Food Choice: "What's good" or "What's good for me"

When it comes to choosing what restaurant or food I wish to eat things get complicated. My stomach craves pretty much all foods all the time. How about Hispanic food? Imagine a medium-well cooked Churrasco with white rice on the side with your name on it. My mouth begins to salivate. How about Japanese? Imagine a Godzilla roll made up of crab mix with pink sauce on top. Yumm… How about American? Image the huge delicious cheeseburger with a loaded baked potato on from Port Of Call. By the time I examined all options my stomach is craving pretty much everything. Unfortunately, what is healthiest for me never crossed my mind—only when I’m in a diet, which has never happened. Why not choose a simple salad or fruit. But in the end, the salad becomes a Caesar salad and fruits usually end up cover with salt.

We have focused on our health once it was made clear we had issues due to some drivers in our society. But how far have we succeeded to control these issues? Since 1955, McDonald’s has made a profit of providing the public fast food at cheap prices but to what cost. With more than 32,000 local restaurants serving more than 60 million people in 117 countries each day, McDonald’s and its competitors have contributed to the obesity that’s 30% of the population in six Southern states. Also the opening of foreign restaurants opened doors for the people to enjoy foreign foods without going out of the country. However, many of the providers such as restaurants and supermarkets are unaware of their food source and background. These are very important question, because not only do they tell you the kind of food they’re serving but also how much good it will do to your body. So what is safe for your body to consume and does it taste as good as the regular food?

The Food Standard Agency provides several suggestions that allow you to enjoy healthy diet without loosing its great taste. Simple modification such as focusing on starchy foods can help you keep a healthy lifestyle. “Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of nutrients.” They also recommend to eat fruits and vegetables, more fish, cut down saturated fat and sugar, eat less than 6g of salt a day, drink water, and most important never miss breakfast. Recognition about the foods you eat is necessary to sustain a healthy lifestyle. This requires a shift of focus from your ordinary thoughts like shopping for me. Because if I am able to question something insignificant like a piece of clothing, why should food which enters my body should be taken as granted and never question if its good for me. It all comes down to how much you value your life and body, because the decisions to decide to take today are what shape your future.


Sources:

"Healthy Diet- 8 tips for eating well."Eatwell.gov.uk. Food Standard Agency. APR 21 2010.

Arnst, Catherine. "America's Greatest Health Threat: Obesity." Business Week. NOV 19 2009. . APR 21 2010.

"Getting to Know us." AboutMcDonalds.com. McDonalds. APR 21 2010.