It isn't unfamiliar that obesity is a problem in the United States. Fast food is said to be a
major cause of this predicament, but is there a point where it's not the food's fault but the person
who is choosing to eat it? People who have problems with obesity and blame fast food don't
realize there are so many other attributes that are put into play and that fast food can't possibly be
the only reason of it all. Obesity can be influenced by lack of exercise, the surrounding
environment, genes, health conditions, cruel kindness, and diet. Fast food should stop being
blamed for a vast amount of obesity in the U.S. Fast food is one of the influences of obesity, but there is a point where the person can take control of their eating habits themselves and stop
blaming other culprits.
The definition of “Obesity is a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and
storage of fat in the body.”(Obesity - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster
Dictionary) Obesity is too commonly seen here in the states and many Americans are
experiencing health deficiencies and diseases that come with it. "Two-thirds of U.S. adults are
overweight or obese" (Flegal et al., 2012). “Obesity puts stress on every part of your body and
increases your risk of developing major health problems.” (“What Are the Consequences of Not
Eating Healthy?")
Today, in cities the hustle and bustle of everyday life gets in the way of people's diets.
They grab the cheapest and quickest alternative to satisfy their needs without recognizing the
long term dangers. The environment can take control of our diets and the way we balance it with
exercise. "Americans are exposed to huge food portions in restaurants, fast f...
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...nd trends in body mass index among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999-2010. Journal of the American Medical Association, 307(5), 483-490.
"Obesity - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"Exercise and Weight Loss." N.p., Web. 23 2014. .
"Symptoms: American Diabetes Association®." American Diabetes Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
"What Are the Consequences of Not Eating Healthy?" Healthy Eating | SF Gate. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
"5 Effects of an Unhealthy Diet - Ice Cube Diet." Ice Cube Diet - Fresh Frozen Hoodia helps you Eat Less. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
"Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity - Mayo Clinic." Mayo Clinic - Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
Obesity has become an epidemic in today’s society. Today around 50% of America is now considered to be over weight. Fast-food consumption has been a major contributor to the debate of the twenty-first century. Chapter thirteen, titled “Is Fast-Food the New Tobacco,” in the They Say I Say book, consists of authors discussing the debate of fast-food’s link to obesity. Authors debate the government’s effects on the fast-food industry, along with whether or not the fast-food industry is to blame for the rise in obesity throughout America. While some people blame the fast food industry for the rise in obesity, others believe it is a matter of personal responsibility to watch what someone eats and make sure they get the proper exercise.
Obesity is an epidemic in America, greatly impacting youth, the health care system, and economically vulnerable populations. Among all of the high-income countries in the world, obesity rates remain the highest in the US. According to Harvard, US obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980, although they have remained the same since 2003. (Harvard School of Public Health) Approximately 31.9% of children and adolescents from the ages of 2 to 19 are obese or overweight (NPLAN), while roughly 69% of adults fall into the category of overweight or obese. (Harvard School of Public Health) With obesity rates this high, America is facing a huge crisis that could become greater in the future. In order to understand the issue of Obesity in America it is important to evaluate the extent to which the problem effects large populations of children and adults and how the fast food industry has served as one of the major causes of this epidemic.
CDC – Obesity and Overweight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 21 June 2010. Web. 26 July 2010. < http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/>.
Every month, at least ninety percent of Americans visit a fast food restaurant and about forty- five percent of them make it a weekly occurrence. These statistics make it safe to say Americans are obsessed with fast food, but why are Americans addicted to these restaurants? Is it the low prices, quick service or the taste of the food? According to Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side off the All-American Meal, he believes “It’s easy, it's filling, and it's convenient and inexpensive.” Therefore, the consumption of fast food is now directly correlated to the obesity epidemic in America. Consequently, the recent obesity increase in the United States has labeled America the fattest country.
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.
Eating habits have become a cause of obesity because most people in America decide to take the fast route. Fast food has become so prevalent in the day to day lives of so many families and individuals. The cost and convenience of fast food has led to an increase in consumption, which does not help our cause. According to Carey Polis’ article in The Huffington Post, fast food is about $550 cheaper per year than choosing the healthy option. That means people are more likely to choose a cheeseburger from McDonald’s over fresh fruit and vegetables from the produce section at the grocery store. Along with how cheap it is to get our hands on fast food, the convenience makes it even more difficult to resist. With a fast food restaurant on every corner of every block in town, it makes it much easier for someone to pick up on a meal on their daily commute rather than actually trying to cook something healthy. Choosing fast food is not the most nutritious way to go either. Fast food is filled with sugar, fats, salts, and calories. It is usually low in nutrition and high in what are considered to be “empty” calories. By definition obesity is caused by the excess in...
Forty years ago in America childhood obesity was rarely a topic of conversation. A survey done in the early 1970s showed that 6.1% of children between the ages 12 and 19 were overweight. Eight years later the same survey was done and 17.4% were considered overweight (Iannelli). “Childhood obesity epidemic in America is now a confirmed fact since the number of overweight or obese children has more than tripled during the last 30 years” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). “Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years has tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). As a nation statistics should be alarming. Why are American children today so obese?
"How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 01 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
One out of every three Americans is obese, and the majority of these obese people in the United States have eaten regularly at fast food restaurants. As the obesity rate increases, the number of fast food restaurants goes up as well. Although it is not certain, many believe that obesity in the United States is correlated to eating fast food. Since the United States has the highest obesity rate out of any country, it is important for Americans to monitor the fast food industry that may be causing obesity. With the pressure to get things done in a timely manner, fast food has become a big necessity.
Fast food is one of the most controversial topics; most people tend to blame fast food industries because of their obesity or a disease they got, and never hold responsibility for their own action.
Is fast food to blame for more obese Americans? Fast food restaurants advertise all their ingredients in plain sight. They provide healthy options to their more popular foods such as grilled items, skinless options, low calorie/no calorie beverages, and small portion orders. Most obese Americans are overweight because they are uneducated about the dangers of fast food. Once they learn about eating healthy, managing overweight issues becomes more elementary. Fast food restaurants should not be blamed for America 's obesity issue because there are healthier options, self-discipline, and self responsibility for each individual.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, February 12). Adolescent and School Health. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
...th all the info that I have given I hope that people may choose what is right and what is wrong so that the debate would be over in my own personal opinion the debate is stupid and the answer is obvious and I shall not say my own opinion. So who is truly to blame for the raising obesity in America: fast food restaurants or common laziness from the obese society?
In general, most of the people in the world today are unhealthy. The majority of the world’s population has acquired unhealthy eating habits. One contributing factor in the United States of unhealthiness is that the United States government does not have the control over the dispersion of unhealthy food that it should have. Another factor is that of the availability of fast food restaurants. The availability of fast food restaurants is one of the leading causes of obesity in the U.S. The United States of America government does not regulate unhealthy food as heavily as it should be regulated because the government allows many fast-food restaurant chains, such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s,
It has become common today to dismiss the topic of obesity due to the fast food diets. In discussions about obesity, one controversial issue has been the effect fast food restaurants have on health. Many people today do not want to realize how badly fast food affects the human body. They also do not want to accept the fact that obesity has become such a major problem in today’s world. “Today, one in three adults is considered clinically obese, along with one in five kids, and 24 million Americans are afflicted by type 2 diabetes, often caused by poor diet”(Moss 477). On the other hand, companies president 's argue that it’s not their fault that people are becoming obese and developing other health issues due to their products. These companies