Young peoples attitudes experience of following a healthy diet Literature review

Young peoples attitudes experience of following a healthy diet - Literature review Example This paper however focuses only on young people’s attitudes and views on having a healthy diet as early life attitudes would most likely be carried over to adult stage if no intervention or correction is made at an early stage. A healthy or balanced diet includes that the amount of food taken by the body which should be enough to cover all the nutrition and vitamins the body needs (WHO, 2004). Having of course healthy diet can become a part of health lifestyle that could lead to longer life since the same could prevent the risks of having diet related diseases such as: obesity, anorexia, cancer, diabetes and many more. As such, knowing the opinions of young people on healthy diet has direct relationship on what influences their attitudes towards the subject of healthy diet and even their life style. Knowledge on their attitudes and predisposition would then lead to knowing the proper intervention that should be made. Bellisle (2004) claimed that many of the young people are not following dietary guideline for a healthy food and life style. The main consumer of fast food are young or about seventy percent of 16 to 21 years of age eat fast food at least once a month (Stokes and Lomax, 2008). What then are reasons of the young people for preferring unhealthy diet as could be best exemplified by fast food? Young people would rather prefer to eat fast food more than old people due the need to save time and money as most of young people are students (Bell isle, 2004). Students at present times need to adjust with different demands including their school requirement. Another reason for preference unhealthy diet is lack of awareness of its ill effects (Bellisle, 2004. This therefore implies lack of knowledge on the importance of having healthy diet on human health. Ignorance as cause is curable by education. If education has taught young people how to do some skill or do some productive work, then their knowing the importance of balance diet to