Learning activity 4

Evidence: Consolidation activity SOLIDATION

A. What to do?

Record a three minutes video expressing to what extent you agree or disagree with
the article “Food addiction can lead to death” by Paul Wilson using adverbs,
adverbial clauses, phrasal verbs, idioms, future perfect and other functions
practiced during this learning activity.

B. How to do it?

1. Read the following article.

Food addiction can lead to death

By: Paul Wilson

Food has been described as ambrosia and the elixir of life. For some, eating is a
biological necessity while for others it is a passion that can turn into an
obsession. Experts define food addiction to be a disorder where the addict is
preoccupied with food, the availability of food, and the pleasure of eating. There
are three recognized food addictions:

 Overeating. Overeating is a condition where the addict has no control over

the amount or the number of times he eats. The person has no concept of the
servings a person must eat. The overeater indulges in uncontrolled eating
binges. Because overeating causes the individual to take in more calories
than the metabolism can process, this food addiction leads to obesity. Obese
people are prone to hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, and
cancer.

 Bulimia Nervosa: This condition is characterized by eating binges and

purges. Binging is a synonym for isolated incidents of extreme overeating.
Purging means self-induced vomiting or the use of laxatives. Such addicts will
develop dental problems like thinning of enamel, excessive number of
cavities, swollen salivary glands, fluid and electrolyte disturbances, as well as
calluses and scars. There are also cardiac and metabolic risks associated
with bulimia.

 Anorexia Nervosa: Anorexics fear weight gain and, thus, starve themselves.
Typically, anorexics are obsessed with weight gain and body shape and, like
bulimics, exhibit obsessive behaviours to achieve a particular body image.
 Their notions of the perfect body and often distorted sense of their own bodies
make this disorder as much psychological as it is the menstrual cycle, hair
loss, unhealthy skin pallor, and dehydration.

Here are some signs that you or someone you know may have one of the
aforementioned food-related pathologies.

The signs are:

 Uncontrolled cravings for particular foods. Some are addicted to sweets,

others to soft drinks, yet others to coffee.
 Continuous or frequent eating. No fixed meal times an addict will eat
throughout the day.
 Sharpened hunger on consumption of specific foods.
 Excessive eating prompted by anxiety, nervousness.
 Low sugar blood sugar, headaches, stomach grumbles.
 Withdrawal symptoms.
 Fatigue.
 Extreme irritations.
 Intolerance to foods.
 Feelings of guilt at having eaten.

The cornerstones to curing the addiction are to:

 Identify and avoid what are known to be trigger foods or drinks.

 Put into practice a diet that is nutrient rich, healthy, and helps maintain or lose
weight.
 Make lifestyle changes. Adopt a routines that have regulations and associated
times. This can help with self-control.
 Drink lots of water to control cravings.
 Focus on personal and spiritual development. Seek inner peace, calm, and
joy. Many of these food-related pathologies have psychological causes.
 Plan to have activity filled days to distract the mind from food.

Even if you have a doubt that you may be a food addict, you should seek help.
Nip the problem in the bud before it grows into something unmanageable and
serious. You must consult a nutritionist, doctor, psychologist, an eating
addiction center or specialist. There are programs run by groups like
Overeaters Anonymous that run 12-step programs which are extremely
beneficial.1

1
Wilson, P. (2006). Food addiction can lead to death. Consultado el 30 de septiembre de 2015, en
http://www.articlegeek.com/health/weight_loss/food-addiction-lead-to-death.htm
2. Decide if you agree or disagree with the article, make notes to explain your
opinion and record a video expressing your point of view. Below you will find a
model.

(Model Script – To be recorded)

I don’t agree with this article. It is impossible to become a food addict

because food is not the same as alcohol or cigarettes. It is not a chemically
addicting substance. I think the author overlooks the truly addicting
substances and the dangers of these which are far greater than those of
food. Food gives us pleasure and there is no reason to make a big deal
about it. Eating slowly is one of my strongest passions; I enjoy every single
tasty bite of a steak almost obsessively. Yet, this does not make me an
addict. Also, even though I love eating and I do dedicate a lot mental
energy to thinking about my next meal, it does not mean that I have a
problem. I think the list of symptoms of eating disorders does not
distinguish between people who are passionate about food and those who
have a food-related pathology. I think this addiction article should be
dedicated to talking about more serious substance abuse problems.

Solution

"ADDICTION TO FOOD CAN LEAD TO DEATH"

Vs

Good afternoon professor, my name is Douglas Beltran, regarding the article

mentioned above, I agree with what is expressed. During the last decades, the
term food addiction has been gaining relevance within the general population, it is
an adaptation that attacks all ages regardless of gender, especially young people
and children are the most vulnerable. Many people often perceive themselves as
food addicts, unable to control the craving to eat certain types of food, which is
related to other eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, and the syndrome of
eating at night.

Currently, there is increasing evidence of the close relationship between being

overweight, certain psychological factors, such as mood disorders and the
perception of food as a reward, emotions, motivation or even addictive behavior.
Because certain foods that have a high caloric content or certain ingredients, such
as sugar, have an addictive potential similar to that of substances of abuse. Many
people with eating disorders, such as obesity or binge eating disorders, can
present eating patterns that have addictive characteristics, that is, they bear a
certain resemblance to drug use disorders, at the biological and behavioral level.
Food addiction is understood as a chronic and recurrent disease, with cerebral
implications, which consists of the need to compulsively seek and consume certain
foods, without taking into account the harmful consequences it presents, such as
the health implications that carry foods high in sugars or fats.

It should be noted that anxiety plays a fundamental role in the causes of food
addiction. When the person is stressed or anxious, their consumption increases
and they prefer foods that contain many sugars, high fat or salt content. This set of
foods produce a feeling of well-being since its performance is similar to that of
endorphins. When this feeling of well-being diminishes, the anxiety reappears due
to the guilt of the binge and the person has the need to eat again, thereby creating
a vicious circle. Therefore, the causes of food addiction are:

• Manage anxiety through food.

• The effect of consuming these foods on the brain's reward system.
• The feelings of guilt.

To conclude, I personally love to eat, but we must be aware because many foods
affect us, perhaps because we are young we do not see the consequences, these
will be reflected later in our health. I loved reading this article, I was very biased
about the serious problems that this can cause, if we do not have control of our
food especially for children, we must have a food habit and exercise a lot, thank
you teacher. I really liked the course.
When you finish your work, send the file to your instructor through the platform as
follows:

1. Click the title of this evidence.

2. Click Examinar mi equipo and look for the video file in your computer. Make sure
the file is attached.
3. Leave a comment for the instructor (optional).
4. Click Enviar.

Note: This evidence is an individual activity. Remember to check the learning

guide in order to know if you have done all the assigned activities, know how to
develop them and deliver them correctly.

Criterios de evaluación
 Describe situaciones empleando clausulas adverbiales de tiempo y opinión
teniendo en cuenta la estructura y el vocabulario requerido.

 Describe situaciones o eventos usando verbos frasales con la estructura y

el vocabulario requerido.

 Utiliza expresiones idiomáticas de acuerdo con el contexto.

 Narra eventos que ocurrirán en el futuro durante un periodo de tiempo

determinado haciendo uso de la estructura gramatical requerida.

 Expresa opiniones haciendo uso de la gramática y el vocabulario requerido.