Nutrition is the process through which the body is provided with the nourishment in the form of food necessary for health. The food choices you make every day can affect your health and mood dramatically. Good nutrition is an important part of a healthy lifestyle because it ultimately comes down to life or death. This lifestyle change can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and even cancer (American Cancer Society, 2017). In the United States, approximately one-third of American adults are obese, and approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese. It's scary to see hypertension and type 2 diabetes becoming more prevalent at younger ages. These are important numbers that, if not taken into consideration immediately, can have lasting effects on health and nutrition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Characteristics of a healthy diet include portion control, limiting fat intake, eating organic or whole foods, and increasing your fruit and vegetable intake. One of the most important is portion control. Moderation is the key to embarking on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Over the past decade, food portions in restaurants have become increasingly larger, and this is what contributes to social influences on our lack of portion control. The other most important is what we are putting into our bodies. Fruits and vegetables provide some vitamins and antioxidants. Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet can help reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. While fats are essential to a healthy diet, there are some types of fats that should still be avoided. Saturated fats and trans fats increase blood cholesterol levels, increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke (American Cancer Society, 2017). You can get healthier fats through fish, nuts and seeds. Another important factor to consider is limiting processed foods. Sodium contributes to high blood pressure, which can increase your chances of developing a stroke. Many processed products such as canned soups, breads, pastas and cereals contain staggering amounts of sodium. Avoiding them can drastically change your lifestyle. Two factors that can influence a person's food choices other than culture include social interactions and emotions. Social interactions can lead to heavy eating due to circumstances. It can also lead to guilt for not eating when you showed up at someone's housewarming party or were invited to their house. Being surrounded by friends who eat a certain way will also influence how much you consume that day. People will ignore hunger cues so as not to offend the host of the party or gathering. Emotions can also influence a person's food choices in times of stress or loneliness. The loss of a close friend or family member can cause someone to lose their appetite or could potentially cause them to eat more than normal. Foods can affect brain chemistry and the mind's response and this is where the phrase "emotional eating" comes in. This dangerous path can lead to obesity and other health problems due to a lack of emotional control. If I look at my culture (Eritrean/Ethiopian culture) I see a lot of food restrictions within our ethnic group. If you consider our countries, the two main religions are Islam and.