My Parent 's Views On Eating Habits

Near the beginning of this school year, my friend Bianca frequently asked me, “Are you going to finish that?” Initially I suggested that she buy herself something or pack lunch, but she always refused and went without eating. After reflecting, I realized that Bianca suffered from the plight of food insecurity. I was hit with a whirlwind of emotions… how could someone that I know not have the resources to feed herself. From that moment forward, I began packing a little extra each day. For the remainder of the school year, I always shared my food with her to ensure that having something to eat was not a concern for her. This daily ritual made me interested in researching whether others dealt with this same issue. Sparking my passion, my friend’s situation

Ever since a young boy, I was known for my crazy eating habits. I had an abnormally large sweet tooth and stomach. There would be days I would eat a whole bag of candy and still have a taste for more sweets. I had a fairly thin physique with some muscle tone. Everybody told me that one day, I’ll become obese and regret all these “bad” decisions; I disregarded every comment and lived by the motto, “ As long as I don’t get fat, I’m fine.”

In the story "The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus, we meet Louise who has been struggling with her weight since the age of nine. Her mother is extremely outspoken and tells her that she has a problem. She would say “You must watch what you eat”(Dubus 158).Her mother was

My mom always commanded, “Don’t take your emotions out on food.” In her essay “Young Hunger,” M.F.K. Fisher uses three anecdotes to prove her argument about the hunger young people have for love and attention. On the other hand J.J. Goode through “Single-handed Cooking” writes about the difficulties that a disability such as having no arms could introduce even with small chores such as cooking. Food represents struggles in the lives of both M.F.K. Fisher and JJ Goode. Fisher and Goode are both lacking something that they are trying to fill with food although the result they obtain is different.

acknowledge the meal as a simple necessity of life to keep our bodies functional, but we fail

David Zinczenko’s essay, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” stresses the connection of fast food restaurants to obese children. With his parents spilt up, and his mother working long hours to support the family, as a child Zinczenko had a limited choice of fast food restaurants such as Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Pizza Hut for both lunch and dinner. Just like today those were the only affordable meals for teenagers. Due to this, at the age of 15, Zinczenko becomes obese (212 pounds). Unlike a lot of people with similar issues, he he turns his life around by joining the Navy Reserves. Zinczenko notes that fast-food restaurants are located almost everywhere, attract to children, are cheap, and are easy to access. Hence why he believes that

78 million adults and 13 million children in America dealing with health and emotional problems because they can’t stop eating(“Understanding the American Obesity Epidemic”). This is why they are not too thin. I must say, it is with great sorrow that we see young children, of ages eight or eighteen, or even adults, of ages twenty five or sixty, struggling to even take a few steps, some accompanied by wheelchairs, some desperately having to stay at home due to immobility and some who are left to no use. These are the ones who become either successful and are able to lose weight, or become useless individuals.

The United States as a nation is struggling tremendously with high an outrageous obesity rate. According to the documentary “Weight of the Nation,” obesity is number five out of the ten leading causes of death. The lifestyle in the United States has become a “norm” that has to be changed quickly. It is imperative that we as adults draw into our youth the importance of eating healthy. We as people are in control of our own health and can prevent ourselves from getting chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Socially, obese children are more susceptible to teasing and discrimination. ("Obesity Action Coalition » What is Childhood Obesity?", 2017). Several states have been discussing with the suggestion that parents should be charged or prosecuted with abuse or neglect if their children are morbidly obese. The argument is that some parents are unwilling to control their child’s weight, even when it is medically ordered. But none of states have a statute that specifically addresses the circumstances in which a severely obese child may be considered "neglected" or "medically neglected." (Darwin,

I struggle daily to control my intake of unhealthy foods. I believe that this issue stems from ingrained family norms and negative assumptions about my diet. Coming from a traditional southern family, most of our gatherings are centered on high fat/sodium foods. Eating until we are uncomfortably full is a family norm that is a source of comfort, bonding, and joy. Consequently, my family’s bad relationship with food has caused many of our members to experience diet and weight related issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

As a little girl I have always struggled with my weight, and I continuously stayed active because of the factors faced against me (i.e., genetics, socioeconomic status). Obesity has been called an epidemic and one of America’s “most challenging public health problems” (Mason 300). The percentage of obese Americans has more than doubled since 1980, with more dramatic increases found among men (CDC, 2007b). “According to data from 1999 to 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 30% of adults age 20 years and older were obese, and when the number of overweight and obese were combined the percentage swelled to 64%. These figures were so alarming that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has made the goal of reducing obesity among adults one of its highest priorities (HHS, 2000). To examine the facts of how alarming obesity among adults truly is an under-statement. This topic really hit home for me due to the fact that I have pretty decent eating

To please their screaming unruly children, parents will do whatever they say, even if it means buying them an extra fry at a fast food restaurant, or a few sandwiches. Most “parents know that such meals are unhealthy, they are struggling in a “toxic environment” with little support or recognition for the challenges of raising children in such a world”(Purcell 3). In an environment without support, you are just going to keep on falling.

During Christmas vacation, three weeks before my 4th birthday, I began eating more; more than I had and more than I should. I was always hungry, extremely hungry. Hungry, thirsty and tired, painfully dragging myself to and from day to day activities. I gorged myself with food, yet my pants became looser, arms thinner and stomach flatter. The world swirled around me; I couldn’t stand without stumbling. On December 23, 2001, I entered the hospital kicking and screaming, tired and alone. Since that day, I haven’t seen food the same way.

Food is a substance that humans eat in order to perform basic everyday functions. Accord to the author of Fat is a family affair, Judi Hollis;” America’s “drug” of choice is food” (25). The sugar from a soda pop or the crunches from potato chips drive anyone to drink or eat it. After a while our wants for a soda pop or chips develop into needs on a daily basis. The six needs to recovering from an obsessive eating is appreciation, approaching the new, relaxation, habit, sexuality, competition, and coping. Judi Hollis expresses appreciate as an important need for recovery.

The emotions and hormones that naturally run through children as they reach upper elementary through high school are enough to bring doubt and a lack of self confidence, but the stereotyping and treatment of those who are overweight is another obstacle that is often too difficult to overcome. As Morimoto (2008) states “…fat people are generally perceived as less intelligent, incompetent, lazy, socially unpleasant, and emotionally unstable” (p.30). These ill harbored feelings of fat as a “…great social, economic, and moral evil” (Morimoto, 2008, p. 30) cause the low socioeconomic students who are overweight due to the previously discussed reasons to be thought of as lesser by themselves and their peers. Obese students are often treated as social outcasts because of the stereotypes surrounding their weight. Not only does the lack of friends affect their overall happiness, but there is also a great chance of the children viewing themselves through the same lens their peers were taught to use. The self fulfilling prophecy of being thought of as less capable therefore acting that way would