Nutrition - Food Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Food Essay In our today’s society, especially western countries, the issue of fast food seems to be at the top of every health related debate. As these debates become more controversial, the question of who bears the responsibility remains unanswered. In his essay, Don’t Blame the Eater, David Zinczenko attempts to answer this key question by placing the greater responsibility of America’s obesity and other fast food related health issues on the fast food industries. Contrary to Zinczenko’s argument, Raldy Balko, in his essay, What You Eat Is Your Business, states that, people should take ownership of their health and well-being, and are therefore responsible for what and how they eat. Although both Zinczenko and Balko address the issue of responsibility, though with contrast, but valid arguments, Zinczenko seems to present a more convincing argument due to the way in which he explains the politics of food, the way in which our lifestyles are altered by what we eat, and things we can do to change the way we see food and its role in our lives. Although Zinczenko hold consumers responsible to an extent, he blames the fast food industries for the rising rate of obesity and other health issues related to fast food due to their failure to provide labels for their products. Zinczenko convincingly supports his claim by noting statistical data that shows the rise in money spent to treat diabetes. â€Å"Before 1994, diabetes in children was generally caused by a genetic disorder only 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity related, or Type 2 diabetes. Today, according to the National Institutes of Health, Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country†(Zinczenko 392). He argues that, if the fast food companies are regulated so that they are responsible for their food contents, by providing proper labels, than consumers will make informed food choices. Contrary to Zinczenko, Balko argues that what one eats should be a matter of personal responsibility. To Balko’s credit, I believe that people should take personal responsibility for their health by adding a sensible diet and exercise to their routines. Where I differ from Balko is when he says that government restrictions on food are a result of people making poor food choices. According to Balko, â€Å"a society where everyone is responsible for everyone else’s well-being is a society more apt to accept government restrictions† (397). I think Balko’s argument in this regard, is a selfish one, and is an attempt to exempt the rich from paying their fair share of taxes that would otherwise benefit the poor or some middle families who cannot afford the high cost of health insurance. Both Zinczenko and Balko seem to agree on the rising health costs that are somehow a result of fast food, these two authors seem to differ on reasons. Zinczenko argues that health care cost is on the rise because of diseases caused by fast food due to the failure of fast food companies to provide labels and that consumers should not be blame for it. However, Balko argues that it is so that, we allow the â€Å"government to come between us and our waistline† (396). Balko states that, the more the government continues to fund health issues that are direct attribute of poor food/health choices, the more people will continue to dine on fast food and engage not in an effective diet and exercise regimen. (398) The growth of the fast food industry and the rate at which fast food is consumed is so fast, and its accompanying risks of obesity and related cardiovascular diseases have become a societal epidemic. Zinczenko blames the fast food industries for the spring in the rate to which obesity have grown in the United States. Even though Zinczenko is right about the rising rate of obesity, and that the consumption of fast food forms part of its etiology, the thesis of his argument cannot be proven and therefore cannot form the basis for his claims against the fast food companies since there are other contributing factors regarding the cause, onset, and progression of obesity. Obesity is also biologically linked. These biological attributors include: genetics, hormones, enzymes, and vitamins and minerals. Some people have fat in their genes that, no matter what they do, they are just fat. Others have issues with hormonal imbalances and or inadequate enzymatic actions that would aid in the adequate digestion and absorption of certain foods. Fast food is just one of the many environmental attributes associated with obesity. So Zinczenko can accurately make his case against the fast food industries for providing labels so as to enable consumers make informed food choices and not a case of obesity. Sometimes, people are too fast to pass judgment on others, especially people that are obese. I am equally guilty of the accusation myself. I work as a nurse at a nursing home facility and, in most cases, when staff member comes to me complaining of headache, first thing I say to them is; let’s check your blood pressure and, God forbid, the blood pressure is elevated, or if that person just look fat to me, my next comment is, it is because of all the junk you eat. My judgment, though may be incorrect, is based on the fact that most of these staff members are single parents, live in inner cities, and have a total commute time of two hours to and from work. Not to mention, some of them have more than one job. However, these people are being made to feel guilty about something that is totally out their control. In most instances, their wages aren’t even enough to meet up with their rents and utilities bills. Fast food comes handy in such instance where one can spend ten dollars and get ten cheeseburgers to feed a family of three to five versus going to the grocery store where each healthy ingredient is almost equivalent to the price of the entire dinner comprising of fast food. People fall back on fast food because it is cheap. Zinczenko explains that his parents were split up and that he had to live with his mother who worked long hours just to make the monthly bills. â€Å"Lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. † (Zinczenko 391). In Zinczenko’s case, his lifestyle is altered because fast food is his only option since his family is dysfunctional. His single mother has to work very hard to pay bills and provide him a meal. It doesn’t matter the kind of meal. A meal is a meal, especially for someone who doesn’t have the time to prepare a home cooked meal. The people afflicted with fast food related obesity are not to blame for what they eat because they have very little or no options regarding what they eat due to all of the above reasons. However, to Balko’s point, while people may not have the option about what they eat, they have the option to control how they eat. Zinczenko states in his essay that fast food is â€Å"the only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal†, and so, he urges his readers not to â€Å"blame the Eater† (392). But as with Zinczenko, we are well aware of the role fast food play in our lives. We understand that, though fast may be one, or the only available meal choice that we have, the way we eat can help us determine the role these foods play in our lives. Zinczenko supports his argument about the role food play in his life by giving information about his pre-college weight. â€Å"By age 15, I had packed 212 pounds of torpid tallow on my once lanky 5-foot-10 frame† (392). Even Zinczenko believes that, consumers are as equally responsible for the way they eat. However, he maintains his argument that the fast food companies bare the greater responsibility. In conclusion, both the eater and the producer are responsible for fast food related obesity, but I believe that the fast industries should bare the greater responsibility. Fast food companies must provide their consumers with proper food labels that enable them to make inform decision about what they eat. Label should not be falsified or misleading, like in the example giving by Zinczenko about the misleading label on the â€Å"chicken salad† (393). He refers to the salad as not healthy and that it is a caloric death- trap aimed at eaters who will not suspect it. Although Balko makes some really good points, his objectives seem to me as a means to an end. Zinczenko cautions that there are few or no alternatives to what we eat and that things have to change. Balko cautions that allowing food regulations for labels means letting the government between you and your waistline. In either case, we as a people have a responsibility to consider what and how we eat.

