Essay Idea

A good essay idea regarding obesity would be the psychology of eating disorders and habitual overeating. Why do people binge eat? They know its bad for them but why do they still do it? The effects of eating disorders are obvious, but the rationale behind unhealthy eating habits are a bit more unknown and it would be interesting to research it for an essay.

Vocabulary List #2

obesity-condition of being very overweight
ex: His obesity puts him at great risk for health problems.

 accumulate-to gather or collect in gradual degrees
ex: Greedy people enjoy accumulating lots of money.

 mass-a body of coherent matter of indefinite shape
ex: There was a mass of people protesting.

 disease-any harmful condition of mind or society
ex: His disease started to affect his family as well.

 diet-a particular selection of food and drink based on bettering yourself
ex: Some religions have diets that restrict certain foods.

 prevalence-condition of being widespread
ex: In the Western World there is a prevalence of being overweight.

 stigma-a mark of disgrace or infamy
ex: There is a social stigma of obesity.

 prevent(able)-something that can be kept from occurring
ex: Heart disease is a preventable disease.

 adolescent-someone that's not an adult yet; a child
ex: The man's youthful approach makes him seem adolescent.

 cardiovascular-having to do with the heart and blood vessels
ex: Running is a good exercise for the cardiovascular system.

 excessive-going beyond the typical or necessary limit
ex: Teenagers often eat an excessive amount of junk food.

 mechanism-assembly of moving parts that perform a function
ex: An engine is a mechanism that propels a car.

 sedentary-accustomed to sitting or resting a lot with little exercise
ex: Watching TV is a common activity for a person with a sedentary lifestyle.

 predispose-to give an inclination or tendency to beforehand; make susceptible
ex: Family history of a disease can predispose a person of getting it.

 syndrome-pattern of symptoms that are characteristic of a certain disease or disorder
ex: A person can have a syndrome of something even without showing symptoms.

Pros & Cons: Obesity

   Personal responsibility can be one of the easiest but more often than not the hardest thing to accept, depending on the circumstances. We live in a day in age where everything is connected and everyone has access to all the knowledge they want. Even though we have all the tools to help us to live a better life, yet we still choose the decisions detrimental to us. People make thousands of choices everyday without even knowing it and some of the most important ones like those having to do with our health aren't taken as seriously as they should. We choose to be sedentary and we choose to eat fast food. The fast food industry isn't shoving the food down our throats, we are the ones that are choosing to accept it.

    The fast food industry emerged at a time in history where malnutrition was one of the leading causes of health problems and even death. The promise of high calorie food which was good at the time at a cheap price would attract millions of people to adopt this new lifestyle of eating out more often than not and this of course cause the big chain fast food restaurants to grow and explode to the giants they are today such as McDonalds. Yale obesity expert Dr. David Katz quotes, "But at some point food became too plentiful...  that's because companies aggressively peddle food to people who don't need it." he explains that since we have such a large surplus of food, the companies are trying to pawn it off on the customers which would explain why it is so cheap. Many of the restaurants are actually printing and releasing nutritional information, making people more socially responsible, should they actually read it. The information can be found it just has to be greatly sought after. The idea that people are more responsible is conflicted when the companies focus their marketing resources on the most impressionable people; children. "Personal responsibility also falters when it comes to children, who are bombarded by junk food ads that undermine parents. Everything from child-friendly merchandising of sugary cereals to cartoon ads is designed to give companies more sway over what children eat", says Dr. Susan Lynch. Its not that companies are making the choices for us, they just are making the choices easier.

    Even though people know what they are putting in their bodies, they keep coming back for more. Companies know exactly what they're doing when it comes to both marketing, and even ingredients. A 'menu engineer' Greg Rapp, "An eye is basically lazy. It will go to the easiest thing on a page." this supports the idea that food marketers really aren't trying to advertise a product, but rather trying to sell their "stuff" to the stupid unsuspecting public. They don't take their customers seriously and only see them as profit. They take advantage of customers and how they think of food. Marketers get into their heads and basically make their choices for them, without them even realizing it. Another example of customer manipulation is what the actual food is composed of. Cheeseburgers aren't exactly beef and chicken nuggets aren't exactly chicken. An article by Skyler White talks about just a few of the dangerous chemicals added to the 'compounds' that make up the meat. One of the most jarring is the chemical Casein that is known as "the nicotine of fast food" and is extremely addictive, making customers literally become attached to the food and feel that they need it.

