Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Healthy Dieting Versus Atkins Diet Essays
Healthy Dieting Versus Atkins Diet Essays Healthy Dieting Versus Atkins Diet Paper Healthy Dieting Versus Atkins Diet Paper Healthy Dieting Versus Atkins Diet            Obesity is currently one of the most serious health problems in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 33.3% of men and 35.3% of women in the U.S. were considered overweight between 2005 and 2006. Between 2003 and 2004, meanwhile, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 12-19 years was said to have increased from 5% to 17.4%. A person is said to be overweight if his or her Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 and obese if he or she has a BMI of 30 or higher (CDC, n. pag.).            As a result, many Americans suffer from or die of lifestyle-oriented ailments that are otherwise highly-preventable. According to the American Heart Association, 451,326 Americans died of heart attack in 2004. Stroke claimed the lives of 275,000 Americans in 2002 (Internet Stroke Center, n. pag.). In the same year, 224,092 Americans died of diabetes (CDC, 6). Doctors attributed these mortality rates to sedentary lifestyles and high consumption of processed foods.            These statistics prompted many Americans to assume various weight-loss regimens. The fitness industry in the U.S., in turn, capitalized on this need and offered a wide range of weight-loss strategies. From diet pills to liposuction, fitness centers throughout the country are making a killing out of making people thinner. The fitness industry was said to have earned $14.8 billion (2005) in the last ten years (Gold’s Gym, n. pag.).            One of the most popular fad diets nowadays is the Atkins diet. In this two-week diet, consumption of proteins and fats is allowed, but all forms of carbohydrates must be eliminated. Atkins operates on the premise that obesity is a result of excessive carbohydrate intake. Although the human body burns both carbohydrates and fat for energy, it uses carbohydrates first. The Atkins diet believes that should there be fewer carbohydrates in the body, it will burn fat more efficiently (WebMD, n. pag.).            But the Atkins diet is very controversial primarily because of its negative health effects. The lack of carbohydrates forces the body to go into a state of ketosis, wherein it generates energy by burning its own fat. Ketosis, in turn, results in weight loss through decreased appetite. However, ketosis may also cause bad breath and constipation in some people (WebMD, n. pag.).            Health and nutrition experts are concerned that Atkins will lead to more serious and long-term health problems. High intake of saturated fats may bring about higher risks of heart disease. Osteoporosis may likewise ensue due to low calcium consumption (dairy products are major sources of calcium). Nutritional deficiencies due to lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet may result in heart disease, cancer, premature aging and cataracts. Excessive consumption of protein may weaken bones or cause kidney ailments (Kellow, n. pag.).            The core flaws of the Atkins diet are its unrealistic goal when it comes to weight loss and its claims that clearly go against common logic. People subscribe to Atkins mainly because of celebrities who boast that it will make them â€Å"lose 13 pounds in just two weeks.†Furthermore, the argument that fried chicken is healthier than baked potato because the latter is rich in carbohydrates is just plain stupid. Many studies have already proven than animal fats are major causes of heart ailments. Those who want to lose weight must consult a doctor and or a nutritionist rather than listen to an actress who has no scientific integrity.            Dieters should instead follow a weight loss program that has realistic goals. A healthy weight loss regimen aims for slow and moderate weight loss rather than losing a large amount of weight in a short period of time. The loss of about 5% to 15% of one’s body weight within six months or more is safer and easier to maintain. Fitness experts say that shedding  ½ to 2 pounds a week is the safe rate of weight loss (WIN, n. pag.).            In order to lose weight safely and effectively, dieters must have a well-balanced food intake made up of fruits, vegetables and lean parts of meat and fish. They must also integrate weight loss into their everyday life through the following tips: a.      Keep a food diary. A food diary lists the foods a dieter has eaten throughout the day, as well as what time these were eaten, the feelings the dieter had when eating them and how the dieter can improve on his or her eating habits (WIN, n. pag.). b.     Shop from a list and shop when not hungry (WIN, n. pag.). c.      Store foods out of sight, or do not keep many high-fat, high-sugar foods in your home (WIN, n. pag.). d.     Eat smaller servings of regular meals. When eating in a restaurant, eat only half of your meal and take the rest home (WIN, n. pag.). e.      Eat at the table and turn off the TV (WIN, n. pag.). f.      Be realistic about weight-loss goals. Aim for a slow, modest weight loss (WIN, n. pag.). g.     Seek support from family and friends (WIN, n. pag.). h.     Expect setbacks and forgive yourself if you regain a few pounds (WIN, n. pag.). i.       Add moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical intensity to your weight-loss plan. Doing regular physical activity may help you control your weight (WIN, n. pag.). Attempting to lose weight, just like any endeavor, requires patience and realistic goals. Fad diets like Atkins may provide instant gratification to dieters, but at the expense of health problems with long-term effects. A healthy weight loss regimen may result in shedding fewer pounds at a longer period of time, but it will also bring about overall wellness. Thin is not in – fit is. â€Å"About Stroke: Stroke Statistics: U.S. Statistics.†2008. Internet Stroke Center. 31 July 2008            strokecenter.org/patients/stats.htm. â€Å"Better Health and You: Tips for Adults.†March 2008. Weight-Control Information Network            (WIN). 09 August 2008 win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/better_health.htm#loseweight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet: United States,            2005. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease            Control and Prevention, 2005. â€Å"Franchising: Why the Fitness Industry?†2008. Gold’s Gym. 31 July 2008 goldsgym.com/golds/franchisng/facts.php. â€Å"Heart Attack and Angina Statistics.†2008. American Heart Association. 31 July 2008            americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4591. Kellow, Juliette. â€Å"The Atkins Diet under the Spotlight.†2008. Weight Loss Resources, Ltd.            08 August 2008 weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/atkins_diet/atkins.htm. â€Å"Overweight and Obesity: Childhood Overweight.†21 May 2008. Centers for Disease            Control and Prevention (CDC). 31 July 2008 cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/index.htm. â€Å"Overweight and Obesity: Defining Overweight and Obesity.†20 July 2008. Centers for            Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 31 July 2008 cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/defining.htm. â€Å"Overweight and Obesity: Introduction.†28 July 2008. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 31 July 2008 cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/index.htm. â€Å"The Atkins Diet: What It Is.†2008. WebMD. 08 August 2008            webmd.com/diet/atkins-diet-what-it-is.