The Character of Cyrano De Bergerac :: Cyrano Bergerac

The Character of Cyrano De Bergerac A man who knows every thing, has never ending wit and charm, and has a way with words like none other, but is still to horrid to convey his true feelings to a beautiful woman. This poor but yet amazing man is Cyrano from the play "Cyrano De Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand. This man has more intellect than sand in a desert and is the most courageous Gascon of all. Yet he has one tragic physical flaw. He has an enormous nose, of which he is very self conscious about and only he can talk about it. If any one else has anything to say about it the better say something very witty or there done for. All of this is portrayed in one of Cyrano's speeches on page 40-41. The speech reveals how clever and smart he is when he says things like "what a sign for a perfume shop" (41) and "Is that a conch, and are you Triton rising from the sea?"(41). Cyrano reveals a lot about himself in his speech like how intelligent he is to use such big intellectual words off the top of his head. Cyrano uses phrases like "The end of it must get wet when you drink from a cup. Why don't you use a tankard?"(40) And words like Grandiloquent to show off his wit. Most people in that age weren't educated as well as Cyrano was and that showed a lot when he spoke. Not many people in the room knew that grandiloquent meant pretentious or non straight forward. Aristophanes was also another word that no one ever used or knew what it meant. Cyrano also revealed that he had no patience for people that made fun of, or picked on those that were less fortunate. Cyrano thought as himself as less fortunate to have a nose like his. So when people made fun of it he got very angry but yet he never lost his cool. So Cyrano would just take care of business with the bully in a entertaining manner and then be on his way. In his speech he showed his willingness to fight and his aptitude to make people mad at him.

