Thinking about eating that last piece of apple pie with a warm mug of eggnog? Harvard University has released a list of foods to consume and to avoid, including sugary beverages such as eggnog and sugary desserts such as pie.  Thus, it is no surprise that these treats tend to be among the many other foods that fall into the “avoid” category since they are culprits of obesity.  But before you throw the piece of pie away and dump your eggnog down the drain, tips later in the article will show you how you can still enjoy holiday favorites like pie and eggnog in a healthy manner.

Before delving further into preventing obesity, it is important to first understand the disease.  Many of us associate certain ideas or stereotypes when we hear about obesity.  Obesity, however, cannot be represented by such ideals since it holds a definition that is unique to all who suffer from the disease; each person has their own reason for suffering from obesity, though these reasons generally stem from biopsychosocial related issues resulting in being overweight (or above one’s Body Mass Index, the ideal weight for their age and height).  

In the past decade, obesity rates have skyrocketed dramatically. More than one-third of American adults (37%) and 17% of American children and adolescents suffer from the disease [1]. Fortunately, within the past year, the rates have shown a slight decrease nationwide according to the Center for Disease Control.  Vamsi Talasila ‘18 comments, “As obesity has become an imminent threat to the health of our nation, especially our youth, I’m glad to see the rates have curbed.”  Despite this, obesity is still a threat.  Food producers and companies continue to manufacture foods with GMOs and harmful chemicals.  For this reason, many Americans have turned to organic foods, which are natural and contain less artificial chemicals.  Organic foods are expensive, though by spending more on healthy foods, our nation will reap nutritional benefits essential for our bodies.

Eating organic foods is just one of the many ways to prevent obesity.  In town, stores such as Dean’s and the Fresh Market are great places to purchase foods, as they are well known for their great taste.  Though, many grocery stores such as Kings and Shop Rite also carry organic and healthy foods.  By shopping at these places and consuming more vegetables and lean meats (like poultry), Ridge students specifically can avoid obesity. Regular exercise (around 30 minutes per day) is also necessary to maintain a healthy weight. Ridge offers many great options to participate in sports from traditional sports like football and basketball to ones less common such as fencing and skiing. So, eating pie and drinking eggnog is alright for the Holidays, but excess consumption of foods that contain sugar, fats, and chemicals should be limited from your daily diet.  Alison Lemke ‘18 states, “We are blessed to live in a town that encourages all natural foods and healthy eating habits.  We have great stores in our town right at our fingertips, and although they expensive, they sell the ‘good stuff.’”