Journey To American Health

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Anthony Joseph Nguyen

San Joaquin Delta College

Journey to American Health

Today, many Americans suffer from obesity or malnutrition and are usually unaware of their predicament. On top of the not being more aware, there is a need of education on how to become healthier. Eating healthy has many benefits and can prevent many diseases, such as stroke. Bad eating habits can also be very dangerous, fatal causes for someone overweight is cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Americans can improve their health by clean dieting, routine training, and resting.

When it comes to health, the more commonly known problem is obesity but another issue is malnutrition. During the years 2009-2010 studies show that over 78 million adults and about 12.5 million children and adolescents in the United States are obese. The definition of malnutrition is an individual who does not take in enough nutrients, and therefore deficient in vitamins and minerals. Since many foods eaten in the United States could have low or even no nutrients in the foods and drinks that are consumed, many obese and overweight individuals could suffer with malnutrition as well. Signs of malnutrition could be dry skin, aching bones and joints, and chronic diarrhea. Other symptoms of malnutrition are children’s stunting in growth, hair losing pigment, and anemia. Within forty years individuals suffering with obesity and individuals who are overweight have more than doubled, as for children six to eleven obesity and being overweight have quadrupled since 1970. Unfortunately, children living in households in poverty or low income areas are twice as likely to be obese than children living in households with four time greater incomes. About forty five percent of children living in low income areas are obese and overweight, and children in higher income areas who are overweight and obese add up to about twenty two percent. Obesity is very detrimental to or health, and malnutrition can be dangerous as well.

Many can understand the health risk of being overweight but there can also be a huge financial toll for being overweight and obese. Medical conditions related to obesity and being overweight costs the United States nearly one hundred and fifty billion dollars every year. That amount of money spent on healthcare is approximately sixteen to eighteen percent of our total healthcare costs, which is about one in every six dollars disbursed. Research and estimations shows that by the year 2018, obesity will cost the United States twenty one percent of our total healthcare costs; which will total three hundred and forty four billion dollars annually. Individuals who are obese will roughly have medical costs about one thousand four hundred and twenty eight dollars more than those who weigh in at a healthy average weight, and that is about forty two percent higher than average. The additional cost annually of being overweight could vary between men and women, roughly an additional five hundred and twenty four dollars for women and about four hundred thirty two dollars for men. Whereas, the cost for individuals who are obese annually skyrockets to four thousand eight hundred and seventy nine dollars for women and two thousand six hundred and forty six dollars for men. Another concern for obesity is that it also becomes a threat to our national security. About twenty seven percent of young adults in the United States are too overweight for the standards of our military and cannot serve for this single reason. About fifteen thousand possible recruits every year fail the basic physical due to physical fitness being subpar. Obesity has become a very serious problem in the United States and obesity still exists today.

Obesity and malnutrition can be dangerous to our health and could create a lot of fears, such as thinking it’s too late. Most overweight and obese adults has an excuse of why they are the way they are, most popular is being big boned or not having time. Having a healthier diet is not complicated or time consuming as many would think, the key is simplifying and moderation. An easy way to simplify a diet is to not worry about counting calories or measuring portion sizes, but replacing junk foods with foods that are more colorful and fresh. This allows individuals to easily switch to healthier choices during a diet. Mentally, changing a diet completely to nothing but healthy foods can make it extremely difficult to be able to commit. Moderation is very important to a healthier diet; such as having smaller portions during a meal allows obese and overweight individuals to not overeat. Another way to avoid overeating is to eat with other people, because having a conversation keeps the mind active and discontinues overeating. Fruits and vegetables are very important for healthy eating and contains many micronutrients. Micronutrients are vitamins and mineral that our body needs on a daily basis to function efficiently. Not only are fruits and vegetables packed with vitamins and minerals, it’s also very low in calories. Satisfying hunger with two slices of pizza could total five hundred calories, whereas two cups of strawberries would be about eighty calories. Healthier dieting can be simple and only a decision in lifestyle could be all the difference.

Deciding to make the change is only half the battle, understanding macronutrients is key to becoming healthy. Macronutrients consist of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Protein gives an individual energy and rebuild muscles. Protein is broken down into the 20 amino acids, the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy, and essential for sustaining cells, tissues, and organs. A deficiency of protein in our diet can stunt growth, decrease muscle mass, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. All diets must have complex carbohydrates and fiber, which gives energy that will last for a longer period of time. Whole grains are packed with phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help promote a healthier heart. Complex carbs, also known as good carbs, digest slowly which helps keep the feeling of being full longer and keep blood sugar and insulin levels stable. Simple carbohydrates, or bad carbs, digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy. Healthy sources of good fats are needed to help move the micronutrients to the brain, heart, and cells. Omega-3 fatty acids are considered good fats, such as EPA and DHA, and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve mood, and help prevent dementia.

Calcium is one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong and healthy. It is an important building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women, as well as many other important functions. Our bones benefit greatly from foods containing calcium, and taking magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K helps move and store calcium. It is recommended for anyone to take about 1000 milligrams of calcium per day, and about 1200 milligrams for anyone over fifty years old.

Exercise is much more than cardiovascular and muscle strength. Although, exercise does improve health and body, but it has even better benefits for energy, mood, and brainpower. What’s most important is that these benefits can be attained wimple exercise, and not spending hours in a gym. Even though exercise cannot take all your troubles away, exercising regularly helps control anxiety and reduce stress. Aerobic exercise can release hormones that relieve stress and produce a sense of comfort. Exercise can be just as effective as an antidepressant medication for mild to moderate depression. Exercise could also release endorphins, powerful chemicals in the brain that energize moods and feel good. Endorphins also helps concentration and mental sharpness for responsibilities. Exercise also stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent aging effects. Exercise is the easiest and safest way to stay healthy.

Most people have very busy lives and losing a few hours of sleep seems like a good idea to keep up with tasks. Although it seems like a good idea to sacrifice sleep, but it can be very health risky for anyone. Even the slightest of sleep loss could have negative impact in mood, energy, and ability to handle stress. Best thing to do now is to develop a healthy sleep schedule and keep it consistent as possible. An average adult sleeps less than seven hours per night, which sounds pretty good with our fast paced culture. Although, there’s a high probability for chronic sleep deprivation. There is a huge difference between the getting just enough sleep you can get and getting enough sleep you need to function optimally. Every person has a certain amount of sleep requirement, as for most healthy adults between seven and a half to nine hours of sleep every night is needed to function at top performance. Children and teens are require to sleep more hours each and every night. Older adults require just as much sleep as younger adults, and since older adults usually have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap. In order to figure out how much sleep each person needs to sleep at night, one must go on with the next day of task and determine if they need to sleep more or less. If an individual is sleeping enough hours, the individual will feel energetic and alert throughout the day, from waking up to falling asleep. Sleep is extremely important for anyone, it allows your body to recover and become optimal for the upcoming day.

Many individuals find it difficult to change, especially their entire lifestyle in order to become healthy. Diet, exercise, and sleep are vital parts in keeping a completely healthy lifestyle. Obesity and malnutrition are very real and dangerous diseases. Diet requires macronutrients and micronutrients to remain healthy. Exercise helps to keep anyone healthy and mentally sharp. Sleep is the most important of all, without sleep no one would be able to take on the next day at a hundred percent. Healthy lifestyles can be very beneficial by preventing diseases and helps a person become well rounded. Health should not be ignored, many people can suffer different sicknesses and the worst case would be death, due to ignoring the fact bad health can potentially be fatal.

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