Informative Speech on Obesity free essay sample

I. What if I told you that there is an epidemic affecting our country right now that is causing millions of Americans to develop life threatening diseases and die at an early age? You probably would want to know if there was a way that you could prevent this epidemic from affecting you. This epidemic I’m referring to is obesity and by living a healthy lifestyle it can be prevented. II. Today, I want to talk to you about two major ways you can become a healthier person. A. We all need to live healthy lifestyles in order to keep from becoming over weight and putting ourselves at risk for serious diseases III. As a student currently taking nutrition, I have learned about the epidemic about the many benefits of becoming a healthier person. IV. Two major ways to become healthier are following the Dietary Guidelines and exercising regularly. Body I. We will write a custom essay sample on Informative Speech on Obesity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One way to become a healthier person it to follow the Dietary Guidelines. A. First, on their website, the USDA describes the Dietary Guidelines as advice for Americans ages 2 and older that help them to maintain a healthy weight, reduce risk of chronic disease, and promote overall health. According to an article posted to The Journal of Nutrition in 2010, a large majority of the population does not meet the minimum recommendations released. B. Second, the Dietary Guidelines call for consumers to eat more nutrient dense foods. i. In July of 2011 the Harvard Heart Letter described nutrient dense foods as foods that are high in nutrition value and lower in calories. ii. Examples of nutrient dense foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lean meats. C. Last, the Dietary Guidelines say to consume less saturated fats, added sugars, and refined grains. i. In his 2006 article in the American Journal of Prevention Medicine, Adam Drewnowski says that diets based on refined grains, added sugars, and added fats are more affordable than the recommended diets and therefore the majority of the population buys and consumes these foods. ii. According to Mayo Clinic, saturated fats are found in animal products, are solid at room temperature, and can cause cardiovascular disease. iii. Mayo Clinic reported on their website this year that if you fill up on foods with a lot of added sugars, you may skimp on nutritious foods and miss out on important nutrients that your body needs. A December 2008 article in Physician and Sportsmedicine states that whole grains are a source of vitamins, minerals, anti oxidants and dietary fiber. Refined grains are striped of all this nutritious value. (Transition: Now that you know about the Dietary Guidelines and the recommendations they make about healthy eating, let’s talk about the other major way to become healthier, which is exercising regularly. ) II. A major way to becoming healthier and keeping from becoming obese is exercising regularly. A. First, exercising burns calories. It is know that when you exercise you burn calories, which makes exercising important to weight management. ii. If you burn more calories than you consume you lose weight, you maintain weight when you equally burn the calories you consume, and you gain weight when you consume more calories than you burn. B. Next, exercising helps in the prevention of serious diseases. i. Mayo Clinic reported on their website in July 2011 that exercising keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Mayo Clinic added that exercising regularly can also help prevent stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and arthritis. Conclusion I. In summary, I hope that you are more aware of the steps that you can take to become a healthier person, which are following the Dietary Guidelines and exercising regularly. II. It is easy to fall into a lifestyle of eating bad foods and not taking the time to exercise, but remember if we let ourselves live this way then there are serious consequences that we will suffer.