It’s as if people would rather be comforted with a lie than blasted with the truth. “You look great!” as they take another bite of the greasy cheese steak when is enough..enough? Instead of teasing our youth with eating out, and unhealthy regularly we should stop this bad habit before it even starts. One thing is for sure and that is what you eat when you are young is something you need to really think about devouring when you are older. According to conventional wisdom “your resting metabolic rate tends to drop as you age because you lose a small amount of muscle each year.” As you age whether you realize it or not your metabolism changes drastically over time. You also get weaker as you get older. This is why you see professional athletes retire when they no longer have the energy or muscle endurance they did just a few years back. For example older people tend to have a lower metabolic rate, and also eat and exercise significantly less. Instead of letting them face the consequences later lets start a healthier habit before an unhealthy one even starts.
Children, and adults are both fall victim to peer pressure but children are more easier to manipulate then adults for the most part. According to SFgate “The old adage “you are what you eat” couldn’t be more accurate in an age where unhealthy food is far more accessible than healthy choices for many American children. Over one-third of American children are now overweight and at risk for various associated diseases.” Most children nowadays go home after school eat what they find in the fridge and wait until their parents get home for work or are tasked with another block of instructions. Majority of parents, like their children would rather prepare or eat something quick compared to something healthy and beneficial to their bodies. For children a big reason for this is because it is either easier accessible, or it is just what his or her parents said they were going to eat and if they do not eat what is given they most likely will not eat. The parents should be held responsible for their child, and childhood obesity should be considered a crime because if they are dependent on their parents they have no control of what they eat.
It is time parents are held responsible for their child now more than ever. Not only does unhealthy eating habits affect them in their youth but carries on to cause serious health problems down the road. Just like that a bad habit and more times than not an unhealthy tradition is started or continued. Unhealthy can be prevented more times than not and it should be the parent’s responsibility not only to acknowledge this but to act on it. The media targets children in more ways than not. Moynihan a medical faculty member at the University of Newcastle states “In a study of 4–7-year-old American children, Galst & White (1976) showed that the more commercial television that was viewed, the more food requests were made to the parent.” The media whether you like it or not can be manipulating. Whether it is a commercial for television or a billboard on the highway little things like this can impact your decision. Media isn’t all bad lets get that straight but something should be done to start promoting healthier living or getting out more and active compared to today where every other commercial is a fast food, or just anything quick, and cheap. Sounds pretty American to me. For example you may be driving back from class or work you want to get food but do not know what to get. You flip the radio on and hear a sprite commercial with Lebron James telling you to buy it, just as that happens you drive past a Mcdonald’s billboard and suddenly that sounds really good. The thing is that it’s not and obesity is a serious problem that is affecting way more people than it should. With that being said parents should be responsible for their child and assist them in living a healthy lifestyle. Perpetrators who fail to meet these requirements should face some sort of punishment. Possibly a rehab for weight loss or take a personal training class and pass so they can be a better parent. Being heavy is not the problem being unhealthy is. It’s time we do something to reduce this increasingly big problem the United States faces currently today.
Works Cited
“Sound Body Sound Mind, Los Angeles, CA.” Sound Body Sound Mind, Los Angeles, CA. UCLAhealth, n.d. Web. 21 Nov.2016.
I’m having trouble citing the google scholar cites I chose I will ask for feedback in class class
Rowan Counterintuitive 