Weighty Matters

Since the beginning of time humans have used food to fuel their bodies. Eating is a natural instinct. Human babies are born with the instinct to suck from their mothers breast and from there it continues. As humans we are around food every day the thing is which foods are we to be around.

The obesity rates in Utah are startling. Why is this? Is it because the excessive amount of green-jello? Or is it just mere coincidence. Research shows that neither is true. Most of Utah's population is Mormon and in this religion, drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited. However, as all human's they will still look for that narcotic high when they are in a slump and if they can't turn to drugs where do they turn? To food.

Food is a drug. Drugs initially were created for medicine and to cure and help the human body but over time the use has been mutated. This is also true with food. There are a couple reasons why this is so.

First of all, food is addictive. This is something we are not afraid to admit. On the Lays Potato Chips bag their slogan is "You can't eat just one." They are openly proclaiming the addiction. But when we eat food all the time are we willing to say we are addicted to food? Not normally. We see addiction as something bad but apparently eating a whole bag of potato chips is normal. Part of addiction is wanting it when it is not needed. I'm sure we have all felt that sudden craving for sweets. I believe that most people are addicted to food. We all might have a different severity but as part of human nature we want food. There is a crazy fact I found that out of the three things the human brain can't help but notice one of them is food. We are wired to become naturally addicted to this. So is this addiction normal or is it still a problem?

How many times have you had a bad day and tried to solve you problem by eating? I know I have quite often. I'll have days where I'm so depressed I'll sit on the couch and eat half a gallon of ice cream trying to soothe away the pain. This is not an effective way of dealing with my problems. However, we all use food for its narcotic effects. In Despicable Me 2, Gru says something we can all relate too when asked why he is so fat. He explains that sometimes he eats instead of facing his problems. Why is this line so funny? For once we see that is not just us. Food releases chemicals in our brains that make us feel happy for a short while much like what is found in drugs and alcohol but as we have all experienced with a sugar rush we will inevitably crash.

Obesity is considered the modern plague. This is because it is very harmful to the body. It can cause diabetes, heart failure, joint pain and so much more. Physically food in excesses is not good but mentally is not either. Many kids with obesity also suffer from depression. Sometimes, the emotional effects of obesity are worse than the physical ones. At this point you might be saying, "but I thought food was good for you?" Yes, it is but so are drugs. Drugs are used as medicine is a way food can be used as fuel it all just depends on how we use it.

Food Addiction is a problem all over the United States and especially in Utah. Together we can fight this addiction but the first step is to become aware. If we are aware that we are addicted to food we will make a more diligent effort to confront this problem.

Is Food a Drug?

Drug: a substance taken for its narcotic or stimulant effects or a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.
Food: any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth.

At first glimpse these two don’t seem to have much in common.  The only similarity being they are both put into the body but when we look a little deeper we see this is not the case.

I’m sure we have all binged on chocolate after a break up or gone out for an icecream after a performance.  So at this point is food to maintain life and growth or is it taken for a narcotic or stimulant effect.  I can guarantee the first scenario given is to produce a narcotic effect, but are people doing this more than once in a while until it becomes an addiction.  I can personally testify that this often happens.

Another part of the definition of drug is “has a psychological effect.”  How many times have we tasted food and thought, “This is really yummy,” or “I shouldn't be eating this.”  If this isn’t a psychological effect I don’t know what is.

We have all seen a child on a sugar rush is this any different than a teenager on a drug

high?

Solely from the definition of food we do not see a direct link to drugs but when we add what we have twisted the purpose of food to become they most definitely match up.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=drug+definition
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=food+definition

Forever Alone

I walked with my head in despair.  Would I ever be as good as those girls I saw on stage?  I had been dancing forever so why wasn't I as good as the other girls?  Then I looked down and remembered that that was why.  My giant belly stuck out like a sore thumb in my dance group.  I slowly shuffled back to the dressing room, it was time to change for my next dance.  I hesitated.  I didn't want any one to see me in my nude leotard.  Closing my eyes and hurrying as fast as possible, I tore off my costume and I tried to put on my other one just as quickly, but it would never be fast enough.  I know people had seen my big, fat body.  I'm sure they saw fat ripple as I went to change my tights.  I knew they were looking at my giant love handles in disgust.  I gulped and quickly shimmied into my costume.  When it was ordered my teacher warned me that this was the biggest size it came in and if I got any bigger I would not be able to keep dancing.  I looked in the mirror.  My costume was much tighter than the others.  Where other girls looked slim and beautiful I looked like a husky walrus.  It didn't help that I towered a foot above all of them.  My teacher poked her head in.  "Ready to go girls!"  I took one last deep breath and looked in the mirror.  This costume had a huge whole in the back that made my love handles look even worse than normal.  I sighed nothing I could do now.  I followed my teacher out of the dressing room.  I kept my head down.  I felt as if I could hear the girls from other studios snicker and comment as we walked past.  I put my head down and hurried to catch up with my team.  Even though I was first out of the dressing room I always fell behind the group.  I could never get my awkwardly large body to move fast enough.  I finally caught up to them, out of breath.  I reached up to wipe the sweat of my forehead.  It was so embarrassing.  I sweat over the smallest amount of exercise.  As soon as I got there it was time to line up.  We went back stage with the other groups we were competing against.  They looked at me and smirked.  I could feel the hate in their voices as they wished me good luck.  I felt so bad my team had to be treated like dirt when I was really the only problem.  Finally, the judges called our number.  Unconfidently I walked on the stage.  I got to my formation and looked at the judges they gave me that sympathy smile I knew too well. I tried to shake it off, the music was about to start.  I didn't even have to worry about shaking it off as soon as the music started I was another person.  I was as light as a cloud and as cheerful as a bird.  I was unstoppable. I posed confidentially.  Then I looked in the audience and saw everyone doing that sympathy smile.  Do I really look that bad when I dance?  We rushed off the stage.  My teacher was ecstatic she was thrilled with our performance.  She took out her phone so we could all watch the video.  I watched noticing all my imperfections.  I bounced all over the place.  I grimaced as I saw myself attempt to stand off the floor gracefully.  My rush from being on the stage was all sucked out as I remember that I will never be as good as the other girls.   Another team from our studio was to perform next so we hurried back to the stage, this time sitting in the audience.  We arrived and I realized it was full of dancers from other studios there to support their teams.  The dance onstage wasn't very exciting so I began to look at the other dancers seated in the audience.  When I realized they weren't all twigs.  In fact there were a bunch of girls as big as me!  I sat there and wondered about this phenomenon I had never realized before.  All this time I thought I was the only one.  In that moment I realized the problems I had must be a problem for others too.  And for once in my life I didn't feel as alone.

About Me

Hi!  Welcome to my blog!  Here is where I will post all the ramblings of my heart.  I hope you enjoy it!