    When faced with a difficult decision, people often take the easy road out. They would rather have a quick, easy, and cheap meal that can potentially kill them than cook a healthy meal. Personal responsibility goes out the window because the choices they should be able to have, are really not there. There is only one choice because of all the focused marketing and even addictive chemicals that make fast food so good to have. That is why it is so important to have the most control in your own life and to know what you're eating and the dangers of it. Personal responsibility is the key to having and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Text Analysis #1

The article The Blame Game and Obesity in America supports the idea that the culpability of the obesity epidemic isn't that of big chain fast food restaurants, but lies in the hands of the consumers. The quote, "The food industry emerged at a time when malnutrition was the nation's chief dietary concern." supports the fact that they first opened with good intentions with the promise of high calorie (good at the time) at a low cost and as food became more abundant in the states, the people and the companies kept their habits. Another main theme of the article is that it is our own personal responsibility to know what we're eating and how to take care of ourselves. With the Internet and more nutritional data than ever, there is no excuse to not know the real facts about our food. The article really takes the high road by nearly supporting the suppliers, and condemning the consumers, something nearly unheard of with all the arguments saying how bad the food industry is.

This Is Phat!

http://www.symptomfind.com/healthy-living/side-effects-of-diet-pills/
People are always looking for the fastest and easiest ways to lose weight not because it seems like it would be more efficient, but many times because they are afraid of the challenge of it. It's a difficult thing to change your lifestyle, that's a given, but there are so more risks than benefits when you use weight loss drugs. This article compares the risks to benefits when using weight loss pills and it seems that it strengthens the old fashioned belief that diet and exercise is the best way to lose the pounds.

My Big Question

My Big Question would be can we really control our own future? Is it just chosen by random and there's nothing we can do to change it because all the things we try are just part of the plan for our future?

Vocabulary List #1

expository-an explanation or public exhibition of literature
ex:The critic writes expository articles about books.
composition-the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole
ex: Electronics can have a very diverse composition.

assuage-to relieve or mitigate
ex: Aspirin can help to assuage pain.

decadence-deterioration or falling into state of inferiority caused by wasteful luxury
ex: Decadence can often cause famous people to become inferior.

hackneyed-something made commonplace like a cliche
ex: His hackneyed apology proved it wasn't genuine.

coalition-a group of people or organizations working toward a common goal
ex: The group of forces from different nations in the Middle East are often known as the coalition forces.

transcend-to go beyond and exceed
ex: Honor students are known for transcending expectations.

meritorious-deserving of praise or reward
ex: Boy Scouts are known for their meritorious acts of kindness.

lurid-glaringly shocking, sensational, and vivid
ex: Eating sugar before bed can often cause lurid nightmares of great detail.

petulant-obvious frustration or impatience cause by something annoying
ex: The man in the back of the line had a very petulant look on his face.

My Opinion Isn't (A) Right

-Arguments are to find the real verifiable truth
-If you accept everything you hear as the truth just because the person is who they are, than that makes everyone a dictator
-People take differences in opinions not as a difference in ideology, but a personal attack on the other person
-If you have an opinion, than you should be able to back it up
-People tell personal opinions about other people not to that person, but to everybody else
-Big people can make smaller people's opinions seem small
-Illegal things like drugs are illegal not to protect you, but to protect the people around you
-The argument, "It's my body, I can do what I want with it." is invalid because harmful things like drugs and alcohol can affect the public because of things like rehab that are funded with tax dollars
-Interdependence=everyone is dependent upon each other so everything affects everything
-People's opinions on things like politics are obtained by parents or any person of moral importance
-People often react to differences in opinions with emotion, not so much reason

A Truly Interesting Piece of Non Fiction

For this I looked in the Santa Maria Times website looking for something both interesting and actually relevant to me. I found an article about a camp at Cabrillo High School that helps incoming freshman to get to know the school, connect with each other, and to get them excited for the years ahead. The real impact and purpose of the camp became apparent when one of the students quoted, "I think the more we can get them engaged at the school, the better their high school experience will be,”. When your nearly dumped in to High School having to start a new and get acuainted with everyone all on your own it can seem like a pretty intimidating place, but if someone is their to help you through everything and gets you excited for the years to come it can really set students up well for success. Enthusiasm and support are the key components for success in High School.

What is Expository Composition?

Expository Composition is used to describe something being discussed in great detail. A good example is writing about the purpose and intended effect of certain rhetoric. You can write an expository composition on anything that provides information like a documentary, magazine article, newspaper article, book, etc. By writing a composition on one of these you can pick apart and analyze all the aspects and purpose of a piece of literature.