Fast Food Essay

Li Lin

Danielle Robledo

English 1A

July 21th

Healthy Diet

Eating is a necessary activity to the human body, and your body requires a certain amount of energy each day. We get nutrients as well as energies from food. For humans to function properly, we need three sources of energy: carbohydrates, protein and fat. A healthy diet increases the chances of living longer. Evidently, high calories are associated with high blood pressure and the occurrence of early death. However, vegetables, fruits, exercise and general reduction of calories allow one’s body to work efficiently (World Health Organization, 2015). It is also important to note that some foods like fast foods have no minerals and vitamins in them. Consequently, a healthy diet is necessary because it helps to bring a significant development of the human body, such as our physique, intelligence and immune systems. First of all, a healthy diet is described as consuming variety of foods that gives the necessary nutrients and the required energy for the human body to feel good, or at least energized. Nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, fat and water are vital for a healthy body (World Health Organization, 2015). It is worth noting that what one eats can eventually affect their immune system as well to boost their mood and energy level. When an individual is under stress, protein-rich diets can be broken down into amino acids to act as a stress reliever. That being not enough, high-protein diets, which means enhancing the protein level largely, are able to create a better mood for an individual. Moreover, diets composed of high omega-3 fats, vitamins, and minerals help reduce the risk of depression and to stabilize the blood sugar levels. In general, a healthy diet is significant because it is the key factor to the improvement of physical appearance. However, sugary diets are associated with dry skin and as well as early aging (Willett, 2017). Nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, fat and water are the important parts of the body regardless of age, sex or religion. In addition to a healthy diet, some physical exercises are vital since they reduce unnecessary weight and in return, an individual maintains their overall good health. In today's world, because of the different kinds of food, some harmful terms appear gradually in our life: food taboos, obesity, food allergies, etc. As a culture, we no longer discuss healthy eating without also discussing unhealthy eating habits. When it comes to nutrition, the source of calories is important. Carbohydrates and protein are a healthier source of calories than fats. While the body needs a certain amount of fat to function properly (plenty of fat helps the body absorb digested vitamins), excess fat can cause serious health problems. As noted above, it is undeniable that unsaturated fat forms part in a healthy diet. The two main types of unsaturated fats include monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. The monounsaturated fats are found in avocados, olive oil, almonds, canola oil and cashew nuts. On the other hand, polyunsaturated fats are further broken down into omega-3 and omega-6. The omega-3 fats are found in oily fish while omega-6 fats are found in safflower and soybeans oil. As stated in the beginning, the purpose of a healthy diet is to enhance the human life for longevity through the help of these unsaturated fats. Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats help reducing the risk of heart diseases (Hiscott, 2015). This is achieved when an individual takes a diet that contains unsaturated fats that reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in the body (Hiscott, 2015). More complicated issue is the lack of information on what we consume. There is no calorie infographic on fast food packaging, just like grocery shopping. Advertisements do not carry warning labels like tobacco advertisements. Prepared foods are not covered under Food and Drug Administration labeling laws.There are several categories of healthy foods that can be taken as breakfast, lunch, dinner or any meal. One type of the healthy foods is the cooked or raw vegetables and legumes (Cecchini & Warin, 2016). The second type of healthy foods is fruits which are consumed as juice or eaten when raw. The third type includes cereals, rice, noodles, and pasta. The fourth type of healthy foods includes fish, egg, red meat, poultry, milk, and nuts. This category is important as it provides proteins to the body (Cecchini & Warin, 2016). The last type of healthy foods includes things like cheese and yoghurt. In conclusion, a healthy diet is an important topic that needs a further research. A healthy diet is necessary because it increases the chances of an individual to have a healthier body and live longer. It, therefore, means that the immune system for that individual can avoid the preventable chronic diseases, save money and have a good mood. Through this paper, it is evident that a healthy diet is good for everyone regardless of age or sex because the nutrients are available to help prevent heart attack among other chronic diseases. As a culture, we no longer discuss healthy eating habits without discussing the unhealthy ones. In essence, we can eat as we always have—which includes eating for emotional and social reasons—and still survive because we will begin to look for healthier diets as well as healthier lifestyle like exercising more often. Finally, having physical exercises and a healthy diet are beneficial to everyone and will make our bodies stronger, rest better and even work better. Comment by QinHong Chen: What do you mean? Comment by QinHong Chen: explain what this is Comment by QinHong Chen: you mentioned two types of healthy foods?

References Cecchini, M., & Warin, L. (2016). Impact of food labelling systems on food choices and eating​behaviours: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized studies. Obesity​reviews, 17(3), 201-210. Hiscott, R. (2015). A Healthy Diet Is Associated with Less Cognitive Decline, Risk for Stroke.​Neurology Today. Willett, W. (2017). Eat, drink, and be healthy: the Harvard Medical School guide to healthy​eating. Simon and Schuster. World Health Organization. (2015). Healthy diet. Fact sheet, 394.

Graff, Gerald; Birkenstein, Cathy; Durst, Russel. "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with 2016 MLA Update and Readings (Third Edition) (Page 445). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.

Graff, Gerald; Birkenstein, Cathy; Durst, Russel. "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with 2016 MLA Update and Readings (Third Edition) (Page 463). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.