Rethinking Our Health for Better:

As I stand in front of you as a specialist in Public Health I can express to you all that this field has been dear to my heart for as long as I can remember. Growing up I enjoyed every bite of food I would take not knowing the difference between a “healthy food” product and the garbage food that caused me to be overweight and nearly obese. Today the topic of conversation is meant to make you aware of why we have a huge issue with obesity but even more so with childhood obesity. Many children are starting to develop illnesses that we only saw in adults but today we start to see more and more overweight and obese children because of the food products that they eat. All of you are here today, regardless of motivation, to find out more about what you can do to make sure that your child, patient, friends, family, and you yourself receive the information you need to be successful in living a healthy lifestyle.

The problem with children being overweight or obese has grown over the past years and even though things are being done to get us back on the right path we see a growing problem. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention expresses several concerns which may be the leading causes of childhood obesity. Among the listed things we see unhealthy foods on school grounds, lack of daily quality physical activity in all schools, limited access to affordable healthy foods, increased portion sizes, and watching too much television.

My personal experience, knowledge, and years of experience convinced me that a healthy lifestyle of living is essential to an individual’s life even more so with our eating habits. We cannot allow our kids to be poisoned by food industries and manufacturers who solely care about making money. As I watched a film on TED by Jaime Oliver on how to teach every child how to eat right specifically teaching them what vegetables are. I noticed something that is so simple yet shocking to know that the kids do not know something simple as to what vegetables are. What are we doing to our kids that we do not even know what vegetables, which is one of the most important food groups we need?

We are seeing fatter and sicker kids who are slowly gaining illnesses that can potentially lead them to death concluding to shorter life expectancy that the generation prior to that. Parents are coming into the doctor’s office and even spending more on money on medications, treatments, and overall health insurance. In reality, people may believe that they are spending less and believe they are saving money by choosing the dollar menu at McDonalds but put the rest to health care costs. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that the issue is so bad that it tripled from just one generation ago since it now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States.

Today, you listen to me give you some insight of an epidemic problem that has harmed our health drastically and the struggle to turn the situation around before it hits the point of no return. The purpose of my lecture is to help you better understand how much we our damaging our bodies as well as our kids and providing insights, resources, and knowledge of how to take action. If it was not as important as other things not much emphasis would be given to people and that is why I believe that we need to start thinking about the foods that we buy before we buy them. It is true that these food industries and manufacturers are now putting in what goes into our foods on labels but how many of us actually understand the wording? The reason why is because not many people take the time to take a look over them anyhow so they decide to label as they know leaving the consumer out of the loop. The ones that are feeding this issue to us are not taking the responsibility to explain to us what it is in our foods then that means that we must take it upon ourselves to do so.  

 I am truly passionate about I think of the many reasons that I decided to go into a career with a Public Health background. The meaning of living a healthy lifestyle means more to me than the degree I carry to prove I have dedication to help make it happen for our society. Leave this conference knowing that you are not by yourself and that we can achieve a healthy state by being involved in knowing and understanding the foods we need.

Food Industry May Just NOT care about US!

Food Industry Involved in the Process

Today's Kids May NOT LIVE as previous generations!

Understanding Our Body to Eat Right and Lose Weight (in a Healthy Weight!)

Nutrition and Health Tips! (resource)

BE CAREFUL with your weight!!

Slowly Dying? Is Obesity Affecting You Too?

Many people are suffering from unnecessary chronic illnesses as consequences due to their weight being at the obese level. The United States has over a period of time grown into a problem that has led about 35% of adults and 17% of children to be obese at least according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. The worst part of it all is that it just keeps growing and both adults and children are suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint problems, and psychological problems.

What is the root issue of this growing dilemma? We hear experts and doctors say that we need to make sure that our kids are eating the right foods and getting some sort of physical fitness activity every day. There may be many causes that are bringing children to become bigger and sicker and one of the issues is the food that we are feeding our kids and ourselves. The access to healthy foods is ridiculously high in price and people prefer to pay cheaper on food products not realizing that in the end they will just be paying higher costs. The costs of fatal health conditions and insurance can be detrimental especially if the individual finds paying a visit to the doctor’s office often.

