My name is Tiffany Johnson. I am an 18-year-old college freshman and new intern at Aubin Pictures this summer. I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and currently reside in Queens, NY. Living in one of the largest cities in the world, I realized that I became kind of oblivious to the way a lot of things I ate on an everyday basis came to be or even how dangerous it could be to my health. Around spring of 2012, I was diagnosed as overweight and wanted to do something about it. I especially wanted to do something about my weight after my mom was diagnosed with diabetes, which runs in my family. I was always an active person; captain of my high school tennis team, practicing for at least 20 hours each week. So, I wasn’t fully aware as to why I was overweight.
During the summer of 2012, I went to the hospital for an annual checkup. I asked my doctor why it was that I seemed to just not be able to lose weight. After a very informative conversation, I was told that my diet was prohibiting me from doing so. I was ingesting way too many calories for what I exerted and was eating too many high calorie foods in one day instead of in moderation. I learned that I should limit myself to no less than 1,200 calories a day and no more than 1,700. I brought this new information to my parents who agreed to help me create an even healthier lifestyle.
To start a new healthy lifestyle, I proposed to my family that we start a garden in our backyard. My family thought that it was a great idea and agreed to do so. With a very persuasive proposal, my parents, younger sister and I began a vegetable garden. We planted tomatoes, spinach, collard greens, squash and more. After tending to the garden for a couple of months, we eventually ate these vegetables with our dinners. Adding more vegetables to my meals helped because it eliminated my hunger for as many carbs as before. Growing and eating the vegetables wasn’t only great for my health but was a fun new experience. I was able to create what I would eat. With my new healthy lifestyle and diet, I’ve stopped craving a lot of fast food.
With my new healthy lifestyle, I also learned how to shop at the supermarket. With a little research, I was able to discover supermarkets that sold a lot of organic, whole wheat and natural products. I was even able to find a healthier option of chips, which tasted amazing!
After one year of healthy eating and maintaining an active lifestyle, I’ve lost 40 pounds. And, I feel great, especially now that I possess the knowledge of what foods are good for my health as well as the ways I can create my own foods. I now see how simple, easy and fun healthy eating can actually be.
With a little bit of information on healthy diets, I believe that anyone can eventually become educated well enough to begin and continue eating healthily and increasing their knowledge about healthy food.
I find What’s On Your Plate? an amazing and interesting movie because it persuades and encourages kids to go out and discover where certain foods come from, how to choose foods wisely at supermarkets and if the foods they eat are actually good for them or not. It promotes a healthy lifestyle for all!
