ESSAY IDEA

Is Obesity influenced by our surroundings? If so, how can we change that? 

Fall Vocab #2

1) Obesity (n) -the condition of being very fat or overweight

Many unhealthy choices can lead to obesity.

2) Accumulate (v) -to gather or collect, often in gradual degrees

My television has accumulated a lot of dirt since I don't clean it.

3) Mass (n) -a body of coherent matter, usually of indefinite shaped and often of considerable size

The mass of a leaf can be compared to that of a sheet of paper.

4) Disease (n) -a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic errors 

Unhealthy choices can lead to various diseases.

5) Diet (n) -food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, compositionand its effects on health

For generations and generations, the average asian diet consisted of fish and rice.

6) Prevelance (n) -the act or condition of being prevalent; commonless

Peasants were aware of the fact that field work was prevelant to their class.

7) Stigma (n) -a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as one's reputation

You acquire stigma from society by defying the law.

8) Preventable (v) - to keep from occurring; avert, hinder or stop from doing something

By studying her eating habits as a child, I knew obesity was preventable.

9) Adolesdent (adj) -growing to manhood or womanhood; youth

Changes are inevitable for adolescents.

10) Cardiovascular (adj) -of, pertaining to or affecting the heart and blood vessels

My grandfather was a doctor who specialized in cardiovascular diseases. 

11) Excessive (adj) -going beyond the usual, necessary or proper limit or degree

Excessive pride can lead to a big ego such as Kanye's. 

12) Mechanism (n) -an assembly of moving parts performing a complete functional motion

Her defense mechanism was an astute one which many envied. 

13) Sedentary (adj) -characterized by or requiring a sitting posture

I would much rather live the sedentary lifestyle.

14) Predispose (v) -to give an inclination or tendency to beforehand 

Burt predisposed his new ideas to the board of comittee who were pleased with the results. 

15) Syndrome (n) -a group of symptons that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease or the like

Caring for children with down syndrome allows us to come in contact with our inner selves as human beings. 

PROSE/CONS: OBESITY

Ever catch yourself unconsciously staring at an obese human being and wonder ‘how can someone allow themselves to get to that point? Do they just not care about their bodies or health in general? Or have they just given up hope? But overall we can agree that it is a chosen lifestyle although they may not want to admit it. There is a strong debate on whether obesity is a disease or an illness. The difference between the two is that a disease is genetic while an illness is a temporary perhaps fatal unhealthy condition. But why does it matter? Whether obesity is an illness or a disease, it is still occurring. But the real question is what can they do about it? Because as long as they are alive, there is still hope, that is, if change is what they seek. Dr. Greger from the talk: “More than an Apple a Day,” claims that by simply consuming healthier foods and exercising even just a few minutes a day, we can prevent the risk of obesity and many other diseases. But is this all true and if so, why do we care so much to stop obesity when the majority of its patients do not care enough about their own bodies to take initiative?  

It is important that as individuals we care enough about our bodies to regulate them and give them the essential nutrients needed to not only survive, but to allow them to prosper for as long as they possibly can, because what happens when we get sick? The healthier our bodies physically are the better we are at combatting these diseases and illnesses whether they are genetic or not, they can be preventable. Fitday.com provides us with five simple steps; eat breakfast, take the stairs, choose low-calorie beverages, walk an extra 2000 steps daily and cut down on processed and fatty foods, which we can follow daily to prevent diseases such as obesity. Most people do not realize what huge changes these simple steps can make in our everyday lives and in the long run. This is also a much less expensive way to live a happier life. Why take meds and spend thousands when you can do it the natural way and avoid the crucial side-effects? It is common sense but rarely crosses the public’s mind because we are unaware and by the time we realize it, it might be too late. A great deal of the issue is awareness. Not enough people suffering from obesity are aware of the simple matters that can be taken. Another con to this health problem is that if patients who suffer from obesity can choose to take these simple steps given by Dr. Greger and Fitday.com, then they can also prevent other harmful diseases such as anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia is defined as loss of appetite and inability to eat, while bulimia is characterized as frequent episodes of excessive food intake followed by self-induced vomiting to avert weight gain. This of course would be for those that cannot control their eating habits and believe that throwing up their food or not eating at all will solve the problem when it has been proven to do the exact opposite and worsen the situation. Anorexia and Bulimia occur many times because many teens and even adults suffer from self-esteem issues and it makes sense that this would be the same for obesity. It makes complete sense for someone who is unpleased with themselves to find comfort in food and consume excessively.

