Nutritional Habits In America

Everyday we make decisions about what foods we put into our body. In many countries the options are minimal, but here in America, they seem everlasting. With a vast variety of foods readily available at the drop of a hat, it is easy to fall into substandard nutritional habits. There are so many factors we encounter in day to day life that affects what type of food we choice to eat. Situations relating to work, school, and stress are a few of the countless reasons that steer people away from healthy foods and right into the arms of artery clogging goodness. For example, there is a student is running late for class, but is also in desperately need of some lunch. It is much easier go around the drive through at checkers, then it is to stop by …show more content…
During the days I work at a golf course. When I am at working, I am constantly surrounded by chips, ice creams, and sandwiches. For the days I forget to bring food from home, these are my only choices. Having such limited options forces me to consume foods I normally would find too unhealthy. Luckily, when I babysit I typically eat exceptionally well. Aside from the occasional take out, eating at the house keeps me and Dasha, the girl I babysit, in good health. The parents consistently buys organic and all-natural fruits, vegetables, and meats. Dasha and I cook something almost every evening which inspires us to continually create nutritious tasty dishes. I also choose to eat properly around Dasha to instill healthy eating behaviors upon her. On days we do not cook, the family makes delicious international dishes. The mother, Katya, and Gala the caretaker of Dashas adorable little brother are both from Russia and have traveled the world picking up new recipes along the way. We often are served traditional homemade meals such as Borscht and …show more content…
Regardless of the stigma it carries, prepackaged foods are not always a bad thing. Whole grain pasta, for example, provide us with nutrients like fiber, iron and vitamin b. It is exceedingly more convenient to get a box or refrigerated package of pasta than it is to make it from scratch. We also use packages of frozen fruit to create mind blowing smoothies. When fruits picked to be frozen, they are usually picked at the peak of freshness. This helps insure that the fruits in the package are at least as delicious as they would be if bought in the produce isle. Despite being frozen, the fruits maintain all the nutrients inside, so they are just as nourishing as well. Frozen fruit are also marvelous because you can enjoy them when they are normally out of season. The big key factor when buying prepackaged food is to always look at the ingredients. Sugars, salts, and trans-fats are all commonly used to help enhance and preserve prepackaged food. The only way to avoid these nasty additives is to pay close attention to the label. My grandmother lived on a farm for most of her like and stands strongly by the theory, “if the label has more then six ingredients, it is probably bad for you!” A lot of labels also use discrete alternative words to substitute for less favorable ingredients. Word like dextrose and glucose are just fancy terms meaning sugar. If the label looks like it was written in a foreign language, it is