In the 1960’s, the average American weighed twenty five pounds less than they do today, but height may also play a factor as well.(McKinzie) It is said that the average male and female are anywhere from and inch to two inches taller than they were fifty years ago.. Is diet to blame? Or is it simply the different lifestyle America lives today? The hormones given to the animals today are horrible, and then we go eat these animals. Obesity has more than doubled in America since the 1960’s, putting Americans at the top of the chart.(Avena) With two-thirds of U.S. adults being overweight, studies show that lack of diet and exercise is one of the main causes of obesity in America.(Avena) Junk food, such as candy, doughnuts, Little Debbie Cakes, etc; has made its way into the daily diet of most Americans causing obesity and low energy, which leads to lack of exercise. Why does America choose to eat this way? While any person loves to enjoy a steak dinner every night, it can be costly. Even buying healthy groceries has become almost twice the price as your normal non-organic groceries. After a long days work, one may get satisfaction from something as simple as a Mcdonalds hamburger, which can contain up to 10 grams of saturated fat in one burger and 970 milligrams of sodium.("The Five Most Unhealthful 'Gourmet Burgers': Results.") A healthy diet takes a lot of dedication and can be very expensive, but just a small change in the American diet can be very beneficial healthwise later on in life. Though it seems a lot of people in America have not figured it out yet, other countries around the world know the risks that are at stake when not eating the right food and have chosen to better their health by changing their diet.(McKinzie) In ... ... middle of paper ... ...38/Nordic-diet-as-healthy-as-Mediterranean-foods.html>. McClain, Louvonia. "Top 4 Countries with the Healthiest Diets." Rolling Out RSS. Rolling Out, 4 June 2014. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. . McKinzie, Richard B. "Fat Facts - Springer." Fat Facts - Springer. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. . "The Five Most Unhealthful 'Gourmet Burgers': Results." PCRM. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. . "Tonight: Food Facts and Fiction - Part 4: The Great British Diet." ITV News. ITV, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. .
Studies have linked obesity to many things from ear infections, to pollution, to air-conditioning, to socializing with obese people. The reason Americans are obese is because of the increasing luxury available to them. Obesity is a rising problem in the United States, and with all the privileges given to its citizens, the country has become increasingly lazy. With portion sizes rising and physical activity decreasing, it is easy to see how obesity rates have skyrocketed.
Western diet causes many diseases; increases people’s medical need for supplements and vitamins. However one writer disagrees with him and suggests “Eat foods that are less processed” (Denis Burkitt) which is easy to say but hard to apply on. Future more Pollen’s purpose of writing this article was to show how bad the effects of eating Western dieting can be, and to introduce a way to escape and in order to create a healthier country. Pollan also mentions the fact that livestock is being raised on a Western diet too, which means they are raised genetically too which means nothing is healthy like it used to be. In order to strengthen his statement he shows the percent of income spent on food in countries where the diseases percent is smaller to prove indeed “Western diet” is unhealthy, this matters a lot because currently most of the people living in this country are suffering from chronic diseases caused by wrong diet. Michael
The typical American diet is about 50% carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 35% fat, which is over the dietary guidelines for the amount of fat (below 30%), below the guidelines for carbohydrate (above 55%), and at the upper end of the guidelines for the amount of protein (below 15%) recommended in the diet. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_pattern_diet). Not only is the Standard American Diet completely lacking in terms of the quantity of macronutrients being consumed, but the quality of the foods that most Americans are eating is extremely poor as well. The Standard American Diet is high in animal fats, low in fiber, low in complex carbohydrates, and low in plant-based
Obesity in America is a very serious problem affecting many Americans currently and is a problem that continues to grow each year. “Over the past 40 years, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the United States” (Wimalawansa). This issue is known to many but believed not be an issue to care much about but this is not true. Obesity in America affects everyone regardless if they are obese or not. In order to resolve the problem, we can slaughter all the adults that are currently obese in America.
Obesity among Americans has been a growing issue in the United States predominantly over the past decade. Many may argue American’s are obese because of poor food choices, over-eating, genetic disposition, lack of exercise, or the environment which one lives, while others blame it all on fast-food chains and restaurants. Throughout my research I have come to find a lot of facts and statistics about fast food consumption causing obesity. Statistics show that without a doubt the United States is the most obese country in the world.
According to the USDA, at the start of century 21st American people have increased their daily caloric intake by consuming five hundred calories more than in 1970. As cited by Whitney & Rolfes (2011), there are many recognized causes of obesity such as genetics, environment, culture, socioeconomic, and metabolism among others; but the cause most evident is that food intake is higher than the calories burned in physical activity. Excess of energy from food is stored in the body as fat causing an increase of weight. During the course of the last 40 years, obesity has grown enormously in the United States and the rates remain on the rise (pgs. 272-273).
