HEALTHY FOOD DOESN'T HURT
STORY-
“YUCK!” screamed Kevin as his mother
brought up a bowl full of broccoli stew for his lunch. “Get that away from me
!” he shrieked, giving the food a dirty look. Then, scowling at his mother, he
rushed up the stairs, or actually, he tottered up them as fast as his
elephant-sized legs would allow him. He then tottered into his bedroom, shut
and bolted the door, and pulled out his hidden stash of junk food, stored in
the most unlikely places of his bedroom. He flopped down on his bed, pulled out
his laptop and, balancing it on his fat belly, began to play computer games
while he chomped down the unhealthy junk.
Outside, his mother his mother
wailed, pleaded, and even whined for him to come out and eat his healthy stew,
and his father soon joined the choir, shouting in his low, base voice, but
Kevin just pulled out his headphones, put them on, and the outside world was
drowned away by the music. 
He had his oily, tasty junk food, and that was all
he ever needed.Their family physician, Dr Jeeves,
had always disapproved of their food habits; especially Kevin’s and had always
chided them about it, at each visit, but in vain, considering the fact the boy
simply seemed to blow up every time they visited the doctor, as though he had
an air attached to him somewhere.“I’m terribly sorry to inform you, but Kevin is seriously obese, and his
condition is going to deteriorate if you continue to let him feed on all that
oily, fatty food, with absolutely no exercise.” After that, he rambled on about
the how dangerous obesity was. Kevin simply hung his head down, wondering how
he never observed what a chocolaty color the tiles were. Mmm..., chocolate, he
thought. Meanwhile his parents were very worried. His mother let out a few
squeals every now and then, as though she was watching a horror movie, and his
father grew terribly pale. In between, Kevin’s ears caught a few words of the
doctor’s as he listed out the effects of obesity. “Serious breathing problems
like sleep apnea, which is the shortage of breath which occurs when a person is
sleeping; Sudden and sharp pain in the limbs, cardiovascular pains, diabetes
and even cancer.” he said. The doctor then dished out orders for a complete
revamp of Kevin’s lifestyle-including some foods which seemed highly
unpalatable-foods like broccoli, spinach, kale, cauliflower, lettuce,
celery…….the list seemed to be endless! And the amount of exercise he had to do
– an hour a day! Kevin didn't like the sound of it one bit.He would then ring up his friends who worked at the nearby fast
food joints, to bring it over. His friend would then climb the fire escape up
to his room window, pass on the junk food and would be paid handsomely. No, you
can never separate Kevin Mackenzie from his junk food !This was the everyday situation at Kevin
Mackenzie’s house. Kevin, was a lazy,
lethargic, and highly overweight 14-year-old. His daily schedule-besides
school- was to sit idle in front of the television, for hours together or
playing video games at all unearthly hours of the day with a constant flow of
oily, greasy snacks to comfort him. He had zero exercise, had eaten broccoli and
carrots only when he was but a baby, because then he wasn't as aware of what
went in his mouth, and seriously lived on fast food. He was bright kid turned slow and
feeble-minded by the food he ate, and would most probably win the worldwide
award for the best and laziest couch potato ever.Every few months, the Mackenzie’s went for
a routine check-up at their local clinic. 
This visit proved to be a very serious one.
After the general weight check-up, Dr Jeeves informed them of the terrible
news. 
The ride home was a very silent one, unless
you consider his mother’s constant sniffling. Personally, Kevin spurned the
idea of him being obese and all- he just thought the doctor was trying to
brainwash his parents into feeding him that (he shuddered) ‘healthy stuff’. In
his heart of hearts, Kevin vowed that he would not, NOT EVER, let that food
touch his taste buds, NO WAY!In the weeks that followed, all hell broke
loose at the Mackenzie’s. Or at least to Kevin, it did. His parents stripped
him of all his pocket money, so he couldn't buy any more junk food. Lots of
shouting ensued, mostly on Kevin’s part. The next drastic measure was that all
the oil-filled, cholesterol rich food and fatty sugary foods were mercilessly
thrown out. Kevin was appalled. How could his parents take that doctor so
seriously ??But Kevin hadn't lost all hope, not yet.
You see he could be very clever and cunning, when it came to ways to procure
his unhealthy junk without his parents knowledge. He had no pocket money- so
what? Kevin was smart enough to have saved every penny his Nanna had ever
bestowed upon him, in large pickle jar, hidden in one of the dirtiest corners
of his room. 
This process continued, and Kevin kept true
to his word and touched not a single vegetable. Life seemed back to normal. Or
was it ?
