There has been a huge rise in consciousness of what we eat in recent years. We have all been taught that eating fruit and vegetables is good for us. On the flip side, we have also been taught that eating lots of fatty foods will give us heart attacks and lead to obesity.
How true is that though? How much attention should we really be paying to what we eat?
I should start by saying that I am a fan of being healthy. I try to keep myself active. I try to work out at least four times a week. I try not to overload on junk food. However, “try” is the key word here.
Growing up, I had my fair share of junk food, just as most of us did. But I turned out fine. Am I one of the lucky ones?
Some of the friends I grew up with are already suffering health issues based upon the diet they were accustomed to while growing up. Two are clinically obese, and one has thin parents so I doubt it is genetic. And another friend is suffering from bowel problems.
What sticks out in my mind about these people is that at least two of them had appalling diets while growing up. They would eat out at lunch time daily, drink sugary soft drinks often, and eat sweets whenever they wanted to. Also one of these people smoked, so I am sure that did not help.
I see these problems as being worse with today’s youth. This young generation seems to be following in the footsteps of those who led unhealthy lifestyles years ago, and are now suffering due to that. This way of eating was around when I was young, but it wasn’t nearly as common as it is now.
Yes, eating junk food does affect us negatively. It is not that you cannot eat it, but that if you must eat it, do so in moderation.
When I was growing up people knew how to live healthy lifestyles. This ‘Jamie Oliver’ generation seems to be the most unhealthy generation that we have seen in a very long time. However, provided they do not pass their bad habits on to their kids, and this new wave of health consciousness keeps up, I do not think we are looking at a long term problem.
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