Proper nutrition is something that I believe every human should strive to achieve. However, In America, a diet consisting of nutritionally empty foods seems to have somehow become the norm. Many Americans choose to consume fried foods every day. Frying reduces the overall nutritional value of foods while simultaneously replacing water with unhealthy fat which adds significant amounts of empty calories. Eating an excess of unhealthy fats (trans fats and some saturated fats) as well an unhealthy excess of calories is commonly accepted to lead to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems, all of which lower the quality of and shorten human life. These same problems are found in individuals who consume too many processed foods which often contain either too much added sugar, too much “bad” fat, too much sodium, or, even more commonly, too much of all three. If it is such a well accepted fact that eating overly-processed foods contributes to the detriment of our health, why do many of us continually choose to eat terribly?

According to my Ethical Philosophy Selector results, my beliefs align most with Aristotle. He advocated that the world is built upon individual development, that people acquire virtues throughout their experiences in life, and that these acquired virtues would contribute to the success of the individual. Given that the world is made up of individuals of free-will, people often choose to make decisions which positively impact themselves, even if they negatively impact others. This is how we have ended up with food companies which purposefully mislead people toward buying unhealthy foods, a form of referent power as brands may use their popularity as well as marketing ability to influence people’s decision-making. Individuals, however, possess free-will and can choose to either indulge in instant gratification or prioritize their future well-being. Neither of these choices are incorrect, however, the one which benefits the individual the most in the end may be considered the most “successful”.

The concept of nutrition resonates close with me. I spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years either overweight or obese, it was only recently that I decided to adjust my values and commit to life based around nutritional excellence. I believe that I have improved as a person as a result of this choice, yet I refuse to force my choice on others or even advocate that others live as I do. This is because I believe that every individual possesses their own unique set of virtues and someone may be happiest living a life which is drastically different to mine. Two of my top strengths from the Strengths Finder exam are “Communication” and “Adaptability”, although I refuse to advocate my beliefs, I enjoy communicating with others to share my experiences. I believe that by informing others of my experiences, I can provide them with information to make their own choices. This belief is grounded in my “Adaptability” strength which suggests that I love to learn new things and take my life one day at a time as I discover my future.

As part of a service action, I think the best way to encourage people to live healthier lifestyles would be by allowing them to find ways to incorporate healthy habits. The best way to do this would be by presenting people with as much accurate information as possible so that they can make informed decisions entirely on their own. In accordance with my strengths, I believe that proper communication is key. Unfortunately, information surrounding “proper” nutrition is murky at best, with so many differing opinions on the topic. The best way to inform people would be by presenting them with basic information such as calorie counts and macronutrient compositions. Many restaurants fail to provide this information on their menus. Even on campus, serving sizes are often unlabeled or just listed as “one serving”. This is a problem that I believe limits individuals’ free-will. How can we choose to make healthy decisions if we are unaware of which decisions are healthy and which are not?

Ultimately, I would like to lead others to living a healthier lifestyle by means of demonstration and communication. I am aware that “healthy” is a broad spectrum that is unique to every individual, it is merely a blanket term which encapsulates both a person’s mental and physical well-being. I believe that, through relational leadership, I can make others feel empowered to closer examine their life choices and make decisions that will best benefit their own well-being.