1. Introduction Over the years, there has been an increasing emphasis placed on encouraging Singaporeans to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle. This is evident from the recent launch of an iPhone app entitled “Healthy Chef” by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) in 2011 that provides healthy cooking recipes for Singaporeans. There is also the implementation of Healthier Hawker Programme which enlists the support of the hawkers to dish out healthier food choices for Singaporeans dining out. Despite all these efforts in place, the notion of adopting healthy eating lifestyle remains insignificant, especially amongst university students. This essay shall focus on examining the barriers to the adoption of healthy eating lifestyle amongst …show more content…
Foods laden with high fat, calorie and sodium content are commonly sold in the canteen and not many food vendors offer the option of organic food that has been deemed beneficial for our health. Coupled to that, the presence of convenience stores, vending machines and bookstores that offers highly processed foods, sodas and sweets within the vicinity of the lecture halls have made it more convenient for students to acquire these junk food. While university students are expected to exert control over their purchasing of unhealthy food, given the fact that they are mature to understand the implications of their dietary intake on their health, this assumption has been proven to be falsely true. A study conducted by Kleef, Otten, & Trijp (2012) found that university students make their decisions on the basis that the environment invokes many cues that influence their purchase. In other words, the presence of more unhealthy food stocked up on the shelves have compelled the individual to make purchase of it despite knowing that it is unhealthy for a meal. Consequently, it is evident that knowledge is insufficient to encourage students to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle. Rather, there needs to be more healthy food option offered on the shelves that could probably enhance their desirability and visibility for the
Perhaps the biggest factor that causes students to gain weight is the adjustment from eating at home to eating at college. A student from Chicago State University wrote in the school paper that, “Students in their first year away from home are sometimes not experienced in choosing foods or balanced meals” (French). The free-for-all campus style eating allows for unlimited choices of food and no parents to tell students what they can or cannot eat. Dietitian Ann Litt is also quoted in a Washington Post article in stating that, “the all you can eat concept in most college food services is an invitation overeat” (Linder). College dining halls are set up like fast food restaurants, and some even contain a McDonalds or a Pizza Hut. Fast food style eating really has no nutritional value, other than lots of fat and calories. In an article which examined the ways which students eat nutritional professor Christina Economos stated that more than fifty percent of students are eating too much fat, and seventy to eighty percent are getting too much saturated fat. She states that lack of fruit and vegetable consumption and the eating of mostly processed food is the main cause of weight gain among students (Linder). When students enter the dining hall they need to remind themselves that eating healthy is important.
In Michael Pollan’s essay, “The American Paradox”, Pollan argues that American’s hold falsified ideas if one is more focused on nutrition. Americans have too much going on in their head with trying to be healthy, that they do not actually become healthy. The notion that “a notably unhealthy population preoccupied with nutrition and the idea of eating healthy” (Pollan 268) is what Pollan defines as the “American paradox”. The amount of time spent focusing on healthy eating habits decreases the joy one contains. Pollan identifies many issues that contribute to what is wrong with the way Americans think about eating today. For instance, we spend too much time and money trying to be healthy, we have strayed away from the past as new inventions occurred and last being we listen to “flawed science”. Despite the fact that many may say they see positive results from focusing on nutrition and health, Americans actually receive negative outcomes from nutrition and health.
Health education takes place within the context of social and economic settings. All programmes for health-related behaviour change have a cost in term of resources, money, time or social and economic factors. In this report I will be talking about Jamie Oliver approach the strength and weakness of his healthy eating approach. For example Jamie Oliver strives to improve unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits in the United Kingdom and the United States but the government spend a lot of money to campaign his idea and to promote healthier school meals.
David Zinczenko's article "Don't Blame the Eater" discuses with regard to a series of health-related topics involving food that most people and, particularly, young individuals eat today. The article is meant to raise public awareness concerning the risks associated with consuming particular foods. These respective risks are generally ignored because companies selling the products refrain from emphasizing the exact effects that consuming their food can have on someone's health. The reality is that cheap foods are an appealing alternative for young people who are more concerned about the quantity than the quality of the foods they eat.
In the UK about 46% of men in England and 32% of women are overweight, and an additional 17% of men and 21% of women are classified as obese. Overweight people and obesity is rapidly increasing so it is estimated that by 2015 over 50% of the population will be obese. These campaigns have a big emphasis on education and in particular in settings such as primary and secondary schools. Children are being taught about healthy lifestyles, one of the big changes was inputting healthy foods into school canteens. Adults are also being educated by replicating the idea in schools workplaces also have fatty foods replaced with healthier foods and reducing the number of smoking areas to discourage smoking breaks at work when it all gets too stressful.
