Why Teens Shouldn’t Diet
Dieting can be defined as restricting calories or food groups (Deal with Diets: kidshealth.org). With the number of obese people growing, it’s no wonder that people are starting to diet, and “in 1988, Americans spent 32 billion dollars on diets and diet products (Baird: Women’s Health Fact Sheet).” A problem arises when teens start restricting their food, because dieting can be very harmful to a teenager’s still-developing body. It can also be harmful to the teen’s psychological health as well. “80% of teen girls are unhappy with their bodies and weight (Community Action: 27% of Teens in Peril from Dieting), and 50% of teen girls incorrectly believe that they are overweight, increasing the likelihood that they will diet (Strauss 741).” Dieting comes with its own host of problems which is why teens should definitely not diet because it can cause obesity, eating disorders, and nutrient deficiencies.
Some people may be surprised by the fact that dieting can actually cause obesity later. It seems like a paradox, but it really isn’t. When someone else controls the way you eat, it’s very natural to rebel. Also, when someone diets, it slows down their metabolism, and when a person starts eating like they used to, the metabolism doesn’t have any time to adjust to that, and there is a weight gain. Plus, dieting lowers a person’s blood sugar, which can trigger depression, then trigger binge eating, which leads to weight gain (Drohan 30-32). This may all seem like theory, but there have been two recent studies to explore it further. Harvard Medical School put together a study, testing this theory, and the results were surprising. What they found after testing 8,203 girls and 6,769 boys was that the adolescents who dieted frequently actually gained more weight each year than other children. Both the males and females suffered from the boomerang effect of dieting, and gained, on average, two pounds more than the non-dieters. They then determined that the weight gain was due to the fact that when teens diet, they are restricting themselves. When a person cuts down on calories, it becomes very hard for them to control the cravings, desires, and the hunger. When they can no longer control themselves, ...
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...bsp;Overall, dieting can be very dangerous. It can lead to obesity, cause eating disorders, or be the source of nutrient deficiencies. Teens diet for a variety of reasons, but they really shouldn’t, because it really can be detrimental to their health. What teens need to realize now is that if they practice unhealthy eating now, they are setting themselves up for physical and mental problems late in life, which won’t help themselves or their loved ones. A teen needs to also identify the reasons why they are thinking of dieting anyway. Yes, it might be because they are obese, but many people incorrectly believe that they are overweight, and there are causes of that, which need to be addressed. Teens diet because they are on a quest for the perfect body, but they need to realize is that their perfect body may not match the body they see on the television or in magazines. Any teen who starves herself to become thin is only setting herself up for disaster. Teens just need to try to accept themselves for who they are, and then everyone else will accept them also. They need to realize that it’s not worth their health to go on a quest for the perfect body that has been airbrushed anyway.
The problem with society today is, teens are judged everyday on their weight; they are either “too fat” or “too skinny”. Every body type is different, some people may not be able to gain or lose weight; Judging someone based on their weight is a huge problem in society today; when someone comments on ones weight it causes someone to do damage to their body, such as mental and physical health problems. Judging someone based on their weight is a huge problem, when someone comments on ones weight it is most common to make them feel less of a person; it could lead to eating disorders or harming oneself.
Having to eat so much is problem and the authors have great ideas to help prevent over eating. Americans around the world need to stop eating so much because they play as a role model to the youth and young adolescents. Healthy eating is the most beneficial despite how it sometimes taste.
With an estimated one in three American adolescents being classified as overweight or obese many parents are turning away from traditional lifestyle modification approaches to more radical methods of combating adolescent obesity. Excessive weight at young ages has been linked to a wide range of comorbidities including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and elevated blood cholesterol which is connected to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood (Kelleher, Merrill, Cottrell, Nadler, & Burd, 2013). Since the early 70’s the prevalence of overweight adolescents has increased from an average of 5% to an alarming 18% with obesity being the number one health concern for parents trumping drug abuse and smoking (www.heart.org).
I use to think the people became obese at older ages, but I realized that’s not the case because in society now days all one hears is a six year old being obese before their even six-teen. President Obama and his wife Michelle have tried to stop obesity by fixing the matters at school. I believe that it’s good to know that they care, but that’s not solving the problem being that that many don’t eat at school so they go home and eat whatever they want. Two articles that I have previously read Don’t Blame the Eater by David Zinczenko and What You Eat IS Your Business by Radley Balko have strike my attention, but Don’t Blame the Eater by David Zinczenko would be better than What You Eat Is Your
Eating Disorders are on a rapid rise in the United States today, they sweep the halls of Junior High School, High Schools, College Campuses and even Elementary Schools. These disorders are often referred to by professionals as the “Deadly Diet,” however you may know them as Anorexia or Bulimia. Eating disorder effect more than 20% of young females and males in today’s society. Ranging in age from thirteen to forty. It is very rare for a child of a young age to not know someone who is suffering from an eating disorder or symptoms that are associated with one. Statistically it has been proven that one out of every five young woman suffer from serious issues dealing with eating and or weight. (Bruch, 25)
Today, our world is filled with food. While some are healthy, it seems like teenagers are more focused on the unhealthy foods. Yes, there are athletic programs; teens are still not eating the right foods they should be. They get the simple, easy to depend on, low cost foods which most likely are from fast food restaurants. Teenagers often pick the easy choice, which is why the obesity rate is rising in our state, including heart attacks and diabetes. Even though it seems like the unhealthy choices are more dependent when you’re in a rush and need a quick bite to eat, not caring about the nutrition, teenagers don’t realize that it will affect them in the long run, literally.
