Brittany Ronnow
Broder MW 3:00-4:15
According to a survey I conducted in my Public Speaking class, 15 out of 22 people
admitted that they were unsatisfied with their current weight. This shocking statistic really hit
home for me because I have suffered from an eating disorder in the past and hated myself simply
because of my weight. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I was able to overcome
this battle and start living a healthy lifestyle. Eating clean, being active, and positivity are the
main components to living a healthier lifestyle. This is why our class topic on food really
connects to me and my life on a personal level.
Tamara Melton, a wellness nutritionist at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta stated that
“Food is fuel for your body, and some foods provide better fuel than others.” The body converts
food into energy through a process called metabolism. The energy in food is measured in
calories. Carbohydrates and proteins contain four calories per gram of food, and fats contain nine
(Calorie Counters). Eating a healthy, balanced diet provides your body with the right nutrients it
needs to function properly. These nutrients give you energy and keep your heart beating, your
brain active, and your muscles working. Eating foods like fruits and vegetables are very
beneficial to your mind and body. Protein is also essential for your mind and body. Proteins are
the building blocks of our body; they repair muscle, bone and tissue damage. They also help out
the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen around the body and provide you some energy.
Super Size Me focuses mainly on the physical health problems that fast food has on the
human body. In the documentary, Morgan Spurlock spends 30 days eating strictly McDonalds
for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He quickly learns that not only does fast food cause obesity but
fast food also leads to a number of other health problems. Spurlock’s liver was already suffering
from damage after his 30 day documentary and according to his doctor if he continued on with
his experiment it may be possible for him to die from liver failure. By eating only McDonalds
Spurlock was missing out on over 50% of the daily amount of the vitamins his body needed to
function properly; causing him to have high blood pressure, depression, and decreased sexual
ability.
Junk food is full of empty calories, fats, sugar, lacking nutrients, fiber and protein which
causes your blood sugar levels to drop suddenly after eating, leaving you feeling fatigued, moody
and craving more sugar(Zoumbaris). This could be the reason why people who to habitually eat
unhealthy continue to put themselves down; simply because they are not getting the right amount
of energy their brain and body needs to function causing them to feel depressed. Spurlock
admitted himself that during his experiment he was feeling weak, fatigue, short of breathe and
unhappy.
Along with eating clean, exercise and becoming more active can improve your long term
health. As you keep exercising, you feel even better about yourself and everything around you.
You feel what they call “the runner’s high,” meaning your endorphins, or neurotransmitters in
your brain, are released during exercise. Endorphins push someone to keep going on with their
exercise even though they are exceeding their limit. They release epinephrine, serotonin and
dopamine; all are chemicals in your brain that contributes to adrenaline, motivation, and wellbeing (Calorie Counters). By making exercise part of your daily routine you will not only start to
look better but you will mentally start to feel better and have a better sense of well-being.
Being a college student I understand how easy it can be to slip into an inactive, unhealthy
lifestyle. I also know firsthand how hard it is to get rid of that laziness and find motivation.
Hopefully after taking this class where food is a primary focus more and more students can
understand the importance of eating healthy and the damage that junk food has on our body.
Remember, good health can only benefit you but bad health could cost you your life.
Works Cited
"Carbs – Simple vs Complex, High Glycemic vs Low Glycemic, Good vs Bad." Calorie
Counters. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
Ronnow, Brittany. “Health Survey” Survey. 2 April 2013.
Zoumbaris, Sharon K. Nutrition. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood/ABC-CLIO, 2009. Print.