In today’s day and age, where we have unlimited access to foods filled with refined sugars and simple carbs, it is hard to understand what precautions and mindful decisions we must take regarding our food, mind, and body. Social media influencers, the internet, and countless other sources encourage us to maintain fit and healthy bodies and to stay in shape through exercise and different diet plans that lead us to inevitable failure. Through this we are tackled by the unhealthy balance of trying to eat the “trendy” foods we see online and maintain a strong, healthy body all at the same time.
According to the National Institute of Health, more than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese in the United States. Ironically, many people don’t even know that they are in the overweight category. Being overweight causes many people to develop eating disorders as well as insecurities about their bodies that can lead to them potentially harming themselves in the future, which is why many people object to weighing themselves on the scale once in a while as they should be doing.
There are two major types of eating disorders accompanied by the most common, regular binge-eating. Often times when people eat so much of unhealthy fat and sugar they feel pangs of guilt and stress and begin to “binge,” after which they exercise till they pass out and/or get sick. This compensation of eating, with large, guiltful amounts of exercise is referred to as Bulimia Nervosa. Another major eating disorder is called Anorexia Nervosa. This is when people feel so compelled to lose weight, even if extremely underweight, they restrict their calories to an extreme extent. According to the National Institute of Health, anorexia has the largest record of people likely to commit suicide compared to any other mental health disorder.
Eating disorders are disastrous to mental health and can impact someone’s self esteem greatly. To maintain a healthy lifestyle we must always remember to maintain a balance between the amount of unhealthy food we eat and how much we exercise. These two factors alone can help the overweight-condition of this country and greatly affect our everyday food choices as well. Switching to healthy, low-cost diets such as pescetarianism, vegetarianism, or even veganism can help improve your diet and help you to make conscious decisions about what you are consuming.
Overall, mental health plays a large role in our everyday food and exercise choices. Everyday is a new day to explore healthy options and sustain a hearty, healthy body that can help us in the long run.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Sangeet Anand of Churchill High School