Conclusion to Health

This week we discussed the very broad and controversial topic of health specifically obesity and being thin.  The conversation included reasons for the increased weight in children, being healthy, and social media’s impact on how we look at ourselves.  We had mentioned that other than lack of exercise and the countless number of hours spent in front of the TV or computer, stress was also a major factor. Stress limits the amount of effort and labor we put into our work and thus we are more likely to pick up the fast food for comfort or for a quick easy meal.  School foods were also a consideration since many people come to school to get a second breakfast for free.  There are also problems making good, nutritious food accessible and affordable, especially for lower income families.   It was contemplated different ways to help reduce obesity, such as increasing the price of junk foods with taxes and decreasing the price of healthy foods like apples so they are more affordable than Doritos.

We also talked about being too skinny, such as models and “thinspiration” bloggers, who are influencing young adults like us.  Although many of us thought that a simply calculation of the BMI and consultation of a doctor was suitable to determine our health, we can to the realization that there can be a person who is healthy and overweight and a person who is unhealthy and skinny.

Hopefully this week’s discussion made it more clear and opened up your minds on problems with health, not just problems alone with being too skinny or too fat, but problems with controlling intake and controlling social influences.  Maybe someday we will be able to find a medium between healthy and skinny, where weight and appearance does not matter but rather how fit we are.