...hey deem right for them. In the process of this solution, health classes should focus more on the benefits of eating a moderate portion of fatty and sugary foods with healthy options. I strongly believe and support the idea that giving teens and kids the facts about there foods and lots of options creates a generation filled with adults that can act and think for themselves while taking responsibility for there actions.
The term disordered eating includes a range of definitions, including a spectrum of abnormal eating behaviors that range from mild restricting behaviors and occasional binging and purging. “According to a 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, 34 percent of adolescent females were likely to consider themselves ‘too fat’ and, therefore, limited their dietary intake” (Ramos & Welch). This survey was held in 199...
Sandra Aamodt is a neuroscientist and science writer that received her biophysics degree (undergraduate) from Johns Hopkins and her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Rochester and then went on to do research at Yale. In her TED Talk, “Why dieting doesn’t usually work”, Aamodt talks about the brain and that hunger is controlled by it, specifically the hypothalamus. She then explains that there are “set points” for weight, and they depend on each individual. She then goes on to mention that dieting is really ineffective, in part due to the fact that our bodies have not yet evolved, and so our bodies believe that we are undergoing a famine when we eat less, so then fat is stored. She explains that 80% of girls have dieted by the time that they are 10. After that, she explains that there are 4 healthy habits (eating fruits and vegetables, exercise, not smoking, and drinking in moderation) that lead to a lower risk of death. However, weight does not correlate with that. Finally, she explains how to fix this problem: mindful eating. She states that understanding the bo...
In the stage of adolescences, there are many physiological, behavioral and social changes going on. The social changes play a heavy role in adolescent nutrition. At this age the biggest concern is just fitting in at school. This can cause them to worry about gaining weight which is considered a normal psychological change during this period. This can lead to an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. Self-starvation and fears of being fat is commonly seen in these adolescents. Early recognition and seeking professional help is the most affective prevention. (394,
Many folks who become obese are people who abuse the calories their body needs on a daily diet. As stated in “Overweight and Obesity Statistics”, everyone body needs a certain amount of energy from foods to have a proper balance. If the calories you have eaten sum up to the amount of calories you have used or have not burnt, you will start to have a problem if this eating habit continues. You will now be in the stage of overweight, if you do not burn the extra calories you consumer. In March 2004 the CDC publishes a study showing that poor eating habits and lack of exercise were the second leading death in the Untied States (“Chronology”). For example, one major reason why people become obese in America is because the environment is full of fast food restaurants. If you look to your left you will see McDonald’s, you look to your right, and you see Jack in The Box, you look behind you and there is Carl’s Jr, and if you look in front of you and you see a Burger King. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, “17% of children and adolescents (aged 2-19) are obese. The prevalence of obesity in America has risen dramatically over the past two decades and continues to increase” (qtd. “Weight Control and Diet”). You see these places all over the place and not to mention food advertising is a big cause for obesity. According to What Causes Overweight
Kids and teens who eat better and stay active have a higher self-esteem than kids who sit at home and eat junk food all day. “Over processed foods are linked to feelings of depression. Healthy eating naturally makes a child feel great due to the high quality of nutrition available in natural wholesome foods and low sugar and fat content,” Carla Daffy(2). A child’s self-esteem is very important if they feel good about themselves and how they look then they will have the confidence to succeed in other areas of life as well. You want to make sure not to put too much pressure on kids or teens about their image because that could damage their self-esteem if they don’t feel “up to standards.” Instead of opinions on what they’re doing wrong, eat healthy with them, do activities with them. Show them there is no pressure and let them follow your example. Kids who feel great will do
Dieting is used by millions of people all over the world. Most dieting plans are used all over the world because of advertising. People perceive dieting as healthy and an easy way to lose weight. Dieting is a way for someone to lose weight in a long period of time. It works for some people but doesn’t work for others. Everyone has their own opinion on dieting, but there not all right. Dieting is alternating eating habits so people will eat less calories and will lose those unwanted pounds. Dieting is good for an individual when they use it right because it helps them stay at a healthy weight and exercise regularly.
Obesity in adults has recently become a big issue. With more and more adults becoming obese every day it’s pretty obvious why it’s become such a big deal. People everywhere are now exercising more to get fit, but most the time they forget to improve their nutrition. The obesity rate in adults isn’t the only thing to rise greatly. Teenagers and kids are now facing the same problems with obesity as adults are. The main problems that cause obesity are poor nutrition and a lack of exercise. Many people now are focus on exercising and forgetting how big of a role nutrition plays in weight. Obesity hasn’t been too much of a problem in generations before, but now it’s become a really big issue. I believe bad habits that start at a young age are harder to break when we’re older, which is why I want to focus on teenagers and their poor eating habits. I think the poor eating habits of teenagers transfer into adult hood where they become obese because they are no longer growing but still eating whatever they want. I want to know why the nutrition of teenagers now is so poor compared to the generations before us. Being a teenager myself, I can write about the bad eating habits I personally have, in an attempt to fix them by becoming better informed. I hope to completely break my bad habits by totally changing what I eat and my perspective on food.
There are many health issues and concerns for teenagers. Many health issues are related to illegal substances but everyday food is just as big of a danger. Obesity is sweeping the nation and its due to all of the amount of junk food, fast food, and sweets that are promoted and sold every day. In the United States the number of teenagers that are obese is increasing rapidly. 18% of teen from ages 12 to 19 are obese. That is tripling teen obesity in 1980. 30% of kids from ages 6 to 19 years old are obese. These statistics show a huge problem and it is growing faster than ever.