"Though experts increasingly recommend a diet high in plants and low in animal products and processed foods, ours is quite the opposite, and there's little disagreement that change it could improve our health and save tens of millions of lives." What will help us change the way we eat? What speech or moving moment would change out children's minds on the foods we ingest.Mark Bittman brings up this vital question in his article "Bad food? Tax it, and subsidize vegetables. He suggests that we tax the " health-damaging food", he is a firm believe that doing his will turn people from these choices while pumping money into Americas economy. But what Bittman over looks is the anger that would ensue from the newly high prices for soda ad candy.America has become addicted to those cheap and convenient foods, and would fight tooth and nail for there fix just like an addict would for their next high. Bittmans idea sounds great on paper but acted out would face extreme scrutiny and arguments. The way we approach this never ending problem is very important, so force and ultimatums won't work. In this day an age we are having another growing problem, one that might be even bigger than the obesity epidemic.Resopsiblity, we are blaming everyone an thing except for ourselves. The article "Attacking the obesity epidemic by first figuring out its cause." By Jane E. Brody is a prime example of the blame game that is happening. To me this is just as helpful as sitting in a lightless room cursing the dark instead of doing something about it, once we look in the mirror we should be able to decide if we want to countinue to eat fattening and harmful foods while knowing then results of our actions. In the effort to curve our eating habits the school... ... middle of paper ... ...hey deem right for them. In the process of this solution, health classes should focus more on the benefits of eating a moderate portion of fatty and sugary foods with healthy options. I strongly believe and support the idea that giving teens and kids the facts about there foods and lots of options creates a generation filled with adults that can act and think for themselves while taking responsibility for there actions. It has been all to prescient that we are beginning to blame other and outside forces for our weight gain and unhealthy diets, instead of looking at ourselves to blame. This doesn’t mean the people who are advertising foods that are bad for your health with false facts aren’t apart of it but they are only a piece of the problem. By teaching our generation about moderation and to be conscious of our eating choices is a way to get this “epidemic” fixed.
Brody, Jane E. “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause.” New York Times. 12 September 2011. Print.
“For someone not to know that a big mac is unhealthy is ignorance, and ignorance is not the responsibility of the fast food industry,” (Daniel Speiser). The amount of fast food joints has largely increased which has become a problem for many people throughout the United States. Several people place the blame for the rising obesity among children on the rising fast food industries due to its convenience, price, advertising, and somewhat un-nutritional content. Some people even take it as far as court to place blame on the fast food industries and for those industries to make changes to their restaurants. The high percentage of obese children in the United States is not caused by the fast food industry. The obesity epidemic has other outside influences, the fast food industries have changed dramatically, and people should take responsibility for their own consumptions. It is time for people to stop placing the blame on others and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.
The amount of information on what a healthy diet and weight are is almost limitless, and health standards continue to change as more research is completed. Adding to the confusion in the general populace, many different industries further muddy the waters with unrealistic body image standards, massive portion sizes, and food choices that have substandard ingredients that perpetuate obesity and poor health. Although many diet experts will offer that simply changing what we eat and reducing our weight will improve our health, the issue is more complex and confusion about proper nutrition, its links to disease, and diet failures will persist until the food industry and so called food experts focus on actual science and not their financial bottom
Everyone loves fast food, surgery desserts and indulging in sweet and salty snacks covered in chocolate. What people rarely think of is how unhealthy they may be eating and what they’re putting into their bodies. The consequences can be life threating if not taking the right procedures to maintain a healthy lifestyles. As we continue these unhealthy lifestyles they can be taken after by our children and their grandchildren. Children that continue in their parents footsteps or start these habits soon learn the finances as adults such as health costs. Radley Balko criticizes Americans in “What You Eat Is Your Business” for not taking their own responsibility regarding be overweight and how it’s become a public issue. He says the government is not
“More than a third of the county's children are overweight or obese.”(Gustin, 1). As shocking as this is, it's true. One of the big reasons that children and teens are overweight is because of the foods that they eat. They are fed these fattening and unhealthy foods by the school system. Their futures can be changed if we change our choices. Having more nutritious lunches can have a positive impact on the health of American teens.
Today, our world is filled with food. While some are healthy, it seems like teenagers are more focused on the unhealthy foods. Yes, there are athletic programs; teens are still not eating the right foods they should be. They get the simple, easy to depend on, low cost foods which most likely are from fast food restaurants. Teenagers often pick the easy choice, which is why the obesity rate is rising in our state, including heart attacks and diabetes. Even though it seems like the unhealthy choices are more dependent when you’re in a rush and need a quick bite to eat, not caring about the nutrition, teenagers don’t realize that it will affect them in the long run, literally.
What if the solutions to a problem actually are not a solution at all and only made things worse? In the documentary Fed Up, produced by Stephanie Soechtig and narrated by Katie Couric, it digs up secrets about the American food industry. It also persuades Americans that everything they have learned about food and exercise in the last quarter century has been wrong. The film shows the corrupt food industry and argues that the obesity epidemic is not because of the insufficient amount of exercise or having an increased appetite; it is because of the corruption in the food industry. Through rhetoric analysis, the filmmakers are able to convince and warn their audience of the reason behind the growing epidemic of obesity and how the government and food industries are manipulating the people.