Targeting what the problem by figuring out what the causes is not that simple since the reasons why people have issues with obesity varies from person to person. We cannot assume but we can definitely see a negative correlation among adults and children who watch too much television and are not involved in physical fitness. The interesting part of it all is that parents and the school systems play an important role in the child’s life and yet even though we see more involvement in doing something it is not enough.

Corporations and food industries are making huge money off of us and they are not helping the situation. When paying for our food products we see all kinds of junk food and non-nutritious food items, which kids throw tantrums for which unfortunately makes the parents buy the products because they don't want to be seen as the bad parent. The problem is that they do not realize that they are being bad parents buy falling into the food industries trap and making the kids fat. It s not fair that we are to a certain degree being bullied by these corporations since all they seem to care about is the consumer’s money. According to Krystle M. Davis from the the book review, The Food Industry Made US Fat, 7.5 billion is spent anually on advertising and following up with $375 million being the number that is needed to start the work. 

We need to hurry and become aware as grocery shoppers as well as do our part as parents and community members by making sure that the school system is involved. We need to bring the nightmare issue to a low or better yet diminish a problem that once did not exist or least not as high and especially not among children.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-fattest-and-fittest-states

Debate in the Sciences

            The debate surrounding the topic of obesity along with the correlation of high healthcare costs are alarming when we notice an increase in treating obesity related consequences.  Over the years our eating habits have picked up to be worse and the proof lies in our current obesity epidemic. We know obesity has made some feel there is point of no return especially because it has rolled into our children’s lives since they are suffering as well. The bigger picture here is that not only are we suffering physically but mentally and economically as well because the cost treat our health is becoming pricy. Many families do their best to save money and therefore they spend more on cheap foods and go through fast food places but end up spending more than those who chose to refrain from fast food places.

Food corporations and industries are all about making money even if that means that the consumer is pushed off of a cliff in order in terms of their health being on the line. The ongoing debate surrounding the issue of healthcare costs rising and the correlation of the obese America is due for a listen. One of the positions in the debate is that the politicians are not stopping, if fact they are promoting it because corporations are making big money out of fattening up America. They even spend millions of dollars lobbying congress to uphold policies that will keep their businesses going. The second position comes from concerned doctors, nutritionists, and activists who know that there is a desperate need to turn America around from the state that they have been put in. For the most part, they propose that a tax be put on the junk food just like there was for tabacco. The numbers decreased as the consumers stopped buying the product which is why the issue has not been a big deal since. Many of the implications that surround the debate is of course the money that is at stake which is a big part of it in term of who is making the money. Of course it is clear that part of the problem lies in the corporations and industries that are bringing the food products. The other part of it is the consumer in believing that they are saving money by eating these foods that are cheaper and then spending even more of healthcare costs.

The people that are suffering and continue to suffer are children and their families because they are not making the healthy choices in the first place and then some are not involved in the ongoing debate in terms of being informed. The outcome of the debate will affect everyone because choices such as funding for healthy foods at schools will be part of the topic. It will also affect the consumer who is trying to save money and eat healthier but is finding it a luxury to buy healthy foods. It will affect the corporations and industries if a tax is placed on their money making foods and maybe even decrease the pay of those who package these foods and of course anyone involved in the process. Generally speaking, assuming that the consumers have healthcare they will be placed in a tough situation if they no longer have the healthcare to pay for the costs of the medications.

Children are OBESE !! 3 out of 4 (Food Industry making and taking money)

Obesity Epidemic and Political Issue (Money In the Garbage)

INTRODUCTION: HEALTH ISSUE

This blog is intended to engage individuals in the community about health issues that are affecting us and bring to our attention what we can be doing about it and how it is very potically involved. It is very important that we stay in tune with what it is going on around us because there are many things that are changing all the time. For example, is it good to allow teenagers to have access to certain types of contraceptives? Is it okay that not the entire world have health care? Decisions ! Decisions! Let's think about this in a way that puts not only ourselves but the future generationns into consideration.