Evaluating an Argument on Healthy Eating

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." If anything gets in the way of our good eating, it's lifestyle. When you get home from work late, why spend an hour in front of the stove when you can spend two minutes at the microwave? And doesn't that oatmeal box claim to be a good source of calcium for our kids, never mind the small print listing 14 grams of sugar? Which statement best describes the author's argument in this part of the article?

A busy lifestyle often gets in the way of healthy eating habits.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." But just a few easy changes in our diet will make a world of difference in our health. The key is planning and making informed decisions. "People get stuck with the same five recipes. Or they feel kids are picky," said Erin Corrigan, the nutrition manager at Miami Children's Hospital. "My suggestion is you dedicate half an hour, once a week, to looking over ads at your favorite store, create a meal plan, make a list and go to the store and dedicate only going once a week, unless it's a real emergency." Based on this excerpt, what does the author want people to do?

Create and maintain a healthy meal plan.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." But no one can ignore the damage being wrought by all this bad eating. More than one out of three adults in the United States -- 37.5 percent -- are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the leading causes of death -- heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes -- are directly linked to obesity. And childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. With more than a third of kids between 6 and 19 considered obese, the CDC reports, they are at substantially more risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bone and joint conditions, and cancer. Which statement best describes the author's argument in this part of the article?

Eating a poor diet can have harmful effects on people's health.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." Fourteen years ago, Juanita Ferguson, 55, had a kidney transplant. So she watched what she ate and always included fruits and vegetables in her diet. But it was the finer points that Ferguson, a supervisor in the respiratory care department at Baptist, was missing. She bought honey wheat bread, not realizing that at her age she needed much more fiber. She was unaware of her carb intake. And she had no idea that on weekends, when she was completing chores and running errands, forgetting to eat was causing problems. How does the excerpt support the author's claim that making small changes can have positive effects?

It shows that Ferguson just needed the correct information about what to eat to improve her diet.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." Unless you're trying to lose weight, nutritionists like to avoid diets. "We were just laughing about that, like we could sell fairy dust and that's pretty much what a lot of these fad diets are about," said Natalie Castro-Romero, the corporate dietician at Baptist who oversees the company's 15,000 employees. "One very common thing that happens is people feel overwhelmed and they need a starter to get something going, like a detox, but there's no truth behind that." For some people, small changes can lead to big results. Which statement best describes the author's argument in this part of the article?

People do not need to take drastic measures to start eating healthier.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." It may be an old adage, but it's a goody: you are what you eat. It's also when you eat and how much you eat. And while we can all sympathize with the need to have things fast and easy in our busy lives, nutritionists say eating well is actually not that hard. It just takes planning and, some would say, a little help from the village. What makes this part of author's argument effective?

She addresses a counterclaim.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." "I was taking all these pills like an old woman," said Naar, a neonatology nurse at Baptist Hospital. "My blood pressure is hereditary, but I added to it by adding the pounds and eating horribly every day.". . . A nutritionist took her shopping and introduced her to the joys of cauliflower. She upped her workouts, stopped eating hamburgers three times a week and scaled back on the Cold Stone pistachio ice cream. Today, Naar is 20 pounds lighter and down to two pills a day. How does the author develop her argument in this part of the article?

She shares an anecdote to show that people can drastically improve their health by making small changes to their diets.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." She [Ferguson] bought honey wheat bread, not realizing that at her age she needed much more fiber. She was unaware of her carb intake. And she had no idea that on weekends, when she was completing chores and running errands, forgetting to eat was causing problems. "I'd just eat once a day, but then my body would go into starvation mode," she said. So she developed a meal plan and discovered an app for her phone, My Fitness Pal, that she can set to remind her when to eat and what to eat. She can also scan food to determine whether she's met her daily need. "So after I have breakfast and lunch, and if I've had too many carbs, by dinner I know I have to cut back," she said. How does the author support her argument that people can become healthier by making small changes?

She uses an anecdote to show how people can improve their eating habits by being informed and having a meal plan.

Why does the author most likely include tips for healthy eating at the end of the article "Healthy Eating"?

She wants to highlight the small changes that people can make to improve their eating habits.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." If anything gets in the way of our good eating, it's lifestyle. When you get home from work late, why spend an hour in front of the stove when you can spend two minutes at the microwave? And doesn't that oatmeal box claim to be a good source of calcium for our kids, never mind the small print listing 14 grams of sugar? A small soda at the movies could satisfy a family of four. Even schools have vending machines. What does the author think is responsible for people's poor eating habits?

They often choose foods that are quick and convenient instead of ones that are healthy.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." But no one can ignore the damage being wrought by all this bad eating. More than one out of three adults in the United States -- 37.5 percent -- are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the leading causes of death -- heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes -- are directly linked to obesity. And childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. With more than a third of kids between 6 and 19 considered obese, the CDC reports, they are at substantially more risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bone and joint conditions, and cancer. The author's argument that a poor diet can be harmful to a person's health is

effective, because it includes facts from a credible source.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." Fourteen years ago, Juanita Ferguson, 55, had a kidney transplant. So she watched what she ate and always included fruits and vegetables in her diet. But it was the finer points that Ferguson, a supervisor in the respiratory care department at Baptist, was missing. She bought honey wheat bread, not realizing that at her age she needed much more fiber. She was unaware of her carb intake. And she had no idea that on weekends, when she was completing chores and running errands, forgetting to eat was causing problems. The author suggests in this excerpt that

it is important for people to be informed about what their bodies need.

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." She can also scan food to determine whether she's met her daily need. "So after I have breakfast and lunch, and if I've had too many carbs, by dinner I know I have to cut back," she said. And that kind of tailoring is key, nutritionists say. "People want me to just tell them what to eat, give them a meal plan. But they'll only follow it for two weeks," [dietician] Castro-Romero said. "So I get them to focus on the foods they're eating now and improve. One group might be soda drinkers. So we work to decrease rather than eliminate. "It's really trying to keep it simple and look at small changes. I like to say small changes produce big results." Based on this excerpt, the dietician wants people to

make small adjustments to their diets

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." But no one can ignore the damage being wrought by all this bad eating. More than one out of three adults in the United States -- 37.5 percent -- are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the leading causes of death -- heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes -- are directly linked to obesity. And childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. With more than a third of kids between 6 and 19 considered obese, the CDC reports, they are at substantially more risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bone and joint conditions, and cancer. Which evidence does the author use to support the argument that a poor diet can be harmful to one's health?

statistics

Read the excerpt from "Healthy Eating." So why don't we just eat better? "It's easier for someone to unwrap a granola bar than to unwrap an orange," Rarback says. "We've gone for easiness. Parents want children to get what they need, so if they see an ad saying something is fortified with vitamins, no one's doing an equivalent [ad] for an orange or bananas." What is the main reason why the author includes this information in the article?

to explain why people are making unhealthy choices with their food