Obesity In America

As the end of the school year comes around; seniors are graduating, teachers are retiring, and dreams of summer plans fill the minds of students. Sitting in class, one might not worry about how their body will look in twenty years; but maybe everyone should be, since 35% of Americans are obese and 34% are overweight (Britannica School Encyclopedia, 2016). People say they will eat healthy once high school is finished, but we’ve all heard of the “freshman 15” that never goes away! Still 15 pounds is not that much, so how does 15 pounds turn into 50 or in some cases 100 pounds? As Americans we spend too much time sitting and eating unhealthy food. Sitting is a part of the problem, due to a large portion of jobs require us to sit and we eat unhealthy on behalf of it is that it's easier to

According to an article on Britannica School Encyclopedia, a person is classified overweight if the BMI or body mass index was over 20 and they were classified as obese if their BMI was over 30 (2016). A person becomes overweight when they consume more calories from food than they burn from exercise. However, there is other causes of obesity than overeating like: environment, genetics, health problems, and emotional problems. The environment is the largest contributor to obesity, considering it affects a person’s diet the greatest. America’s environment plays a major role in the obesity in America, since it promotes oversized portions and eating unhealthy. Obesity is a problem, as a direct correlation to the countless health problems like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and various other concerning issues. These health problems in severe cases can even cause death, furthermore these health problems are preventable if a person takes care of their body for their whole life. Once again the root of the problem starts as children, considering the majority of children do not pay attention to what they are