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Obesity cause and effect
Fast food industry responsible for obesity
Cause and effect essays on obesity
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Throughout the United States of America obesity is becoming a massive epidemic. Developing over the last thirty years, obesity had increased in call areas of the United States. Being overweight and obesity is a relatively simple concept, some extra pounds, but the factors behind the widespread obesity America is facing are anything but. With rising health food costs, which make it harder for many of America to have access to nutritious and beneficial foods, and a variety of other factors, America’s obesity problem is just that: a problem. We foster a culture of obesity, which has many underlying themes, that is a driving force behind America’s widening waist sizes. This culture is prevalent throughout the country and we see it promote unhealthy …show more content…
With the world moving faster and faster everyday many people find themselves too busy to cook a healthy meal at home every night and find themselves leaning on fast food for convenience. This convenience leads many to consume fast food from a variety of rather unhealthy restaurant choices multiple days a week. The unhealthy food we see being sold in these restaurants contributes to the unhealthy food Americans are putting in their mouths everyday, leading to poor nutrition, weight gain, and eventually obesity. These fast food restaurants are the “kings of convenience,” and with the busy lives many Americans live today they draw a lot of customers. This essence of convenience is a dangerous temptation that many Americans give in to every day and the unhealthy fast food they consume contributes greatly to their …show more content…
Corporations rule the sound waves and screens we find ourselves stuck in with new technological advancements and it correlates with the increase in obesity as well. Over the last thirty years obesity has been on the rise and along with it, technology. We’ve seen the computer, widespread television use, and other increasing technological advancements develop over time, adding to the plausible locations of advertisements for unhealthy food. McDonald’s has an app; one of the most consumed of fast food restaurants uses the app to provide coupons for a variety of offers that often encourages the consumption of more food. Advertising plays a huge role in what people eat, with strategies targeted at American people that constantly change based on the current times. This part of our culture contributes to obesity by glorifying unhealthy food and drinks directly to the public eye through all possible media from radio ads to newspaper
Common sense seems to dictate that fast food is bad for you, however, many Americans consume fast food on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis. In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that fast-food companies and the food industry are to blame for America’s obesity epidemic, essentially that it is not the individuals fault for becoming obese, and that in essence, fast-food companies ought to take responsibility for the health issues induced by consuming the food. He explains how bombarded you are with unhealthy, greasy, and fattening food everywhere you look; whereas it is much more difficult to access healthy alternatives. He describes the vicious cycle of purchasing cheap ailing meals, rather
Zinczenko shares his personal story about how fast-food restaurants such as Taco Bell and McDonald’s led to a weight problem during his high-school years. He claims that the ease of accessibility and lack of healthy alternatives make it all too easy to fall into the cycle of unhealthy eating. Zinczenko also contends that the lack of nutrition labels on fast-food products leaves the consumer in the dark about what he or she is actually consuming. At the time Zinczenko wrote his article, fast-food restaurants were not willingly disclosing nutritional values of their products. Today this has changed. Fast-food companies, including McDonald’s, have put the full nutritional information of their products directly on the packaging and wrappers. All other fast-food establishments either post it on the menu board (Panera), offer easy access to pamphlets containing all nutritional information of their menu in store, or have it easily accessible online (Taco Bell, KFC). I am sure that this is a helpful step forward toward educating the public as to what they are consuming, but has this new knowledge to consumers had a dramatic change toward ending obesity? No. People have always known that eating a Big Mac and fries with the giant soft drinks that McDonald’s and other chains offer is not healthy; putting the nutritional labels on these items has done little to nothing to stop people from eating these high-calorie meals. This again leads back to the point that people as consumers need to be more accountable to themselves and stop blaming others for what they willingly choose to put in their
Did you know that 35% of the United States population is considered obese? Also, 66% of the population is considered overweight or more? (Saint Onge 2014) Even more frightening, in 2012 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than one third of children and adolescents in America were overweight or obese (CDC 2014). The media sources used investigates the political, scientific, historical, and cultural reasons behind the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Obesity is a rapid growing epidemic in America and these sources present the facts causing this epidemic. As well as how the children of the American society are being wrongly influenced by the media, especially advertisments. (Greenstreet 2008).
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 in America is directly due to the fast food industry. From the rising mortality’s among people who are obese from fast food. To even the preservatives fast food chains use within their food. Not only have that calorie’s people intake from these restaurants even been miss looked. While people may think they can overcome the urge, fast food chains exclusively use addictive’s in their products to hook people from day one of use. Healthy lifestyles among society have been misled by the very fast food chains, which state their “healthy”. With that said, emotional issues even come to play when involving a human’s appetite to fast food. Even beverages sold at these fast food chains exceed the normal limit of sugar a healthy being should consume. Even America’s view point on serving sizes of meals served at these fast food chains goes way beyond a healthy lifestyle that everyone wants.
