Green Choi

Barrickman
Human Biology 1090
20 April, 2016

Can an Overemphasis on Eating Healthy Become Unhealthy?

Throughout the years of economic growth, there seems to be a key issue that affects the
population of all developing countries including the United States (Barry M. Popkin, 2012). While
the United States has been considered a global economic powerhouse and one of the most
progressive countries, it is also well known as the fattest nations in the world. As the obesity
epidemic negatively affects the country, many politicians, scientists and medical experts are
desperately trying various methods to fight the ongoing battle. Although many experts have
different opinions on solving the obesity crisis, dieticians such as Lindsey Getz believe that
informing the population about that the value of all foods can help form a healthy relationship
with eating and prevent extreme eating habits like orthorexia. Even though Linseys statement
about diet has some validity, the issue of eating too healthy is of least concern when the obesity
rates in the United States continues to climb exponentially. Looking at the statistic of the
countrys obesity rate, little is being done to educate the citizens on the topic of eating healthy.
The society is not doing enough to emphasize and promote healthy eating to prevent chronic
illnesses and mortality caused by an unhealthy diet.
The statistics on obesity and the mortality related to diet is a scary tell-tale sign of the
national crisis the United States faces today. According to a survey conducted by the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, more than sixty- six percent of all Americans are considered
overweight and of that, more than one-third (78.6 million) of U.S adults are medically obese
(Ogden CL, 2014). It is clear that obesity and the topic of healthy eating is not being thoroughly
addressed in the American society nor is there striking evidence that the obesity rate is rapidly

declining. In addition to this, the typical American diet has grown by 304 calories which
according to Woolsons argument is enough to make people gain thirty-one pounds over a
course of a year. There is a clear relationship that the increased portion size and calories in
each meal offered by many restaurants has helped people become sicker than ever. Along with
each of those meals, the amount of fat and added sugar has spiked through the roof with more
than three million soft drink vending machines being easily accessible for the majority of people.
Throughout this process, the government is certainly not doing enough to stop the epidemic by
attempting to promote healthy eating. Many schools part of the public education system often
serve meals to children foods that are void of any essential nutrients. Among all high schools,
approximately ninety-seven percent of the schools had a vending machine while ninety-three
percent of all high schools sold a la carte food items to its student (Daniel M. Finkelstein, 2008).
What does this say about the food nutrition program in the public education system in the United
States? Despite the governments claim to educate children about healthy eating, a conflict of
interest is definitely at question when the governmental institutions are directly associated with
serving the nutritionally void soft drinks and food products. As much as balanced eating and
governmental nutrition programs are emphasized by the U.S Department of Agriculture, the
public education system is definitely not consistent with their nutritional philosophy and the
quality of food they offer to their students. It is clear that the promotion of healthy eating is not at
the highest priority on the national scale nor is it even close to being overemphasized at an
extreme level that could possibly cause obsessive eating disorders.
Lindsey Getzs claims that an overemphasis of eating healthy can lead to an unhealthy
lifestyle disrupting ones mental health, physical health, and social life. Although extreme forms
of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are not rare especially among young
women, many of the authors supporting claims and arguments on the seriousness of orthorexia
and its relationship with the promotion of healthy eating has clear underlying issues. For
example, the author states that orthorexic behavior such as eliminating specific food such as

carbohydrates, trans fats, animal products, dyes and sugars (Getz, 42) can ultimately lead to
malnutrition. This statement is incredibly misleading and outright false because there have been
multiple studies demonstrating the direct relationship with consuming processed meats and the
increased risk of mortality (Sabine Rohrmann, 2013) along with many studies showing that a
reduced intake of trans-fat significantly decreases HDL cholesterol levels and the risk of
coronary heart disease (Willett, 1997). It is hard to believe and borderline ridiculous to claim that
promoting healthy foods with proper education about nutrition will lead to extreme forms of
eating habits. In all cases, the article creates the illusion that avoiding unhealthy foods can lead
to adverse mental health effects when in fact statistical data proves that avoiding these types of
food will actually decrease health risks and improve mental cognition. In addition, the author
implies that the negative side effects of orthorexia can be caused by restrictive diets that limits
specific macro nutrients such as the Atkins diet (Getz, 42), however this obsession for healthy
eating can be overcome by educating those individuals that the diets are in fact not scientifically
backed with evidence and are actually extremely unhealthy for the body. Orthorexia can most
definitely be prevented by giving out the correct information about nutrition rather than allowing
popular media glamorize fad diets promising quick and instant results.
All in all, eating healthy in the United States is still a major issue that still affects the
country today. Until the government and society as a whole acknowledge that obesity is an
epidemic that will silently kill millions, more people will become sicker and sicker and complex
social issues caused by unhealthy eating habits will arise in the near future. It is imperative that
the country educates the millions of people about their illnesses and promote healthier eating
habits.

Works Cited
Barry M. Popkin, L. S. (2012). NOW AND THEN: The Global Nutrition Transition: The
Pandemic of Obesity in Developing Countries. Nutr Rev. .

Daniel M. Finkelstein, E. L. (2008). School Food Environments and Policies in US

Public Schools. American Academy of Pediatrics.
Ogden CL, C. M. (2014). Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United
States, 2011-2012. JAMA.
Sabine Rohrmann, K. O.-d.-M.-C.-R.-C. (2013). Meat consumption and mortality results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.
BMC Medicine.
Willett, A. A. (1997). Health effects of trans fatty acids. The American Society for
Clinical Nutrition.

Reflective Statement
Throughout the human biology course, I learned many valuable skills that will positively
impact my abilities to comprehend scientific and informational articles. For example, I learned
the value of statistics when trying to formulate a convincing argument. Furthermore, I became
more competent at analyzing written information and the details that were or were not important
in many of the articles. Not only did I learn more about the fallacies that authors often use to
make their argument seem more convincing, but also it has helped me filter out the good
information from the bad. From doing this signature assignment, I learned to be more critical of
the claims that many of the writers publish. In addition, it is important to dissect written
information and utilize critical thinking skills to make sure if the information is valid or factually
credible. Last but not least, I became a more competent reader and the course has taught me to
be more detail oriented when reading broad types of information. Overall, this class and
assignment has helped me tremendously in various ways and has helped me develop valuable
skills that could be applied in many casual and professional settings in the near future.

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