Fast Food Leads To Obesity
During this era of globalization, the increasing
number of cases of obesity has made it into a wholly grown social problem. Young
adults and teenagers are reported to have the highest percentage among the
group ages. This is contributed by this fast and hard lifestyle where
everything is done in a rush to compete with the surrounding flow of
information and advance technology in this time.
The role of the media is frequently
recorded as one of the causes for the rise of obesity in society (Boyce, 2006).
Advertising is widely held to encourage unhealthy consumption. Most research in
this field observes childhood consumption of advertisements, as food is the
most frequently advertised product on children’s television. As we can see,
foods which are highlighted in television fiction are most often low-nutrient
drinks (coffee, alcohol, carbonated drinks) besides snacks (usually sweets or
salty). Hence, children may prefer to take these unhealthy foods instead of
fruits and vegetables which contain vitamins needed for their body development.
Whatever the factor is, obesity is
truly treacherous and has serious consequences. It may lead to stress,
lethargy, liver, bone, respiratory problems, stroke, heart diseases, blood
pressure, some types of cancers and also premature death. Obesity is worse when
a child experienced it in an early age it affects the evolution into adulthood,
emotional problems, forming poor self-esteem, misery and initial puberty.
In Southeast Asia, a region still is
grappling with the challenges of malnutrition. Malaysia has gotten the shameful
title of the region’s fattest nation, and the sixth most obese country in Asia (Passi, 2013) . Between 2006 until 2011
the country recorded a 14% rise in obesity among people aged 18 and above,
counting 2.6 million obese adults in the country by 2011. Moreover, surveys
made by the Ministry of Health in April 2012 revealed that just over a quarter
of Malaysian school children were obese or overweight.
What you eat is what you are, thus it
is up to us how we manage our everyday daily meal. Follow the food pyramid as
our guide besides exercising constantly to maintain a healthy soul, mind and
body. Consume plenty of water; eat a lot of fruits and vegetables instead of
carbonate drink and junk foods. Avoid bad habits from controlling ourselves and
always note to self; say no to obesity and say yes to lengthy life, happiness
and physical fitness. Let’s!