In America’s society today, Individuals are taking the blame off of themselves and shifting it onto the food industry. The food industry does indeed put up a very tempting environment for Americans, targeting unhealthy choices, but nevertheless, it is up to the customer as to what they spend their money on. Even with attempted changes in nutrition within the food industry, most people take no interest in it. But, when someone is motivated, results of a healthier lifestyle is shown in multiple ways. Americans need to realize that dedication can overcome temptation and not only lower numbers on the scale, but better their overall
Ecological models can answer many questions regarding hypotheses, ecosystem parts and their functions (Marewski & Schooler, 2011). My ecological model was very standard for my teenage years (McWhirter, 2017). I was the first of four children and lived in Ohio, growing up during the ‘60s and ‘70s. We were an average American family living in an average suburb. We all had bicycles and went on bike rides all the time. In the summer, we would ride to the swimming pool in our town. In the summer, we did the book clubs at our library and we always had something to do together with our friends (McWhirter, 2017).
Students are surrounded by unhealthy food off or on campus. In a research done by nutritionists, they came to a conclusion that students without meal plans wasted more money on fast food and consumed more fast food (‘Cost and Calorie of Fast Food’). This was all due to convenience of the students without meal plans, since they cannot get into dining halls, and most do not have time to cook or do not know how to cook, therefore they turn to fast food for a quick meal. Due to the fact that there are plenty of fast food restaurants on or nearby mostly any university campus in America. Researchers in the Cost and Calorie of Fast Food also conducted that the average students waste $71 on fast food and consumed about 12,000 of fast food per month (pg.944). People may say that it is the students fault for not eating right or wasting money on fast food, but it’s actually the colleges that deicide what type of food to surround its students with. There is no escaping fast food on a college campus in
A geographical perspective can facilitate better understanding of how everyday lived environments are complicit in producing higher rates of obesity and its associated diseases among New Zealanders, particularly in children. Childhood obesity is widely regarded as a significant health concern in New Zealand (NZ), owing to its growing national prevalence, its links to long term ill-health, and high economic burden on the health system. A socio-ecological model can be used to demonstrate how environments, ranging from individual to societal, influence personal behaviours, everyday lifestyle choices and eating patterns that contribute to an increased likelihood of a child being or becoming obese. The socio-ecological model recognises that cultural and societal norms which promote personal responsibility for obesity influences legislative action and more importantly, in-action around excessive unhealthy food availability and marketing. Consequently, the everyday lived environments of children are largely ‘obesogenic’. Specifically, the neighbourhood, school, and home environment will be examined, looking at how they interact with individuals to shape food consumption and physical activity behaviours, the major factors linked to childhood obesity.
Individuals are educated on the right feeding habits that are likely to result in the most beneficial health implications for the entire population. As a result, the audience gets the right education regarding the cross section of strategies that valuable to the wellbeing of individuals through a quality application of the right dietary patterns (Popkin, 2006). Public health officials will therefore come up with an understanding of the necessary changes in people’s feeding habits for the advancement of the necessary behavioral changes with respect to the health matters. The educational campaigns are focused on the identified areas that are considered a health risk to most of the
In the last decade, a lot of emphasis has been put on adopting healthy eating habits and informing the consumers that the healthy-eating option was available in fast-food restaurant chains. Interestingly, consumers eating in fast-food chains were found to be more likely to order fattening side dishes if they think that they are consuming a healthy diet (Men’s Fitness, March 2008). This observation is also true in Subway restaurants where a 12 inch Italian sandwich contains over 900 calories compared to the 600 calories BigMac from MacDonald’s (Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2008). Thinking they are eating “healthy”, Subway patrons then splurge on soft drinks, potato chips and desserts accompanying their sandwich, especially is they are offered as part of value meals.
Obesity has risen over the years. The United States now has one of the highest obesity rates. Bad eating habits are usually the cause of this pandemic. For the past few decades, college dorm foods have led to these habits. The more unhealthy food choices are, the harder it is for people to resist these foods. Colleges serve a variety of unhealthy food in their dining halls that contributes to students’ lower GPA. By eating healthier, students can maintain a healthy weight, focus better in school, and increase their school performance to a higher grade point average (GPA).
Have you ever tasted school cafeteria food? I don’t think you would want to. In school story books, do you have characters saying that the food tasted good at school cafeterias? Nope. Why is this? Cafeteria food is often cheap, bought in bulk, high in calories, malnutritious, and microwaved. Student polls and opinions prove this. Therefore, this leads to a suggestion: Healthier, tastier foods and a better, advanced lunch system should be implemented.
Healthy eating habits: Now a day’s big NGO’s, medical organisations and Government tends Indian population to eat healthy rather than
Junk food, junk food, junk food is around all corners of schools. Chocolate, cookies, soda, potato chips, and Sour Strings may sound delectable to some people, but are they nutritious? Some people wonder if there should be a change. Encouraging exceptional nutrition in schools is essential by reasons of students will consume foods that are better for them, schools will pay less for meals, and fewer students would go hungry.