Obesity in the United States is on the rise and there is no end in sight. Obesity is a health problem that does not discriminate, it effects all ages, genders, and races. There are many factors that can cause an individual to become obese. These factors can include calorie intake, amount of physical activity, genetics, and environment. The rise of obesity in the United States has posed health and financial problems for this country that need to be dealt with.
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
America is one of the richest, most progressive countries in the world. Shouldn't it be one of the healthiest too? Maybe it should be, but the sad truth is that Americans are some of the least healthy people in the world. Even though we are living in a country with great economic power and technological advancement, we are also living in a country with the smallest fund of practical nutritional knowledge. We are living in a land plagued with obesity. America is one of the richest, most progressive countries in the world. Shouldn't it be one of the healthiest too? Maybe it should be, but the sad truth is that Americans are some of the unhealthiest people in the world. Even though we are living in a country with great economic power and technological advancement, we are also living in a country with the smallest fund of practical nutritional knowledge. We are living in a land plagued with obesity.
The fast food industry is one of the largest sectors of the United States economy. Companies such as Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, McDonalds and KFC have all become household names. Each of these companies operates under a similar mission statement: to serve a quick, filling meal for a very low cost. The primary marketing medium for these companies is television where via commercials, they can portray both their products and a lifestyle. Their intense advertising focus on minorities and children, however, has begun to exacerbate the epidemic of obesity that is sweeping our nation. Fast food's televised advertising is a significant contributor to obesity in today's minority youth. By promoting unhealthy tendencies and high-calorie foods as well as an attitude that promotes tolerance of diseases such as obesity, these companies are influencing people to such a degree that it is negatively affecting their health. This dangerous marketing method is not only sweeping America, but other countries as well. The emphasis on fast food companies' immoral marketing raises the question: Are people eating for hunger or because of an advertised, influenced habit? However, we must also address whether or not fast food companies are mainly responsible, or if the blame also covers their consumers.
Millions of American people buy fast food every day without thinking about where, how and why. The ramifications of fast food is impacting the American people both around the waist line and the community where they live at. “As the old saying goes: you are what you eat.” (Schlosser) The customer have made the choices to eat fast food or not. The industry doesn’t care about the customers; studies have shown that the fast food industry is the reason for the rise of American obesity. “Live fast and die young” (Moore); this could not be more true when looking at the impact of the fast food industry.
America’s indulgent to fast food is changing in many ways sense 2004. Healthier options are starting to become more available for the consumers. Portion sizes are decreasing, more food is being handmade, and organic ingredients are being used in our fast food. The fast food industry has been making healthier improvements in our food because people are claiming it is the reason why our obesity rates are increasing in America.
Obesity is a big social issue in America. Due to the popularity of fast food and other unhealthy foods, more and more Americans are developing health diseases and disorders. We should be getting the correct daily nutrition amount, but because of our fast paced lifestyles we sometimes do not have enough time. Fast food restaurants make it possible to grab a meal and go. We often do not pay attention to the nutrition amount, but are simply looking for a quick bite to eat that will fulfill our hunger. Fast food is assisting in the increase of obesity in America (“Phrase” par.2).
Even though some organizations such as Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) announced its intentions to enforce a new level of advertising to good nutritional practices and even asked a big company like Burger King to aggressively promote healthier alternative, this efforts are not enough (Commercial Free Childhood, 2005). These policies or guidelines contradict the interests of an industry that encourages people to eat more. If people really ate less, food producers, retailers and fast-food among others, would lose business. Even schools can be affected on the income they receive from companies marketing fast foods and soft drinks. That is why food companies take full advantage of their connections in Congress and federal agencies to make sure that anti-obesity campaigns focus on individual food choices, not food marketing practices (Nestle, 2000).
In the United States, there are a total of 152,000 fast food establishments. In Phoenix, Arizona, there are 353 establishments. And within a 5-mile radius of my apartment there are more than forty establishments. Fast food has become more accessible over the years, it’s become a less expensive way to grab a bite to eat on the go. The high salt and high fatty foods these restaurants sell, are the least beneficial to the human body. These foods contribute to increasing the risk of getting diseases such as cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
One of the factors making fast food popular is that it is convenient. Not only can people eat fast food “while steering the wheel of a car” (CBS), but they’re “easy to get to” (American Dietetic Association). In the continental United States, no one is more than 145 miles away from one of the 13,000