If You Pitch It They Will Eat It Analysis

Eating fast food is all fun and games until someone tries to look down at their own feet and can hardly look over their stomach let alone bend their triple chin. It seems that too many people in the United States are being served platters of obesity; From Mcdonald’s to Chipotle, young adults are becoming too lazy or even too busy to make their own food at home, which has gradually caused America's obesity rate to double over the past forty years. It’s outstandingly even harder to make healthy choices when there’s a fast food restaurant planted on almost every street corner of America and claim that their food is that of nutritional value. Not only that, fast food companies often employ different marketing strategies to attract a wide variety
David Barboza, in If You Pitch It, They Will Eat It, discovered that “Since 1980, the number of obese children has more than doubled to 16 percent, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…” due to an increase in food marketing (9). Food and children’s television companies have formed partnerships to help boost advertising in both markets and bring in more children. Barboza believes that they have formed these alliances since children are “...where the money is” (14). Considering that children have become so fond of television in this day and age, and those of younger ages are easier to persuade and manipulate, it is a plausible reason for food companies to take this fact to their advantage. Barboza called out children’s media stating that during an episode of a children’s show, such as Spongebob, a majority of the commercials would be about food (34). Children would see these commercials and run to their parents and beg to go out and buy the food being advertised. In Barboza’s interview with a six year old who watches Nickelodeon on the daily she exclaims that, “...her parents buy her Kellogg’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch because she loves the commercials” (36). This just goes to show how influential food companies and their commercials are to children and children to their parents. Children are being introduced
Instead of falling prey to McDonald’s commercials, they should turn off the TV and get up and be active; Stray away from a sedentary lifestyle and go play football, dance, or take stroll through the park searching for pokemon. They should take every opportunity to be active to take off those excess calories and be happier because of it. They shouldn’t fall prey to the calling of fast food; if they absolutely must indulge in some unhealthy food, it should be in moderation. Every bad food does not have to be cut from their diet; if someone is craving fast food, they can choose to only eat it once a week. Millennials must be sure to have self control and be fully aware of what they’re eating by educating themselves and looking at the nutritional labels every once in awhile to make sure they are not eating more calories or intaking more fat than they are supposed to. They should prepare food the night before the days they know they are going to be busy so when they are hungry, they have that healthy food in front of them and don’t give in to the temptation of quick unhealthy foods. The point is that teens and young adults need to be responsible for themselves and make the healthier choice even if it’s a