Carrefour Case Analysis

The purpose of this analysis is to highlight how Carrefour has financed its growth over the last four years i. e. 1968 through 1971 with the help of the Statement of Sources and Uses (Exhibit 1). In addition, the financing needs for the projected growth of the company will be reported and analyzed briefly. For this purpose Pro-forma Income Statements (Exhibit 2) and Pro-forma Balance Sheets (Exhibit 3) have been prepared for the next four years (1972 through 1975). From 1968 to 1971, Carrefour has used trade notes extensively as a source of cash. Other significant sources of funds are Other Current Liabilities, Accounts Payable, Shareholder's Equity and Long term debt. Most of the sources have been utilized to fund Building and also to generate more cash for the firm. A good portion of the sources have also been used to create more Inventories from 1968 to 1971. Land has been acquired during these four years as also other fixed assets and current assets. As is seen from the Pro-forma Balance Sheet, Carrefour would have to take significant amounts of Long Term Debt(at 10% Interest rate) in order to finance its expansion outside France. According to the projections, LT Debt would have to be increased to around 89% from 1971 to 1972 and 96% from 1972 to 1973 respectively. This means Carrefour would also have to pay huge amounts of interest on these debts. With revenue growth of 35% Carrefour would be able to support its debt and still earn fair amounts of profit including dividend payouts. However, huge amount of debt and interest expense might be risky and could lead to negative earnings if the actual revenue growth falls below the expected value of 35%. Exhibit 1 CARREFOUR STATEMENT OF SOURCES AND USES – 1968 to 1971 | |Â   |1968 |1971 |Change |Source/Use | |Intangible Assets |0 |1 |1 |Use | |Land |14 |28 |14 |Use | |Buildings & Equipment |50 |202 |152 |Use | |Other Fixed Assets 21 |49 |28 |Use | |Total Fixed Assets |85 |279 |194 | | | less: Depreciation |10 |63 |53 |Source | |Net Fixed Assets |75 |216 |141 | | |Investments & Advances |5 |19 |14 |Use | |Inventory |30 |107 |77 |Use | |Acounts Receivable |2 | 4 |2 |Use | |Other Current Assets |58 |124 |66 |Use | |Cash |18 |151 |133 |Use | |Total Current Assets |108 |386 |278 | | |TOTAL ASSETS |188 |622 |434 | | | | | | | | |Shareholders' Equity |39 |112 |73 |Source | |Special Provisions |0 |1 |1 |Source | |Long-term Debt |26 |64 |38 |Source | |Accounts Payable |0 |77 |77 |Source | |Trades notes (noninterest) |100 |244 |144 |Source | |Other Current Liabilities |23 |124 |101 |Source | |Total Current Liabilities |123 |445 |322 | | |TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY |188 |621 |433 | | | | | | | | |Master Check(Sources-Uses) |Â   |Â   |0 | | Exhibit 2 CARREFOUR PROFORMA INCOME STATEMENT |Past 3 yr avg of % of sales taken for| | |all items except Revenues and Int | | |Rates | | |Actual | |Actual |Actual |Actual |Actual |Pro Forma |Pro Forma |Pro Forma |Pro Forma | | | |1968 |1969 |1970 |1971 |1972 |1973 |1974 |1975 | | |Intangible Assets |0 |4 |1 |1 |5 |7 |9 |12 |0. 004 |0. 001 |0. 000 |0. 002 | |Land |14 |20 |25 |28 |50 |67 |90 |122 |0. 020 |0. 017 |0. 013 |0. 016 | |Buildings & Equipment |50 |82 |136 |202 |266 |359 |485 |654 |0. 080 |0. 094 |0. 090 |0. 88 | |Other Fixed Assets |21 |38 |52 |49 |95 |129 |174 |235 |0. 037 |0. 036 |0. 022 |0. 032 | |Total Fixed Assets |85 |140 |213 |279 |411 |555 |749 |1011 | | | | | |less: Depreciation |10 |22 |35 |63 |97 |142 |204 |287 |0. 100 |0. 069 |0. 112 |0. 094 | |Net Fixed Assets |75 |118 |178 |216 |314 |412 |545 |724 | | | | | |Investments & Advances |5 |10 |12 |19 |27 |36 |49 |66 |0. 010 |0. 008 |0. 009 |0. 009 | |Inventory |30 |65 |72 |107 |162 |219 |295 |399 | | | | | |Acounts Receivable |2 |2 |3 |4 |6 |8 |11 |14 |0. 002 |0. 002 |0. 002 |0. 002 | |Other Current Assets |58 |50 |75 |124 |157 |212 |286 |386 |0. 049 |0. 052 |0. 056 |0. 052 | |Cash |18 |51 |116 |151 |199 |268 |362 |489 |0. 050 |0. 080 |0. 068 |0. 66 | |Total Current Assets |108 |168 |266 |386 |524 |707 |954 |1288 | | | | | |TOTAL ASSETS |188 |300 |457 |622 |870 |1162 |1557 |2090 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Shareholders' Equity |39 |89 |98 |112 |206 |278 |375 |507 |0. 087 |0. 068 |0. 050 |0. 068 | |Special Provisions |0 |0 |1 |1 |1 |2 |2 |3 |0. 000 |0. 001 |0. 000 |0. 000 | |Long-term Debt |26 |25 |64 |64 |121 |237 |393 |605 | | | | | |Accounts Payable |0 |48 |61 |77 |124 |168 |226 |305 |0. 047 |0. 042 |0. 034 |0. 041 | |Trades notes (noninterest) |100 |79 |147 |244 |244 |244 |244 |244 | | | | | |Other Current Liabilities |23 |59 |86 |124 |173 |234 |316 |427 |0. 058 |0. 060 |0. 056 |0. 058 | |Total Current Liabilities |123 |186 |294 |445 |542 |646 |786 |976 | | | | | |TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY |188 |300 |457 |622 |870 |1162 |1557 |2090 | | | |

Cell Biology Thesis On Hiv / Aids - 2976 Words

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I intend on using this opportunity in writing a very vivid thesis to explain and examine why living with HIV/Aids alters ones entire universe, I will refer mainly to cell degeneration and degradation, life threatening symptoms or diagnosis, statistics, STDs, STIs, prevention, treatments, environmental influence and effects, HIV symptoms timeline, difference between normal cells and infected cells, infectivity and patient lifestyle. The phrase ‘normal life’ has been numerously used when referring to a deadly disease that is famously known as HIV/Aids. 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