Helping Americans Make Healthy Choices Essay

Words: 667
Pages: 3

“We struggle with eating healthy, obesity, and access to good nutrition for everyone. But we have a great opportunity to get on the right side of this battle by beginning to think differently about the way that we eat and the way that we approach food” (Samuelsson 1). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 is a wonderful resource that everyone can benefit from. Out of the six chapters I read, I believe chapter six is the most important one. The sixth chapter emphasizes on Helping Americans Make Healthy Choices. Change is one thing that Americans don’t do well with, but with the way our country is going we need change and this chapter proves that everyone can change with minor adjustments in their lifestyle. There are many factors that …show more content…
There are many environmental settings that can change one's decisions on food or physical activity such as, schools, workplaces, recreational facilities, and food retail establishments. Each setting has specific policies and these policies could inhibit one's ability to eat healthily or be active. If we could join some type of physical activity in each setting as well as healthier foods, I think we could drastically impact the health of everyone. Next, the sectors of influence are touched upon. This consists of the government, public health and health care systems, agriculture, and the media. These are very important because they decide the degree of how physically active one is and what kind of healthy foods they’re exposed to. Lastly, social and cultural norms are major factors in determining whether someone will be healthy and physically active or not. For example, if you are a person who grew up in a wealthy neighborhood and your parents are fit and they emphasize on drinking water and eating your greens, then chances are you will follow their path. Whereas if you’re an person who grew up in a not so wealthy area and your parents get McDonald's three times a week because they can’t afford anything else, then chances are you will follow their path. We are most comfortable in the environment that we are used