Article Analysis: Obesity In America

In America almost two thirds of the nation is overweight. That is about 79.6 million people who are obese. Fast food is without a doubt the problem why these statistics are so high. According to Shannon Brownlee, a journalist for the Sacramento Bee “ It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat” she mentions how fast food corporations are luring buyers into their offers . In another article by David Weintraub “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home” he focus more on self responsibility rather than fast food restaurants being convenient everywhere you go. In America, the obesity epidemic is caused by the lack of parent not taking full responsibility for their childrens health, as well as fast food industries distorting portion sizes in order to make more

Are Americans, where obesity is found to be a major struggle, in jeopardy with the various aspects that may cause obesity, such as poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, etc.? Poor eating habits such as eating processed foods is one reason for weight gain in children and adults. These eating habits are affordable, tasty, and an easy way out when an individual does not want to cook. Obesity is a personal issue that many have struggled with all their life. There are many risks that come along with being obese as well as ways to overcome it. In order to explain this the research report will ask: do individuals who are obese know the various health risks that come along with the constant weight gain and how to lose the weight

In today’s society a huge issue is that we constantly hear about the food industry in America. We often hear in the news that obesity rates have increased, or that Americans have many diseases that contribute to being obese. “What You Eat is Your Business” by Radley Balko expresses that people are at fault for making such unhealthy food choices. Others argue that the food industry is to blame for being so unhealthy. According to David Zinczenko in “Don’t Blame the Eater” he blames the fast food industry as well as the consumer. Zinczenko asks “shouldn’t we know better than to eat two meals a day in fast food restaurant’s?” (392). So, who is to blame for American’s eating so much unhealthy food? Should it be the consumers’ burden or the fast food companies? On one hand, as consumers we continue to purchase foods that we know are making us overweight. On the other hand, fast food companies continue to offer high in calories foods.

Indeed, Obesity in America is a huge problem that continues to escalate due to fast food chains. Fast food places are everywhere and close range from one another. I don’t even have to walk more than a mile to get to a fast food place. According to Mandal, “Fast foods reduce the quality of diet and provide

Obesity has been framed as a topic of personal responsibly for a long time. For many, the fundamental notion has always been that if you stop eating junk food and eat “healthy”, you will maintain a healthy weight. According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control’s 2007-2008 Health and Nutrition Examination survey, it was found that 73.7% of all Americans 20 years old or older were overweight, obese, or extremely obese. That is a lot of fat people and it is hard to believe that fast food alone is responsible for 70% of adult Americans being overweight.

Today, in our fast-paced world of modern America, the availability of inexpensive, cheap processed food and drink is overwhelming. We have quickly become the most obese nation on the planet by simply allowing companies to lower nutritional value, raise sugar quantity, and increase fat and calorie percentages to an astounding amount. We as a nation buy into these consessions because of three main reasons: low price, convenience, and massive availability. