Is this a good body paragraph? Did I include a topic sentence? Please let me know as I have to turn it in tonite!!! Thanks.

Healthful eating encourages Americans to adopt a healthier lifestyle which will help society avoid the number one killer of Americans: Diabetes.
Healthful eating should be taken very seriously as it not only helps to keep health care costs down, it also saves lives. Is not shocking to discover that millions of Americans have diabetes? According to the Centers for Disease Control (2005), over 16 million people in the United States have diabetes.
Many Americans have died and so many others are still suffering from illnesses caused by diabetes. Examples of a few prominent members of society who died from diabetes are: Jackie Robinson (famous baseball player), Ella Fitzgerald (Premier Jazz vocalist), Barry White (soul singer), Minnie Pearl (comedienne) and Dizzy Gillespi (Jazz pioneer).
Over 16 million people in the United States alone have been diagnosed with diabetes. Two prominent names that come to mind at the moment are: Patti Labelle (soul songstress) and Riley B. King aka B.B. King (Jazz musician and influential blues guitarist). Ms. Patti Labelle’s mother also died from diabetes.
Diabetes is also hereditary which is why healthful eating and regular exercise is so important. Even young children can also develop diabetes, so everyone is at risk. These days, young children are also being diagnosed with diabetes which most times, if not kept under control claims many lives.
There are many ways that people can eat healthy or achieve a very healthy lifestyle. It naturally starts from the basics like making sure that our surroundings are clean at all times. When shopping for foods, it is vital to separate cooked foods from raw and can foods to avoid germs (sometimes, very harmful germs), getting into the already prepared foods.
Raw foods like vegetables, fish and meat need to be washed properly before cooking. When cooking, foods have to be cooked at low temperatures to kill all harmful bacteria that could cause serious harm to the human body. Perishable foods should be refrigerated properly to kill harmful microorganisms.
Letting the pyramid guide one’s food choices is a very good idea. Following the pyramid’s food guide is a very good way to cultivating the habit of healthful eating. The basic source of fiber which is very good for the human body is whole grains. Whole grains can be found in foods like: brown rice, wheat bread, oatmeal, whole grain barley and millet.

Incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables daily into our diet also leads the way to healthful eating. Fresh fruits and vegetables are very good for the body as they provide essential and nutritious vitamins. Fresh fruits like apples, oranges, guavas, strawberries, pineapples, raspberries and cherries are very good for the human body. Eating plenty of spinach helps provide the much needed iron to the body.
It is important to eat a variety of foods rich in protein like fish, poultry, eggs, beans, peas, nuts and seeds. It is best to reduce one’s intake of red meats containing high levels of saturated fat.
It is advisable to eat early and often. Start the day with a healthy breakfast. Start the day with a healthy breakfast to jumpstart the body’s metabolism. Also, eating the majority of the daily caloric allotment early in the day gives the body time to work those calories off. (Help guide 2005)
Some parents force their kids to finish their food before they can be excused from the dinner table and that is not right. It is not right to make anyone continue eating after they are full. Stop eating when the stomach feels full. It actually takes a few minutes for the brain to tell the body that it has had enough food, so eating slowly can help one get a more accurate read on this, as well (Help guide 2005).
When shopping for foods in the grocery stores, it is recommended to make healthy choices. For example, eating healthy does not mean that one can not enjoy a little bit if sweet, here and there. Enjoy all foods, but do not overdo it (USDA 1995). For example, it is okay to enjoy one scoop of ice cream at a time, not two. (Nibbles for health 1)
According to the USDA (1995) Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars (Nibbles for health 1). Take for example, someone who loves coca-cola beverages, instead of drinking the regular coke, swap it for the new coke zero which actually has zero calories. And for the ice cream lovers, there is new Klondike 100 calories ice cream which one can enjoy without fear of packing on the pounds. There is also a whole new variety of 100 calorie snack packs like the Oreos, Chips-A-Hoy and so on.



Another very important step to take towards healthful eating and living a healthy lifestyle is exercise. Make physical activity a regular part of your routine. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of certain diseases, including high blood pressure, stroke, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and osteoporosis. (Jebb. 2001).
Many people with heart related illnesses are always advised by doctors to eat healthy and exercise. It is of the utmost importance that physical activity is incorporated into people’s daily lives. There are many fun ways to exercise: getting a gym partner, walking the dog, swimming, yoga and dancing (which is my personal favorite).
The benefits of physical activity are endless. It helps to lower the cost of health care. Being physically active also means being fit. When a person is fit, then he or she does not have to worry about dangerous surgical procedures to get rid of excess fat in the body.

That's far more than one paragraph. Which ONE PARAGRAPH do you need to be checked?

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This is a good body paragraph, but it seems to lack a clear topic sentence. A topic sentence is a sentence that introduces the main idea or argument of the paragraph. It helps to guide the reader and give them a sense of what the paragraph will be about. In this paragraph, the main idea seems to be about the benefits of healthful eating and exercise. A topic sentence could be something like: "Incorporating healthful eating habits and regular exercise into daily life can have numerous benefits, including reducing the risk of diseases and improving overall well-being." By starting the paragraph with a clear topic sentence, you will effectively set the tone for the rest of the paragraph and make it easier for your reader to understand your main points.