Rough Draft

Here is my very rough rough draft.
I still have a lot more to add but before I continue I would like to get some input about any other ideas or examples that I can talk about to make my essay more persuasive.
I also have re written a thesis for my new draft but I figured I keep the one I have for now and just wait to get all my ideas just in case I want to improve my thesis once again. Thanks Guys!

 

Going into college I was paranoid of the famous “Freshman 15,” at home I have always eaten relatively healthy but coming into college can completely change that for some. Most people go for what’s easily accessible and easily made and these types of foods tend to be the processed foods that lead to that freshman 15. I’m pretty sure most of us can relate going to Canyon Pizza or Grillerz or any of those late night restaurants in Downtown.  They’re restaurants that are open late at night and have food that’s cheap and quick which is quite convenient for anyone. However college students really need to think twice before making these food choices. College students have to face many decisions during their time at school. At this point in time, some important factors are left behind due to different priorities. College students need to realize that keeping one’s body healthy is an important priority because there are short term and long term complications that one faces if they do not. Once in a while a little bit of junk food won’t do any harm, but college students tend to choose unhealthy choices frequently. They need to realize that besides watching their calorie intake there are other factors one has to take into consideration.
Obesity as most have heard is becoming an epidemic in the United States.  “American eating habits are officially suicidal.”    -U.S. Dept. of Health. One big reason for this problem is clearly stated in the quote from the U.S Department of Health.  That’s why it is crucial that people develop good eating habits starting from when their relatively young. College is a good time to start because at this point you’re an adult who has more control over the foods you chose to eat.  One of the excuses a person may hear a lot is that they don’t have time to cook or they can’t because they live in a dorm. But a piece of fruit doesn’t have to be cooked, it is not difficult to get, and it can be easily eaten. For example, one can choose an apple as a snack which only has 80 calories with 0.3 grams of fat over a bag of Lays chips that has 160 calories but with 10 grams of fat. Another mentality that college students have is the fact that their eating unhealthy and nothing has happened to them, their still fine. However college students tend to get sick easier, gain weight, and feel quite tired a lot of time and these are short term effects of bad health. Later on I will be discussing why eating right can prevent these short term feelings. Additionally in the long term things get more complicated. Continuing with bad eating habits slowly detriments your body from the inside and this is why people develop certain diseases that I will also be discussing about.
Your body needs a balance of all nutrients in order to function correctly. Most nutrients work together in order to keep you healthy therefore lacking on a certain nutrient will impact your body’s ability to work properly.  Vitamins are essential nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis. There are 13 different types of vitamins that your body needs in order for your body and cells to grow and reproduce, as well as for maintaining yourself healthy.  Most college students don’t know how each vitamin may affect them if they don’t consume them and also don’t realize that they are dispersed in different types of foods.  The only way to get all your vitamins is by eating a well and balanced diet, junk food and processed foods tend to have barely enough of the vitamin and minerals your body needs.  Let’s take a look at Vitamin A, it keeps your skin healthy but it also helps your skin acts a barrier to prevent infectious bacteria entering your body. It is only found in animal foods like meat, fish, and eggs. But Vitamin A also helps maintaining your vision. Carotenoid found in certain plant foods contain beta-carotene which turns into Vitamin A. Beta carotene is found in carrots, squash, pumpkin, and sweet potato. It’s important to have a moderation of these foods because it improves a person’s vision and helps your eyes adjust to light changes. A deficiency can lead to night blindness which in the long term can turn permanent. Having this type of inconvenience can prevent a person from doing certain activities like driving at night. Most people wouldn’t want to deal with this type of vision problems because at this point glasses wouldn’t be able to help you. You want to take these possibilities into consideration before you make your food choices.
A lot of people have misconceptions about carbohydrates. I’ve heard of the “no carbs diet” and it’s probably the most counterproductive diet out there. Carbohydrates are needed daily because they are your body’s most necessary source of energy. Carbohydrates provide us with glucose which is blood sugar that gives our cell’s energy. However there are “bad carbs” out there that one must be careful when eating and definitely cut down on those. Bad carbs have refined sugars which are also known as empty calories and have no nutrients.  Eating to many foods that have refined sugars can lead to weight gain as well. Therefore one should replace white bread with whole wheat bread.  Other foods that are considered bad carbs are pasta, white rice, and pastries.  In order to get the benefits of carbohydrates start eating foods that are made with whole grain like whole wheat bread.  Carbohydrates are predominately found in plant sources therefore fruits, vegetables, and legumes are healthy forms of carbs that will provide you with sufficient energy if taken on a daily basis.  Without having the right amount of energy it will a lot harder for a person to concentrate because one would feel too tired to do anything.  They also act as a fuel for physical activity, for example when a person is exercising they are using the energy they consume from carbohydrates. Therefore good carbohydrates should be taken daily in order to prevent weight gain and maintain a healthy body.

Over the years people start to develop consequences due to their poor choice of foods. A famous epidemic that seems to be arising in the United States is Diabetes. This disease is associated with obesity and being over-weight and the reason its spreading so widely throughout the country is because people don’t take care of their bodies.  As a college you want to start developing your good habits now, you’re probably thinking you will do so once you’re out of college just because it’s part of the life style today to eat unhealthy. But in reality that is not the case, most people continue on with their bad habits out of college. Most jobs are sedentary so there will actually be even less physical activity being taken place and this accumulates with poor eating choices.  You don’t want to get to the point where you develop diabetes because you haven’t ever chosen to watch what you eat.  A lot of young people think it won’t happen to them but my father is a perfect example. He has always thought that he could eat what he chose to just because he had a fast metabolism. But throughout the years your body can only take so much.  He eventually developed diabetes therefore his body is unable to regulate the blood sugar in his blood stream.  A person cannot become too confident in their unhealthy choices because it can happen even if you don’t expect it to.  Diabetes can also become very costly. Patients diagnosed with diabetes have to spend an average of 6,000 dollars on medical costs for treating their disease and this does not include any other complications that can occur with having diabetes. Therefore keeping your body healthy can save you a lot of time, energy, and money in the long run.

Eating a well-balanced diet has to be something a person does for a life time. It is important to incorporate all the essential nutrients your body needs on a daily basis in order to maintain a healthy status. Treating yourself to some sweets once in a while won’t do you any harm but a person has to be able to regulate that for a life time. Also you want to take into consideration that as you age your metabolism begins to slow down therefore you won’t be able to stay as fit as you used to. Therefore those chili cheese fries you order as an appetizer in a restaurant will be going straight to that muffin top. So as you age it becomes even more important to make time to hit the gym or have a routine of exercises at home. But the best way to be able to do this for the rest of your life you want to begin doing so in college when you will probably have more time than when  you start working.  Once you develop the appropriate habits to make time for your health and body the rewards will definitely compensate.

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