Persuasive Essay On Nutrition Pros And Cons

One of the most insidious “diseases” plaguing our nation is poor nutrition. While obesity is an epidemic, we focus too much on heavy people and not enough on all the others around them that are truly malnourished and yet don’t show any “traditional” signs. These other portions of the population shows their irregular nourishment through high rates of chronic illness and even possibly through mental illness. Just because someone is “this”, does not mean they are nutritionally sound. So while in 10 years’ time almost 50% of our population will be obese, a much higher percentage will be malnourished if we keep on this trend. Inevitably malnourished populations will continue to be a public health crisis through the rise in chronic disease and higher medical costs due to the burden these populations put on the healthcare system. This is why we need to focus on reducing food deserts, increase nutritional education at a young age, and create a culture of mindfulness around cooking and eating whole foods.

While the term “food desert” may sound like an oxymoron here in the United States, these areas are

While “home-economics” has been in the school system for more than 60 years, the current version doesn’t typically do a very good job of teaching the basics of cooking. Much of the “food science” portion is centered around making “fun” items that the children will enjoy eating, and typically stays away from utilizing most fruits and vegetables in their curriculum (Cade, Clarke, Edwards, Fraser, 2010). Not only does this help solidify the fact that vegetables are “unnecessary” in a child’s mind, but it also sets them up for failure in creating nutritious dishes that actually taste good. It’s a never ending cycle then through adulthood, of eating fatty calorie laden items and thinking that vegetables are only good when covered in ranch dressing or