It
was a few months after this that the disastrous events began to unfold. Every
other night or so, he began to experience sleep apnea, which, you will probably
remember from before. Sleep apnea is the shortage in breath experienced when
one is sleeping, and is almost always an effect of obesity. Well, Kevin was
huffing and puffing almost each night, and soon, the world began to spin, and
his head ached too and he was rushed to the hospital. He had the ’sudden limb
pains’ the doctor had foreseen, and they were excruciating. If each day was
hell, he didn't know what to describe night as. Kevin soon became one of the hospital’s most frequent patients. He was drowsy, with his eyelids scarily half
open- due to the medication- most of the time, but when the pain arrived, his
eyes would jolt open, and his entire figure would quake and shake and would let
out a horrible shriek summoning the doctors and nurses immediately. His parents
were worrying day, and mostly, night and his mother was teetering between high anxiety
and unconsciousness.After a few weeks, almost a month at the
hospital, Kevin returned home, a weaker version of himself. At the hospital, he
went through a multitude of treatments, which he could barely remember-apart
from the pain they brought him, of course. He had become so weak, that he couldn't even ascend the stairs without his parents’ help. All throughout his
stay at that cursed place, as he referred to it as, he was fed food that was
all mushy and soggy and mud-like, and tasted like, well, it tasted just like it
looked. Kevin realised how his favourite foods had betrayed him. They had
turned his life upside down. After he was strong enough to pick up his spoon to
eat his food by himself, his parents and Dr Jeeves had a long conversation with
him about the importance of the healthy food habits.“You see,” said Dr Jeeves, “If you eat
healthy, nutritious food, we are not going to gain anything from it. It is you,
and only you, who will gain an insight into the brighter world healthy eating
will open up to you. Eating healthy food regularly, and exercising frequently,
can control and slowly reduce your weight. You should follow a low-fat diet ,
for the best results. Eating a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner will help
you avoid hunger spasms in between meals, which cause you to pine for your junk
food.” Kevin winced when he heard the words ’junk food’. He simply couldn't stand them anymore. Dr Jeeves continued, “Eating healthy food can improve your
mood, and the dreariest of days will seem sunny to you. It will boost your
morale and make you more confident. It also boosts your energy. You would've probably experienced severe energy drops when you lived on your steady diet of
fast food and sugary treats. Eating a balanced diet, with whole grains, lean
meats, low-fat dairy products, and fruits and vegetables can give your body the
fuel it requires to manage your energy level. It also helps boost energy by helping
you sleep better—it helps you fall asleep faster and deepens your sleep, And
sleep seems to be a problem you've grappled with for the past few months”, he
said, staring hard at Kevin. Then looking into his eyes, Dr Jeeves said, “ You,
and only you, can change yourself , for the better by following your new
healthy lifestyle or,” he said gravely, “for the worse, by continuing to eat
that unhealthy junk food.”These words had a profound impact on Kevin.
He never wanted to go back to that hospital again, and he could not even look
at a French fry without wincing. He apologised to his parents for causing them
so much pain and turned over a new leaf. He embraced his healthy food regimen
set by the doctor, for whom he now held a new respect. He ate healthy foods
with happiness, and was an example to his classmates and friends, who still ate
fast food frequently. He exercised too, and became a member of his local gym.
He learnt to prepare simple, healthy salads for himself, in case he was craving
a snack. He realised how lucky it was that he was young, that he still had time
to right his wrongs.Fast forward a few years. Kevin is at
college, graduating from with honours in Mathematics. After he started eating
right, he discovered his interest and talents in the world of numbers. He’s
tall, lean, and healthy, and has not been near the hospital even once. He gives
talks at his community centre to the obese, giving the example of himself. Dr
Jeeves was right; he thought as he threw his graduation hat into the air with
everyone else, life is definitely sunnier now.
ETYMOLOGY
The word food originates from the old English word foda which is a modification of an old Germanic word, fodjan, which meant “to feed”.
In this modern era, our food requirement has increased by manifold. We require more energy to move about to sustain us for the entire day. More work has to be done, more achievements to aim for and more population to feed. We as a human race walk 20% faster than we did in the year 1992 and eat 12% more food than we did in 1952. So, what is food? According to the scientific terms, food is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth. In literal terms, food is nothing but something which satisfies our hunger.· Comfort foods- Comfort foods are those traditionally eaten foods usually rich in carbohydrates and have a very simple preparation.
· Fast food- Fast food is the food that is prepared very quickly, the term fast food refers to the food that is sold in a restaurant or shop with precooked or preheated ingredients.
· Junk food- Junk food is the highly processed food products containing a high amount of calories and a relatively low nutritional value.
· Whole foods- Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added salt, carbohydrates, or fat.
· VEGETARIAN FOOD
Vegetarian food is considered the healthiest food in the whole of earth and those who are pure veg usually are very fit and tall. That’s why many people in this world tell everyone to stick to vegetarian food.But there are bad points about plant foods also.Many people nowadays use fertilizers which is absorbed by the plants and then into the humans. This causes many diseases and even death.People also want to make fast money for which they use bad quality products. This also causes diseases.
· NON-VEGETARIAN FOOD
Fact: - Chocolate is one of the best stress relievers. A glass of watermelon juice or an orange before a workout can reduce the possibility of cramps occurring during or after the workout.
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