There are very few prose to Obesity but one of the most obvious ones would that we would actually realize the fact that the food we are producing and consuming is far more chemical-oriented and harmful than natural foods from thousands of years ago. For example genetically modified food contains chemicals proven to be harmful to our bodies, so even though it is technically fruit for example a tomato, it will never compare to an organic one. By being aware of the tragedy that is occurring, it is our duty as human beings to put an end to this misfortune for future generations. What we learn from this is that perhaps if we halted all business and advertisement in junk food and other dangerous foods people would no longer have the option of making the unhealthier choice and would be forced to make the healthier one whether they like it or not. The enforcement of a healthy human diet could probably be the best favor that we did for humanity. However, on a completely different scale, a more cantankerous view we could argue that obesity could be beneficial in the way that we already have a problem sustaining so many people on the planet with not enough available resources.  It is estimated that in 2083 the population can reach a staggering height of 10 million! If we allow these by choice obese people have their way and not interfere with their lifestyles because they have already made that choice then, the laziest would die off quicker and the ones who want to survive would change their unhealthy ways. It would sort of be like survival of the fittest except the drive would be a choice. We would not have careless people in society. We would in turn be left with the best of the best alive on the planet. If they don’t care about themselves as individuals, then how do we expect them to make changes on a broader aspect?

I have concluded that people are the way they are by absolute choice and no reason other because if you are really bothered by something in your life, you do whatever it takes to change it. I’ve comprehended that no one can change you but yourself. Dr. Greger has proved an ugly point in human nature that the simplest methods when it comes to avoiding diseases and illnesses that doctor’s will not alert you off the most beneficial ways to keep you healthy because they make no money at all out of it. As awful as this is, this is the ugly truth. Overall we have to learn to think for ourselves and make better decisions and just not believe everything or anything a doctor tells you. Life is previous and we should not take advantage of it or test our bodies to the point of decay.          

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/how-to-prevent-obesity-with-small-easy-changes.html

 

http://www.eatingdisorderprogram.net/teens.html

 

http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm

More than an Apple a Day: Combating Common Diseases

·         106,000 Americans a year are killed by side effects on prescribed drugs by doctors

·         Millions injured by medical care

·         Purpose is not to avoid visiting doctors but to avoid getting sick

·         Americans have an average of 2 to 3 colds a year

·         Kids end up at school mildly hydrated, by just drinking a cup of water it can improve their ability to think

·         The problem with drinking simple water is that

·         Modern exercise can improve immunity and decrease illness rates

·          By running just six minutes can increase your red blood cells

·         Too much exercise can have the opposite effect

·         Chemo drugs can cause irreversible heart damage

·         Consumption of animal fat can lead to MS

·         Diets around whole plant foods equals less diseases

·         Heart disease is a choice

·         Ancestors’ teeth millions of years ago were cavity-free without having brushed their teeth a single day in their life

·         Pleasure of a candy bar outweighs the discomfort of sitting at a dentist’s chair

·         People must indeed understand the consequences of their actions

·         Plaque building up in your arteries is different from plaque building up in your death because this one will actually kill you

·         Heart disease is the most likely the reason you will lose most loved ones

·         Make choices consciously

·         Practically telling us to become vegetarians L

·         Eggs are unhealthy; yolk is cholesterol and trans fat

·         USDA is not allowed to refer to eggs as ‘safe’ due to Salmonella

·         Stronger immune systems can help clear HPV before it leads to cervical cancer

·         Vegan women have significantly lower rates of all female cancers

·         ED is present in 30% of the men in the United States

·         Should automatically  consider themselves cardiac patients until proven otherwise

·         Places men at  50% of having a heart diseases

·         Cholesterol intake can affect your sexual life negatively in the future

·         Avoid stretch marks and cellulite by maintaining a plant diet

·         All it really takes is a healthy diet and simple exercise to live longer and avoid horrible common diseases

Dr. Greger eagerly described the world’s top leading causes of death in the world with supporting statistical evidence. He told it exactly like it was and mentioned what we all didn’t want to hear and that was maintaining a healthy diet. He proved that by simply engaging in a plant diet we can avoid the majority of diseases we just keep our bodies strong. If we’re going to make unhealthy choices, we must do it KNOWING the consequences instead of complaining when we find out we have to pay thousands of dollars just to stay alive when we could have been preventing it all our lives.  We basically, choose to die at an early age.

"Right" to your own OPINION

•your opinion does not matter

•in order to validate your opinion, you need to support it with significance evidence 

•inalienable rights that you do not really have 

•BIG people make little people's opinions seem unimportant

•interdependence-combining those dependences into one

•Nobody does anything on their own

•the LIMBIC part of our brain versus the INTELLECTUAL part  

•limbic is emotion before reason develops while intellectual is sort of like social animals

•we need love, friendships and a sense of belonging

•can't deny this or else we are denying being human

•reptilian part of brain controls what we don't when we aren't thinking unconsciously

•we don't really have rights as long as we are living amongst or

other people in society whom we have to look out for and care for

•you cannot simply end an argument by stating that you are entitled to your own opinion because that does not solve anything and completely changes the subject

•some people feel superior to others

•people take offense to counterarguments rather than analyzing them through reason

•we need to be soft on ideas and tough on people

•our right to live gives everyone the duty to NOT kill you

•the right to your opinion obliges me to let you keep it

•this ignorant phrase is said at the point of the argument in which  they may be forced to change their position

•we often have a duty to try and change them

•however things will only work if the other is willing to accept the truth 

GM Foods! :(

http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-foods/fact-checking-gmo-foods/

As much as I love to "pig out" and constantly eat unhealthy by choice regardless of the consequences, I am still aware. However, most people are not aware of the fact that even fruits and vegetables purchased from their local supermarket is causing damage to their bodies. Here is an article that raises awareness on just SOME of the horrible things biochemists do to our animals and  foods that eventually end up on our dinner tables. 

