As ones corpulence increases, the level of sugar undermine, not only inducing the immune system to weaken but decreasing the metabolic rate. Recent studies show that over 25% of the population in the United States scoffs fast food each day and that a McDonalds milkshake has 1,000 calories more than the Wendy’s Small Frosty.

“The trend of super­sizing orders tends to exac­erbate the harmful effects of fast food. “The fries and other sugar-laden concoc­tions they try to pass off as real food will start your movement towards an in­creased risk for develop­ing diabetes and increased weight gain, with all the poor lifestyle consequenc­es, [such as] heart disease caused by the inflammation from the diet,” says biology professor John Magee.

This is not good news, especially as recent studies show that people be­tween that 16 to 18-year olds collectively eat fast food a total of 157,000,000 times each month. French fries and other items on the fast food menu are high in simple carbohydrates, which cause an insulin spike in the blood, followed by a drop. Malnutrition can result into heart failure, because devouring large contents of sodium, will prevent the kidneys to eliminate the salt, which causes the sodium to build up within the body, forcing the heart to pump harder. This can lead to hypertension, agitation, heart attack, and kidney failure. All fast food restaurants are unwholesome, because they all provide food which is filled with components that mainly increase the fat in the body.

However, the costs to health far outweigh the benefits. “Fast food is calorie-dense and it does not feed your body the essential nu­trients it needs,” says Magee. “And it’s only cheap when you don’t factor in the added cost of the health care. You will ultimately need to treat the poor health you devel­op as a result of eating that way.” Bringing a bag lunch to school instead of going to In-N-Out can make a big difference.

“Most kids remember their cell phone every day and re­member to charge it when necessary, so treat your body like your cell phone– charge it when you are at home and bring the fuel you need with you so you can make some healthier choices than when your time and options are limited at school.”

Along with protein, fruits, and vegeta­bles, people have to eat more healthy fats – most fats with the exception of trans fats are healthful. Saturated fat has had a bad reputation over the years due to alleged causes of heart disease, but more studies are being published which show that this is completely inaccurate.

In order to avoid unhealthful fats and oils, one should eat foods that contain high-ranks of vitamins, iron, and potassium of every kind, including carrots, vegetables, eggs, milk, and yogurt.

Occasional fast food lunches are acceptable, but “if you just eat the burger without the bread, that’s much healthier,” says Ma­gee. “[A common excuse] is the ‘I did not know’ de­fense, so let’s educate peo­ple and remove that excuse,” says Magee. “Once you know and you still insist on ruin­ing your health and expect a more and more beleaguered health care system to pick up the pieces, then that’s just plain lazy.”

Sara Westbrook

There is so much pressure today to look a certain way, to be a certain way. Thoughts of, ‘If only I had their body or their life, then my life would be perfect!’ seem to be a common way of thinking. It is one thing to look at people for inspiration that will help us be the best we can, to get in shape and eat healthier. However, it is another to look at others in envy because we want to be them instead of ourselves.

We begin to judge ourselves at a young age and then compare ourselves to others in a negative approach. Television and magazines inundate us with pictures of the ideal body. Last week, I was standing in line at the grocery store and there it was…an article asking us to judge which celebrity had the best ‘backside’.

As a teenager and a young adult, judging and comparing myself to others seemed to come naturally. Most of the time, I felt I couldn’t measure up. Judging myself so harshly ignited a war between my body and me. I was rejecting my body and my true self at an alarming rate.

Although I wore a smile and appeared confident on the outside – inside I was overwhelmed, disappointed and bitter. This type of thinking was quickly leading me down the path of low self-confidence.

It was scary not knowing how I would become a strong and confident young woman who loved ‘the skin she was in.’ I really wanted and needed to believe that it was possible..

My mind kept telling me over and over that if I had thinner legs, a smaller bum, and bigger boobs, everything would be great. I found it hard to even enjoy my day with all the negative thoughts racing through my head. Being so consumed with my body was causing me to miss out on the things that were really important like family and friends who loved me unconditionally. Even when I received compliments, I denied hearing them because my own loveless, judging thoughts were turned up to full volume.

I always used to compare myself to one of my best friends who had long thin legs. I thought that she had perfect legs and since my legs were bigger and shorter, that meant mine were not beautiful. My friend and I had totally different body types and bone structures. Comparing myself to her was ridiculous – it wasn’t going to change anything – it wasn’t going to make my legs longer or thinner.

