food however is definitely fried rice.  Fried Rice is an assortment of ingredients that is mixed around with rice and other meats.   All friend rice uses white rice which is very unhealthy since it was processed, stripping all nutrients, leaving only a large amount of glucose.  And just as its name suggests, it is also fried! So there is extra calories adding on top to the already fattening white rice and meats. 

                Chinese food might sound really bad but it could actually be really nutritious at the same time.  Not the fast food take out that we always see on the side of the streets but the real Chinese food that hasn’t been westernized into a clump of preservatives.  A very good kind of Chinese food is soup,  If a person is hungry, they will usually start inhaling any kind of edible substance once they set their eyes on it.  What would happen if a person actually had a cup of soup like miso soup before their meals?  This would make a person not feel as hungry and this would have an individual eat less than they usually would while still feeling full.  Wasn’t it always frustrating when a parent or older sibling would tell you to eat your vegetables? I’m sure it didn’t work out that well  probably because of the bitter or unsatisfying taste of vegetables.  This however, can be changed by Chinese vegetables they can be stir fried with the proper natural spices to create a delicious delicacy that even children would enjoy.  This is also a good substitute to the French fries a person would eat at their local diner .  I believe that most human beings like to satisfy their cravings, this is usually suppressed by something fried or something that satisfies the taste buds but that usually isn’t the way to go if a person wants to lose weight.   Fortunately this craving can still be suppressed with the same kinds of ingredients but instead of getting foods fried steaming, or stir frying is also a good alternative to this.  These cooking styles uses far less oil than what is used to fry a piece of meat.  With these alternatives it is actually possible for a person to go to their favorite Chinese restaurant while still getting their daily nutritional intake.

                Way back in China, they are very different from us Americans, they eat many meals and they don’t have a very high obesity rate as well.  There are many reasons for this lifestyle but maybe this lifestyle could also change our society and get our life back on track. The first thing that most of the Chinese do is not to count calories, they do not consider food as potential weight gain but as nourishment that they need every day.  Studies show that they actually eat more calories than us and they aren’t even more active in terms of exercise.  The reason for this is because they do not eat the empty calories that are in candy in ice cream like we do.  Products like that will definitely increase weight gain and it definitely isn’t a good feeling afterwards.  Just as I mentioned that most children do not like vegetables, most adults don’t like them as well but the Chinese love them.  They don’t consider these foods as small parts of the meal that can be left out and pushed aside.  They think of vegetables as real food and could be considered a real dish instead of a side or a decoration.  This will allow them to get the vitamins and minerals that they need every day.  Of course, many people love to eat salad, but is it necasarily better to eat raw vegetables? Most scientists actually think that it is better to lightly boil these vegetables, this allows for the body to take more nutrients easily rather than having the body take less from raw vegetables.   These are just some ways that the Chinese eat and gain nourishment but there are other ways as well.  

                Many people consider carbs a really bad thing, they think that it will lead to weight gain.  This is only true if a person doesn’t do anything active during the day.  If a person goes on a low carb diet but replaces it with a diet that is really high in fat, this will not let a person lose any weight at all.  The proper diet is the eat carbs but to also burn them at the same time, according to the Chinese.  Most Americans love to eat till their full, most of the time to the point of a food coma.  Then a lot of them feel guilty of this and they decide to not eat a meal so they can burn off the calories that they gained.  This is not a good way to live especially since it is better to have three evenly full meals a day.  This is better because  constantly eating a good amount can increase the rate of metabolism, this allows for the body to naturally lose weight, and burn calories without having to do anything.   The Chinese also like to use soup as an appetizer,  liquids are really good at making a person feel full so the Chinese tend to drink soup so they don’t have to eat as much as they would without it.

                Just like we have the food pyramid is a guideline in America, the Chinese think that having a good assortment of vegetables, meats, cars(rice), and other ingredients is essential for a proper diet and a healthy body.  The final thing that most Chinese do is definitely drink green tea, tea is a very good substitute for that can of soda that is always in the fridge.  Green tea eliminates toxins, helps with digestion, and also it helps alleviate hunger.  It will definitely help when a person is feeling a craving for a cookie or two before dinner.   Many do believe that the Chinese lifestyle is the way to go because it has plenty of health benefits and nutrients while also promoting good health.  However this is not always the fault of the Americans it could also be the government increasing its standards of being healthy

 Works cited

Carmona, Richard H. "The Obesity Crisis in America." Surgeon General. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/news/testimony/obesity07162003.html>.

Burke, Susan. "Healthy Chinese Food? 5 Best , 5 Worst." Http://healthnews.ediets.com. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. <http://healthnews.ediets.com/diet-weight-loss/healthy-chinese-food-5-best-5-worst.html>.

"Use Your Noodle: The Real Chinese Diet Is so Healthy It Could Solve the West's Obesity Crisis." The Independant 22 July 2008. Print.