Vocabulary Words!

1) Expository (adj)-the nature of exposition; serving to expound, set forth or explain

After reading the expository essay, I was able to fully comprehend the principal's reasoning on a closed campus. 

2) Composition (n)-the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole

The composition of her essay flowed much more nicer than I had imagined. 

3) assuage (v)-to make milder or less severe; relieve, ease, mitigate

Jason placed ice on his shoulder blade to assuage the pain from the hit. 

4) decadence (n)-the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay; moral degeneration

The decadence of Helena's love life was so much a burden to her that she felt the need to take her life.

5) hackneyed (adj)-made commonplace or trite; stale

His speech hackneyed the mood and spirit of the people which indeed led to a decline in the voter turn-out.

6) coalition (n)-a combination or alliance, especially a temporary one between persons, factions, states

The coalition of the klan rose once again in the Central Valley causing much worry and anticipation amongst their targets.

7) transcend (v)-to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed 

Matilda always seemed to transcend the professor's expectations.

8) meritorious (adj)-deserving praise, reward, esteem

Our rich culture was voted the most meritorious out of the seven other nations. 

9) lurid (adj)-gruesome, horrible, revolting

Our environmental science teacher entertained herself as she gave very lurid descriptions of the food web.

10) petulant (adj)-moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance

My father grows very petulant when I raise my voice towards him. 

Reflections on WEEK 1

1) If anything time and honestly my procrastination would be the only things to affect my participation in the class. I really do not want this class to be a repeated procrastination experience because I'm so tired of those. A great factor would be time. I might be getting a job soon and depending on the time I get home, I will begin my homework very late and at times might not get to all of it but since school is my priority I can almost garantuee that this will not occur. As far as the blog, I utilize my smartphone for posts and pretty much everything else. Technology-wise, I will have difficulty printing any assignments but not with accessing the internet. I may miss the bus a couple of times but if I am not present physically, I will still go on the blog and remain up to date. If my father stops paying for the data on my phone then yes, this will create a huge problem! 

2) One of the best learning experiences I was ever able to be part of was when our 7th grade Avid class visited Washington D.C, the capital of the United States of America. It was a fascinating experience because I learned so much about our nation's history and colonial times. I encountered various cultures that I had never before at the time ever even seen or knew much about. We were also taught one of the most important life skills in our world-perseverance. This was done through an activity that we all hated during the course of it but appreciated it afterwards. We were forced to march just like the soldiers at the Gettysburg Address in negative degree weather with very little clothing and held a certain pose for hours. We also ate like they would have back then, by candlelight. I also very much enjoyed it because I got to experience it with my fellow Avid peers. It taught me that I really don't know or understand anything until I fully experience it or get as close as I can get to it. It taught me that in order to really understand things emotionally, you need to listen with your heart and not just your ears. I knew what was happening beause the change was so immense! 

3) I am most excited about learning about different people's perspectives on certain things. It completely amazes me how differently everyone thinks and how the person next to you can be thinking the exact opposite and feel as strongly about their opinion has you feel about yours. I am concerned that it may move at a pace much too quick for me but I believe I will grow accustomed to it and it will be easier in the future for everyone. I look forward to learning the absolute truth about the world and our motives as human beings. I know it will make a significant difference in my life because I will definitely apply my knowledge to anything I do in the future.

5 GO-TO SOURCES FOR GOOD NON-FICTION

1) ErnestRighetti High School Library

•Quite limited but still a suitable range of educational books.

2) Santa Maria Public Library

•Wide variety of books in all different genres with many requested famous novels.

3)Mr. LeClair Avid Teacher

•Current Honors English teacher who was required to read numerous amounts of non-fiction novels in college in order to attain his degree.

4)http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-98477010-Nonfiction/zgbs/books/53

•This website is well-known and has pleased many people in the past therefore we can infer it will continue to do so. They also have great prices and quick delivery.

5)http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/

•This website exposes us to the most popular books amongst the most famous authors of the time and the most interesting to give us better options.

My Big Question!

My question is an existentialist one. I've always wanted to know exactly WHY we're here. What our purpose is in life and why we must follow what the authorities have established in terms of HOW to live our lives and not live them however we want to. 

What is Expository Composition?

Expository: intended to explain or describe something

Composition: the act of combining elements with one another to form a whole; formatting 

I believe this translates into putting various literary elements together while at the same time making sense out of them to get your point across. Expressing your ideas through an elevated form of communication. 

It's All Latin To Me

"dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe"

Translation: "who has begun has half done: dare to be wise, to begin"

I believe this quote's message is saying that eventhough you may not have accomplished much yet, simply making the first step and begginning whatever you have gotten yourself into already means the world because you've gone farther than those who have rejected the idea. Taking the first step and commencing your processes have already made you a better human being and somewhat more useful to society.