It got to a point where I didn’t even want to look at my legs. I hated them. I always covered them up and while I was showering, I didn’t wash them. I would just let the water run over them. I resented them so much I didn’t even want to touch them.

One day when I was complaining about my legs my Mum said, “Cut them off. Then you won’t have to look at them anymore.”

I thought, “Cut my legs off. That’s ridiculous. I won’t be able to walk, run, wear my favourite boots, and paint my toes.”

Then it hit me…I wasn’t grateful for what I had. I didn’t want to live in self-rejection anymore. I knew I needed to start appreciating my legs, to be grateful to them. They weren’t long and thin, but they walked, ran, skipped – they took me to where I wanted to go whatever I wanted to do.

Slowly I began to recognize that I was wasting so much time and energy criticizing myself that I was missing out on so much beauty in the world…mine included.

I didn’t like the way my mind was so negative towards my body. I didn’t like the person I was becoming.

Young Sara Westbrook

One day I decided to post pictures of myself as a little girl all around my room. I chose to post ones from ages three to eight. In these photos, I saw a young girl who loved life, who smiled just because she could. She didn’t worry about how much she weighed, how big her thighs or bum were.

I also started to surround myself with people and role models that had a healthy body image. People who enjoyed themselves ultimately love themselves and their life. They didn’t long for perfection – they enjoy the obstacles that life provides.

I needed to remember that carefree, little girl who still lived inside me. I needed to nurture her. Adopting an attitude of gratitude was what I needed to do.

So, I took all the parts of my body that bothered me and wrote in my journal all the reasons I was grateful to them. It wasn’t easy. At first, my mind was so programmed to focus on the reasons why not to be grateful. When that negative, non appreciating ‘little voice’ in my head would pipe up with some pessimistic thought, I chose to make my own ‘gratitude voice’ louder!

It is an ongoing process. Even to this day, I have to keep being conscious of the thoughts I choose to hold and believe in myself. It is very easy to lean towards believing the negative ones.

Self rejection is a dark place to be and there is a fine line between here (the healthy, self confident me) and there (the critical, self consumed me). When I ask myself,
‘Do I really want to go back to that dark, lonely place just so I can fit into those jeans?’ I think about it for a moment, and I say to myself, ‘No way!’

Choose your thoughts wisely or they will choose you. In the end the only opinion that truly matter is your own. Choose not to let a tabloid magazine, a negative opinion or event Define who you are. You define yourself. The world needs your unique self – not a copy of someone else.

It can be overwhelming at first, but take it one step at a time and one thought at a time.

1. Eat before dinner: Don’t arrive on an empty stomach! Going to the table hungry will make you more likely to choose larger portion sizes. Many people might be tempted to skip lunch, so they can have room for dessert. However, that it a bad idea; skipping breakfast or lunch may cause you to overeat and consume more calories than you would if you had eaten something beforehand. A light snack or a piece of fruit before dinner is a good idea.

2. Eat slowly: Take time and enjoy the taste of your meal. Also, make a mental checklist of how much you’re consuming. Your full stomach won’t tell you exactly when to stop eating. It usually takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full.

3. Watch your portions: Savor the good stuff! Watch your calories. Only eat the ones you really want. Select small portions. Having small portions can prevent you from over eating. It’s also a good stuff to make a healthy dish to go along with all the servings that are high in fat, sugar and calories.

4. Eat the special stuff: Don’t let those special holiday treats like Grandma’s special pumpkin pie, slip away from you. Enjoy them while they’re only served during the holidays. So be sure to fill your plate with small portions of holiday favorites that only come around once a year. Be careful not to eat large portions of food you can eat every day.

5. Don’t just sit around: Leave the table when you are done! There are many ways to spend time with family than just sitting around eating. You might be tempted to continue eating even if you are not hungry if you linger around the table. Go for a walk or get a game of touch football going after dinner. You can also burn off a few calories just by helping to clear the table and or wash the dishes.

Try to make the holiday season more about the family and friends than the splurging all that tempting food on the table. The holiday season is a time to think of your friends and family. You’ll be thankful if you did, not only for the holiday spirit but your health as well.