Expenses of Healthy Eating Versus Cheap and Unhealthy Eating - Essay Example

EXPENSES OF HEALTHY EATING VS. CHEAP AND UNHEALTHY EATING AND HOW CHEAP FOODS AFFECT RISKS FOR DISEASES AND OBESITY Expenses of healthy eating vs. cheap and unhealthy eating and how cheap foods affect risks for diseases and obesity Health is a state of well-being with the functionalities of the body working effectively. It is not only a state of not being sick but also as state of the mind and social well-being. For development of a healthy body that will work effectively in disease fighting, every individual needs to maintain good eating habits. Although the definition of good eating may vary from person to person, medical practioners advice that a balanced diet should be taken in every meal, which ensures that the body is always operating optimally. Depending on the financial status of individuals, some may argue that taking a balanced diet maybe expensive. Bearing in mind the financial constraints in the economy of the world today, it would be a correct argument. However, the value of life is beyond figures and therefore taking a balanced diet no matter how simple it will be should be mandatory to everybody. Advantages of healthy eating Healthy eating has numerous advantages to the body of a human being. The human blood contains white blood cells that act as disease fighters and as such, boosting the levels of white blood cell so as improve the human body immunity is important .A healthy meals contains all the ingredients of a balanced diet which are; vitamins ,proteins, carbohydrates and minerals. Research shows that those people who take balanced diets have low susceptibility to attack by diseases and have high recovery rates from illnesses even without medication. (Murphy, 1992, pg 57). This clearly shows that taking good and balanced diet is very essential for proper body performance. Weight control among the youths is a matter of concern; most females want to maintain a good figure while most men want to be more muscular, and as such, healthy eating can prove very advantageous towards such aims. Although healthy eating can help lose, gain or maintain weight, it should be also accompanied by regular exercise and huge water intakes. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains can be taken instead of foods with calories; this is important in weight gain control. The American dietetic association recommends intake of at least five fruits if you are in attempt to control weight. Heart diseases contribute 12% of all the deaths experience globally. This is alarming but can be easily controlled or even avoided. Regular consumption of foods with high quantities of fats increase triglyceride levels which blocks the arteries. A healthy diet could easily avoid this by controlling the amount cholesterol taken into the body. This does not only cause heart disease but can also result into devastating conditions such as stroke. Doctors prescribe fats from olive oil and fish as the most beneficial. It is cheap and with overflowing control on cardiovascular diseases. A continuous intake of sugary foods overwhelms the body’s ability on influx of glucose and with time leads to resistance of insulin, which generates type 2 diabetes. ( Hesketh , et al, 2005 pg 22).healthy eating involves taking of complex carbohydrates with low sugar levels .this can be got from whole grain bread and rice that release less sugar into the bloodstream. Cancer is considered as the world’s second killers after HIV/Aids. Cancerous diseases cause a lot of pain into the body and lead to prolonged suffering. Its treatment is very expensive and in some stages not treatable. However, healthy eating would provide a permanent solution to protection against cancer. Fruits and vegetable have high quantities of antioxidants that kill cancerous cells radically existing in the body. (Kennedy et al, 1995, pg 1106) Goods eating habits improve conditions of those already having cancer. For every person to live with others harmoniously, they require to be in a good mood. Surprisingly, healthy eating translates into having a good mood. A healthy state of the body causes a healthy state of the mind, which improves mood. Healthy diets stimulate the brain to release a chemical that often makes the person happier and more relaxed. It also makes one feel good about their appearance and thus boosts confidence and self-esteem. Psychologists have used healthy eating as a measure to control anger and improve, mind functioning. Disadvantages of unhealthy eating and intake of cheap food Unhealthy eating is responsible for the health problems plaguing the society Unhealthy eating have hard-hitting effects in both the short and long run. People may describe it as a cheap way of living but it is very expensive on a different perspective. Unhealthy eating entails eating a non-balanced diet, junk food (normally cheap) and poor eating habits. All of this deprives the human healthy and puts it at a risk of disease. Due to lack of money or the unwillingness to spend, people find themselves going for cheap food that is mostly not well cooked. Food cooked in open air is normally cheap but have high chances of being contaminated. Such foods can lead to diseases associated with dirt e.g. cholera and typhoid. The expense of treating such diseases is very high as compared to the cost of taking food that is cooked in a clean place .Such diseases cause deaths and pose a risk of being spread to other people. Taking of junk diet is popular among many people globally. Junk food is usually sweet, affordable and easily available. However, it poses a great risk to the health of the person taking it and has many disadvantages. Most junk foods contain sodium or salt that alters the circulatory system and thus causing a stroke. 500mg of sodium above the recommended quantity increase the risk of stroke by 17% (stern, 2009, pg 37).Intake of junk food also leads to gastrointestinal issues. Junk contains no fiber and causes constipation or even irritable bowel syndrome. Junk diet and deprived diets cordially lead to obesity; they contain high levels of calories (3500 per gram) .this extra calories not required by the body are settled in the waist and thighs thus causing obesity. A report by the world health organization (WHO) shows that 35.7% of adults are obese and 17% of children are obese. According to stern obesity occurs because of the way energy is stored or expended and biological driven abnormalities (stern, 2009, p 42). Obesity increases the risk of major health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and infertility. Obese people have low sexual activity and low chances of fertility. With this in mind, it is obviously more expensive to take junk food as opposed to their cheap market prices. Junk food contains large amounts of sugar, which upon accumulation in the teeth causes tooth decay. Unhealthy eating causes low functioning of the brain. According to scholars in the health and dietetics sector in the USA, in 2009, fatty foods have adverse effect on the brain. It causes low memory and poor concentration abilities. This extends to academic performances in class where one out of a hundred bright students is obese. In addition, unhealthy eating causes poor exercise capabilities which lead to high weight gain that is unattractive (stern and Kazaks, 2009 pg 31). Poor sleep and mood problems are also associated with unhealthy eating. In conclusion, healthy eating would appear expensive in the short-term, but is cheap on the long-term. Unhealthy eating is expensive in the long term and causes many disadvantages. It is therefore right to say that healthy eating is of paramount importance for once well-being and long life. References Hesketh, K., et al (2005). Healthy eating, activity and obesity prevention: a qualitative study of parent and child perceptions in Australia. Health promotion international, 20(1), 19-26. Kennedy, E et al. (1995). The healthy eating index: design and applications. Journal of the American Dietetic Association,95(10), 1103-1108. Murphy, E. (1992). Healthy living. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Stern, J. S., & Kazaks, A. (2009). Obesity: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC- CLIO. Read More