Monday, March 2, 2020
Origins of the French Revolution in the Ancien Regime
Origins of the French Revolution in the Ancien Regime The classic view of the ancien rà ©gime in France- the state of the nation before the French Revolution of 1789- is one of opulent, corpulent aristocrats enjoying wealth, privilege, and the finery of life, while totally divorced from the mass of the French people, who stooped in rags to pay for it. When this picture is painted, it is usually followed by an explanation of how a revolution- a massive smashing of the old by the massed ranks of the newly empowered common man- was necessary to destroy the institutionalized disparities. Even the name suggests a major gap: it was old, the replacement is new. Historians now tend to believe this is largely a myth, and that much once regarded as purely the result of the revolution was actually evolving before it. A Changing Government The revolution did not suddenly change France from a society where position and power depended on birth, custom, and being obsequious to the king, nor did it usher in an entirely new era of government being run by skilled professionals instead of noble amateurs. Before the revolution, ownership of rank and title was increasingly dependent upon money rather than birth, and this money was increasingly being made by dynamic, educated, and able newcomers who bought their way into the aristocracy. 25% of the nobility- 6000 families- had been created in the eighteenth century. (Schama, Citizens, p. 117) Yes, the revolution swept away a vast number of anachronisms and legal titles, but they had already been evolving. The nobility was not a homogenous group of overfed and debauched abusers- although these existed- but a vastly varying set which included the rich and the poor, the lazy and the entrepreneurial, and even those determined to tear their privileges down. Changing Economics A change in land and industry is sometimes cited as happening during the revolution. The supposedly ‘feudal’ world of dues and homage to a master in return for land is supposed to have been ended by the revolution, but many arrangements- where they had existed at all- had already been changed into rents before the revolution, not after. The industry had also been growing pre-revolution, led by entrepreneurial aristocrats benefiting from the capital. This growth wasn’t on the same scale as Britain, but it was large, and the revolution halved it, not increased it. Foreign trade before the revolution grew so much that Bordeaux nearly doubled in size in thirty years. The practical size of France was shrinking too with an increase in travelers and the movement of goods and the speed with which they moved. Lively and Evolving Society French society was not backward and stagnant and in need of a revolution to clear it out as once claimed. Interest in enlightened science had never been stronger, and the cult of heroes took in men like Montgolfier (who brought people to the skies), and Franklin (who tamed electricity). The crown, under the curious, if awkward Louis XVI, took on board invention and innovation, and the government was reforming public health, food production, and more. There was plenty of philanthropy, such as schools for the disabled. Arts also continued to evolve and developed. Society had been evolving in other ways. The explosion of the press which helped the revolution was certainly bolstered by the end of censorship during the upheaval but began in the decade before 1789. The idea of virtue, with an emphasis on the purity of oration over text, sobriety, and scientific curiosity was evolving out of the trend for ‘sensibility’ before the revolution took it to more extreme heights. Indeed the whole voice of the revolution- in as much as historians ever agree on a commonality among the revolutionaries- was developing before. The idea of the citizen, patriotic to the state, was also emerging in the pre-revolutionary period. The Importance of the Ancien Rà ©gime on the Revolution None of this is to say that the ancien rà ©gime was without problems, not least of which was the management of government finances and the state of the harvests. But it is clear that the changes wrought by the revolution had many of their origins in the earlier period, and they made it possible for the revolution to take the course it did. Indeed, you could argue that the upheaval of the revolution- and the ensuing military empire- actually delayed much of the recently proclaimed ‘modernity’ from fully emerging.
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