Kelly Brownell and Marion Nestle write that advertisements contribute to the increase of obesity in kids, since “each year kids see more than 10,000 foods ads on TV alone, almost all for items like soft drinks, fast foods and sugared cereals.” Brownell and Nestle fail to see that kids are under the authority of their parents and they decide what their kids eat, so in reality the advertisements target the parents. Kids are the reflection of their parents. Children walk down the same path as their parents, as the image in the article demonstrates. If parents walk towards the path of obesity, then their children will follow their example. Brownell and Nestle also explain, “Humans are hardwired… to like foods high in sugar, fat, and calories.” What Brownell and Nestle are saying is that it is a waste of time to try to eat healthy because it is against our nature. However, if that is the case, then no one would be healthy; everyone would be obese. There is no one to blame but ourselves for our
Most government officials see obesity as a public health issue and provide a quick fix. However, obesity is a personal issue which can be improved through education and the incorporation of personal responsibility. Radley Balko, a policy analyst and a columnist for Fox News, wrote the article, “Are You Responsible for Your Own Weight?” This article supports the argument for a change in the government’s involvement combating obesity. “Instead of intervening in the array of food options available to Americans, our government ought to be working to foster a personal sense of responsibility for our health and well-being (Balko 113). In other words, the government needs to be focusing on an individuals personal responsibility for their own weight, rather than creating proposals. The proposals enforced by the government restricts our choice to pick what we eat when instead they could come at the issue through educating a personal responsibility aspect. In addition, many people blame fast food corporation for rising obesity rates, but it is more a collective issue. Pierce Hollingsworth, vice president of Custom Media at Stagnito Media a publishing company focusing on the food and packing industry, wrote the article “The Food Industry Is Not to Blame for Obesity.” Hollingsworth said, “Making the food industry into villains over-simplifies a very complicated problem and deflects blame from parents and schools, who should be teaching children the values of physical activity and personal responsibility”(Hollingsworth 28). This means that both parents and schools are needed to foster this personal responsibility into students. Just as parents and schools are implementing this idea the government should support this sense of responsibility to combat obesity. Personal responsibility
To conclude, unhealthy foods in the cafeteria and the vending machines are the worst examples for the kids to maintain the healthy eating habits. Us Parents have to step in to make changes for our kids because in doing so would determine what kind of foods our kids are consuming. We do know for facts they are not getting the proper nutrients while in school, although they do spend in average of eight to 12 hours in schools. We, the parents, can start to make a difference, by attending the school meetings and being active in our kids functions in schools.
It is said that fast food advertising is linked to rising childhood and teen obesity. The childhood obesity epidemic is a serious public health problem that increases morbidity, morality, and has substantial long-term economic and social costs (opposing viewpoints). Approximately 20% of our youth are now overweight with obesity rates in preschool age children increasing at alarming speed (opposing viewpoints). U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said, “obesity is the fastest-growing cause of illness and death in the United States.” When I read this I was shocked. This is something that can change, but its up to ourselves to make that commitment. No one else has the power to do so but us. Did you know that treating obesity-related problems cost Americans $117 billion annually, that’s $420 per person (CQ Researcher).
Making healthier choices leads to making smarter decisions later on in life, so doing this could help many kids to make better life choices. One choice being to choose drinks with a lower sugar content rather than more unhealthy drinks such as, sodas or kool-aid’s after they get out of school because the healthy drinks served in schools taught the to want to only drink things that are good for them. All in all, most parents worry about what their child may be consuming at
Childhood obesity is a health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society’s youth. For a number of years, children across the nation have become accustomed to occasionally participating in physical activities and regularly snacking on sugary treats. In result of these tendencies, approximately one third of American children are currently overweight or obese (Goodwin). These grim statistics effectively represent all the lack of adult interference, in regards to health, has done to the youth of America. The habits of over consuming foods and under participating in physical activities are all too common in the children of today. Children cannot solve this issue alone, though. These young people need to essentially be given the opportunities to make positive health decisions and learn about good, nutritional values.
When talking about school, we think of children learning different subjects, history, math, science and etc. I think learning about health and healthy life choices is as important as any other subject, and that should not just be restricted to classrooms. Schools have a great opportunity to educate young people about the importance of being healthy. We all know it is no secret that junk food makes you fat, but studies have shown that over the past ten years, obesity has doubled to 8.5 percent among six year olds and trebled to an astonishing 15 percent among 15 year olds. If we do not do anything about it, then this generation of children could be the first to live shorter lives than their parents.
The United States is one of the most obese countries in the world. This shows us that many people look towards food to fill voids, to de-stress themselves, for convenience, and for various other reasons. This also shows that countless Americans do not try to stop their bad habits until it is too late. This highlights that many of them have the mentality of “it won’t happen to me”. When they do develop a disease, or become obese they wish they would’ve done something about it. This also brings up the issue of many generations acting and thinking this way due to their parents’ lack of knowledge and understanding. This causes their children to grow up thinking and acting the same way towards food and potentially walking the same path as their parents did with food. Obesity has become a growing infection plaguing the world and its children. A simple forty-five-minute exercise everyday can reduce the risk of heart disease, a disease in which I struggle with daily and has become a never ending battle. If American’s would make eating properly and exercising regularly a priority, their lives would be