Nutrition and health have become more popular in today 's society. Our generation is becoming more and more indebted to the idea of being healthy and eating nutritious meals. However, in “The American Paradox,” by Michael Pollan he argues that our unhealthy population is preoccupied with nutrition and the idea of eating healthy than their actual health. He also mentions the food industry, nutrition science and how culture affects the way we eat and make food choices. While Pollan is right about all these factor that affect our eating habits, there is more to it than that. Convenience, affordability and social influence also affects our food choices making them inadequate.
World Health Organization. "10 facts on obesity." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 9 June 2014. .
Eating is extremely important, it is also important to eat healthy. Most Americans eat without any concerns; they are not questioning or researching what they are feeding themselves or their family. A lot of that has to do with their financial stability, not having the time to prepare a meal due to their time-consuming work schedule, also lack of knowledge and education on what they are consuming. In this bibliography, I will go over all three articles and explain what they are about.
The population in the United States as of 2009 was 307,006,550 the younger population is projected to slightly increase and eventually plateau though the older population has been steadily increasing and projected to continue on an upward trend (Vincent & Velkoff, 2010). The lack of a healthier diet is something that has been highlighted in the media for the past decade and more often than not we are seeing the effects of overindulging and the consumption of highl...
America’s food source has altered drastically in the last century and so has the health of many. Americans used to thrive on natural foods for nutritional value, now Americans thrive on processed and manufactured food for just for convenience. Food companies have changed the very way we view nutrition. They have taken chemistry to a whole new level and added what they want it to what we now call food even if that harms our bodies in the long run. Food companies have also caused many hard working farmers to lose their jobs. These food companies have lost insight as to what is truly important in a food product and don’t care if that means taking someone else’s job.
2. Obesity dramatically increased in the 70’s due to a number of factors. After World War 2, lawmakers, big business and labor leaders, along with many ordinary Americans put mass consumption at the center of their plans for a successful post-war nation. The availability of frozen dinners and a variety and surplus of different foods skyrocketed. In 1977, the US dietary guidelines changed drastically, promoting our diets as mainly carbohydrate based. Over the years, the sizes of certain foods and our portions have blown up. Twenty years ago, an average bagel was 3 inches in diameter and only 140 calories. Today, the size of the average bagel has doubled, now 6 inches in diameter and over 350 calories. The health problems that stem from being overweight go way beyond the ones we usually hear about, like diabetes and heart disease. Being overweight can also affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and energy levels. In the U.S. 68.5% of adults are overweight or obese, 34.9% falling under the obese category and 31.8% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese with 16.9% being obese (Overweight and Obesity in the U.S.). Figuratively and literarily, the obesity rate is a growing problem. The total economic cost of overweight and obese persons in the United States and Canada caused by medical costs, excess mortality and disability is approximately $300 billion per year. $80 billion of this portion is due to overweight, and approximately $220 billion is due to obesity. Approximately 90 percent of the total $300 billon comes from the United States. The Trust for America's Healt...
Eating healthy is not easy for people because of the time. People living in the US go to work roughly 40 hours a week for a full time job. Working 40 hours a week means working five days a week and having two days of break. For example, if a person works 8 hours a day, he or she is going to be tired at the end of the day. This causes person to eat fast food or delivery food. Williams said, “Somewhere along the way, cooking went from being something that normal Americans just did, on a daily basis, to something we instead watch as a gladiator sport on television” (665). Williams also said, “We
Many folks who become obese are people who abuse the calories their body needs on a daily diet. As stated in “Overweight and Obesity Statistics”, everyone body needs a certain amount of energy from foods to have a proper balance. If the calories you have eaten sum up to the amount of calories you have used or have not burnt, you will start to have a problem if this eating habit continues. You will now be in the stage of overweight, if you do not burn the extra calories you consumer. In March 2004 the CDC publishes a study showing that poor eating habits and lack of exercise were the second leading death in the Untied States (“Chronology”). For example, one major reason why people become obese in America is because the environment is full of fast food restaurants. If you look to your left you will see McDonald’s, you look to your right, and you see Jack in The Box, you look behind you and there is Carl’s Jr, and if you look in front of you and you see a Burger King. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, “17% of children and adolescents (aged 2-19) are obese. The prevalence of obesity in America has risen dramatically over the past two decades and continues to increase” (qtd. “Weight Control and Diet”). You see these places all over the place and not to mention food advertising is a big cause for obesity. According to What Causes Overweight
Fat chance of beating obesity without’ strict’ food labeling. (2013, November29).The Sydney Morning Herald.[On-line]. Available: http://www.smh.com.au/national/fat-chance-of-beating-obesity-without-strict-food-labelling-20131128-2yehd.html