Chapter on "How to Avoid Diabetes Through Healthy Eating and Exercise"

Chapter 8 pages (2635 words) Sources: 8 Style: Let the writer choose

[EXCERPT] . . . .

This was one instance in which members of a developed nation (America) attempted to put into practice a program geared towards decelerating the rate at which diabetes was rising around the world by reintroducing dietary customs that existed prior to the rise of the fast food mentality which emerged in the post-WW2 era in America. Thus, one sees here that the world's most advanced economy which gave birth to the lifestyle responsible for facilitating the habits leading to the disease is also the same country responsible for facilitating the habits (in this particular program) leading to the adoption of a healthy diet and more nutritious way of life. This is, of course, only one example of the way that a developed nation has reduced the NCD -- but there are many others.

In fact, in America, the rise of the organic food culture has changed the way consumers view their diet. To some extent the fast food culture that boomed in America in the latter half of the 20th century is seeing a recession thanks to educative materials like Eric Schlosser's (2001) Fast Food Nation, which highlighted the substandard methods that major fast food chains utilize in order to produce the unhealthy food that millions of Americans are so used to enjoying. Education such as this has inspired a new direction towards rediscovering the healthy lifestyles displaced in the century of hyper-consumerism and materialism. Gardens are more popular now in city projects and communities are dedicated to producing farmers' markets where local produce can be purchased as an alternative to GMO mass-produced food stuffs shipped around the world and installed in grocery chains.

Another example can be found in the work of Dr. Mark Hyman who is generally regarded as the man who steered President Bill Clinton away from diabetes towards a healthier lifestyle (Castillo, 2012). Hyman describes in his book The Blood Sugar Solution how by simply eating healthier and less sugary, mass-produced, manufactured food items, an entire nation can reduce its unhealthy weight and begin a course of successfully eliminating diabetes and its effects. Indeed, Hyman's efforts are part of a nation-wide strategy to get Americans to do something about their obesity and to take the initiative to start eating better and exercising more. Other leaders have adopted measures, such as Mayor Bloomberg in New York City, where legislation has been enacted regarding smoking and the sale of sugary beverages at fast food chains. In short, American leaders are waking up to the fact that bad dieting is directly related to poor health and specifically to the NCD diabetes.

Thus the steps to combat diabetes in America are evident in terms of raising public awareness through works such as Schlosser's best-selling opus and President Clinton's dramatic change in dietary health, which served as a positive example for many citizens. Likewise, legislative acts designed to decrease risks to health, such as smoking and the banning of excessively large soda sales, are good steps in reducing risks associated with diabetes. However, on the whole America still has an obesity problem. But like most problems, it is not one that can be solved overnight. On the contrary, it is a problem that must be rooted out and replaced with good dietary health habits, exercise routines, and an informed public consciousness that is more willing to promote good eating habits rather than easy fast food chains.

This change may take years to fully effect, if at all. There are still the mega-multi-national corporations such as McDonald's that stand to lose billions if the global attitude towards fast food should dramatically shift to a perspective more accommodating of health-focused dieting. Nonetheless, that is what must occur with the continued efforts of writers, publishers, doctors, advocates, and programs like the Diabetes Wellness Program that literally changed the cultural consciousness of a community by reorienting it with the traditional modes of consumption lost in the easy access to modern, mass-produced food. This is the way forward for the developed world, as at least one portion of America is indicating.

Conclusion

In conclusion, diabetes is a global epidemic -- a non-communicable disease that affects both the developed and the developing world. It is primarily impacted by poor dieting and lack of exercise -- both of which are results of a mass-produced, homogenized culture addicted to snacking, leisure, fast food, and unhealthy lifestyles. In this sense, the NCD diabetes can actually be "communicated" via cultural cues and shifts predominantly brought about and encouraged by the industrialized world and the emphasis on corporate profits based on mass-produce fast food. Educational materials and programs designed to teach individuals in both developing worlds like Jamaica (where the citizens have picked up the bad eating habits of America and as a result developed a high incidence of diabetes) and developed worlds like America (where decades of an insouciance in a fast food culture have led to obesity and the rise of diabetes) are paving the way to a significant reduction in the disease, as shown in the Marshall Islands, where the American-based Diabetes Wellness Program has restored the health of the participants by developing in them the habits necessary for healthy eating and living so that the risk of diabetes has been virtually eliminated.

References

Castillo, M. (2012). 371 Million People Have Diabetes Globally. CBS News.

Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/371-million-people-have-diabetes-globally-about-half-undiagnosed/

Cunningham-Myrie, C., Theall, K., Yonger, N., et al. (2015). Associations between neighborhood effects and physical activity, obesity, and diabetes: The Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey, 2008. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 68(9): 970-978.

Davis, B. (2008). Defeating Diabetes: Lessons from the Marshall Islands. Today's

Dietitian, 10(8): 24.

Ferguson, T., Tulloch-Reis, M., Wilks, R. (2010). The epidemiology of diabetes mellitus in Jamaica and the Caribbean: a historical review. West Indian Medical Journal, 59(3): 259-64.

Gilchrist, C. (2012). Too Much Junk Food -- 10,000 Children with Diabetes. Jamaica-

Gleaner. Retrieved from http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120405/cook/cook4.html

Glennie, A., Chappell, L. (2010). Jamaica: From Diverse Beginning to Diaspora in the Developed World. Migration Policy. Retrieved from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/jamaica-diverse-beginning-diaspora-developed-world

IDF Key Findings. (2014). IDF Diabetes Atlas. Retrieved from http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas/update-2014

Liu, X., Li, C., Gong, H. et al. (2013). An economic evaluation for prevention of diabetes mellitus in a developing country: a modeling study. BMC Public Health, 13: 729.

National Diabetes Statistics Report. (2014). Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics/2014statisticsreport.html

Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast Food Nation. NY: Houghton Mifflin.

Tabish, S. (2007). Is Diabetes Becoming the Biggest Epidemic of the Twenty-first

Century? International Journal of Health Science, 1(2): 5-8.

What is Diabetes Mellitus. (2015). Diabetes Association of Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.diabetesjamaica.com/services/education#.VgsVgstViko

World Health Organization. (2015). WHO Diabetes Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/

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