• Ch. 21: Food Matters: Why do Americans continue to spend billions of dollars a year on fast foods when they know the health risks?
Fast Food: Its Fast and Cheap Do you know what you’re eating, and if it’s good and healthy for your body? Fast food restaurants have an image of fast, cheap, yummy, and fun for children… so why wouldn’t you take your kids to eat at these places? The obvious and hidden dangers of fast food are something we should all be open to learning more about. Even though Americans know junk food is bad, we still continue to eat it every day. Still, fast food has many dangers obvious and hidden things that the public is oblivious too. These food companies need to be addressed by the government, communities, school …show more content…
Starting with a sense of awareness at the front office. Which is why this act came about; “In the end, as First Lady, this isn’t just a policy issue for me. This is a passion. This is my mission. I am determined to work with folks across this country to change the way a generation of kids thinks about food and nutrition.” (–Michelle Obama). The “Let’s Move!” campaign was started by the First Lady; Michelle Obama it is a dedicated program to help solve the problem of Obesity within a generation. So your future children will grow up living healthier lives and exercising outside every day. It’s about putting children on the right paths, to have good eating habits, giving their parents helpful information about fast food and the harm they are unknowingly doing to their children. From, pushing to have healthier foods in our schools, to making sure families who are less fortunate still have access to healthy, affordable foods. The Let’s Move Campaign changed the way we look at food labels now and what we are putting into our bodies. For example, “updated school meal nutrition standards for the first time in 15 years and increased funding for the first time in 30 years. Helped American public schools offer healthier school meals and snacks for over 50 million kids, increased the number of students who could get school meals at little or no cost, and ensured that …show more content…
Eating behaviors that we have learned at a young age can influence our food behaviors as adults. I know my parents always told me to eat my fruits and vegetables as a young child because they will help you grow “big and strong!” But, to this day, if I am running late to school or work I fall guilty to stopping at a Jack in the Box or McDonalds some days especially if I am in a rush and am running late. That being said, we need to educate parents and young children about how their height and weight actually does matter. Not for it to be looked down upon or laughed at but, for the better knowledge of knowing where you have to be in terms of your weight to function at the best of your ability. Let me tell you how to figure that out; often times your weight can actually be misread for those who do not know what BMI stands for (Body Mass Index); BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of his or her height. A healthy BMI is anywhere between 19 and 24, For example, someone who has a BMI of 24 is equivalent to someone who is five feet, eight inches and weighs between 150-160 pounds. A person with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered to be overweight or obese. To sum it up, a person gains weight when he or she retains more calories or energy from the food they eat, than what they expend on