In a recent article by the BHCC (Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs), they address a difficult truth. The fact that hispanics in the United States are twice as likely to suffer from malnutrition than non-hispanics. Malnutrition is, in fact, not starvation. Malnutrition means you are not getting enough vitamins in your diet, most commonly iron and Vitamin D. Deficiencies in these nutrients and others can result in stunting. Stunting is when someone's growth is "stunted" at a young age because of lack of nutrients. Now, before you start blaming this all on the subject's home country, think on the fact that the majority of the test subjects were naturalized United States citizens. Out of these stunted kids 38.2 percent qualified as overweight or obese, compared to 29.8 percent of non-hispanic children. The deficiencies in vitamins were exponentially higher in hispanics than in non-hispanics, as well as in hispanic girls than in hispanic boys. Hispanic children, quite simply, aren't eating the right food.
Reyna often didn't have enough to eat as a child. Sometimes she would only be able to eat one small amount of food for one or two days. She couldn't eat highly nutritious food, she was most likely deficient in many nutrients. When she finally crossed into America, her half-siblings became very overweight and possibly obese from eating fast food. Fast food is most likely the main contributor of malnutrition in the United States. This is because most highly processed foods do not have that many nutrients in them besides fats and carbohydrates. The cheapest diet currently for Americans is fast food, and with many hispanic families under the poverty line it becomes the most feasible option for feeding their families. A diet of fast food and low amounts of exercise can very easily make a person obese and malnourished. Fast food is dangerous for everyone and should be eradicated from everyone's diets, but unfortunately for many of these poor families that's just not feasible. I didn't really think about the impact of fast food on vitamin and mineral intake, and how detrimental it would be for children still in early stages of growth. It would be difficult to maintain health and weight on a low income salary. The only solution seems to be reversing the pricing of food in the United States. This problem will not be solved by degrading overweight individuals and telling them to eat healthier. It doesn't work that way. We need to start requiring better food from the fast food companies or make good food cheaper. It is a necessity that we as a country step up to control what we eat.
Original Article
Reyna often didn't have enough to eat as a child. Sometimes she would only be able to eat one small amount of food for one or two days. She couldn't eat highly nutritious food, she was most likely deficient in many nutrients. When she finally crossed into America, her half-siblings became very overweight and possibly obese from eating fast food. Fast food is most likely the main contributor of malnutrition in the United States. This is because most highly processed foods do not have that many nutrients in them besides fats and carbohydrates. The cheapest diet currently for Americans is fast food, and with many hispanic families under the poverty line it becomes the most feasible option for feeding their families. A diet of fast food and low amounts of exercise can very easily make a person obese and malnourished. Fast food is dangerous for everyone and should be eradicated from everyone's diets, but unfortunately for many of these poor families that's just not feasible. I didn't really think about the impact of fast food on vitamin and mineral intake, and how detrimental it would be for children still in early stages of growth. It would be difficult to maintain health and weight on a low income salary. The only solution seems to be reversing the pricing of food in the United States. This problem will not be solved by degrading overweight individuals and telling them to eat healthier. It doesn't work that way. We need to start requiring better food from the fast food companies or make good food cheaper. It is a necessity that we as a country step up to control what we eat.
Original Article
2 comments:
Hey Anna I liked all the percentages that you put in your article it helped me visualize what you were saying. I also liked all the facts you put in your article most of which I didn't know. All in all your article was really good and thanks for writing it.
I'm blown away by the facts you put in here, they're so heartbreaking! I love the percentages you put in and how you explained everything clearly. Also, great job putting things in perspective it helps a lot while trying to understand the topic.
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