Obesity

In class today we watched the TED video about obesity in children, specifically in the U.S.This video reminded me about my family. In my mother side I believe diabetes runs through the family, two of my closest aunts and my grandmother have diabetes. I have had family members who have died from diabetes. On my dad's side, my grandmother also has diabetes. I don't see anything wrong with them, besides being overweight. On my mom's side that is a very common feature about Tongans. They blame it coming to the U.S and eating fast food but still there are high amount of overweight Tongans in the islands of Tonga. I read in an article that 60% of Tongans are overweight, I don't know how legit that statement is. I feel like it is growing on my mom's family and we are the new generation of kids to stop it. In my dad's side my grandmother looks like any other grandmother but when we eat McDonalds, she eats the Eat Right microwaved dinners. I wouldn't mind eating Eat Right because they aren't that bad. It hurts to know the relation to the number of deaths and diabetes in my family.
In our household, my parents have treated to the nasties of junk of food, but we don't see that way. We have oreos, chips ahoy, lays chips, ice cream, ho-hos, brownies, and tons of sugar filled, processed food. I see them as treats for our lunch and desert. My brothers see them as anytime snack. We are an active family but my brother's don't understand the concept of health risks in all these junk foods. We do love to cook, or mostly my dad. My dad's the chef of the house and there always delicious and healthy. It is usually healthy because my mom tries to limit sugar and fat in our food. I have learned to cook some dishes from my parents and my grandmother. Besides having junk food, we love to eat fruits and alot of granola bars. Learning what is healthy and cooking will help in preventing diabetes to further generations.
Like I said we are an active family. My brothers and I play multiple sports, we may not be the best, but we always try and we like to be outside. My mom likes to run and my dad likes to swim. We are a strong family unit so we always try to stay that way. When I told them about the TED video today, my parents listened and took consideration. I doubt they will take on new tasks of staying healthy and fully acknowledging diabetes in our families. It's a slow process but I'm interested in stopping the family health history.