Health Eating: Avoid the sweets this holiday season

       This article, by a dietician named Joan Endyke, addresses the issues of holiday weight gain. Everyone wants to show their appreciation during the holiday season by buying or making sweet treats. However, this could lead to weight gain and unhealthy eating habits. She gives readers unsweetened gift ideas for the holiday's that are just as appreciated but a little more healthy.

      The purpose of this article is to show readers that giving cookies and candy is not the only holiday gift option. Instead, giving unsweetened treats is the better direction to go in. The exigence of this article is the holiday season has approached us which brings with it sugary, sweet, and unhealthy treats. The audience of this article is adults who are looking for better gift options this holiday season. 

      The most important rhetorical devices Joan Endyke uses are ethos, logos, and structure. She introduces herself as a dietician with a masters degree. This establishes a trust between the reader and Joan Endyke and the reader further believes what she is writing. Also, she cites several different studies that prove her point throughout the article. For example, she mentions that when candy is in the site of an employee, a study showed that they ate an average of nine pieces of candy a day, and did not realize how much they actually put in their mouths. Lastly, at the end of the article she lists many different unsweetened holiday gift ideas that will avoid unhealthy eating. By listing the gifts the reader is able to take a better inventory of the ideas in their minds. It also helps them to remember the ideas when they do not have the article in front of them. 

     I think that Joan Endyke achieves her message to readers in this article. Her point to stop giving candy and sweets as gifts during the holiday season is a valid one that I think many readers recognize; although they may not want to accept it or stop it. She cites studies and shows the reader that the holiday season can become very unhealthy if we do not watch what we put in our mouths. With all the treats that are going to be given through out the next month, Joan Endyke proves that her message is valid and should be taken into consideration when buying gifts.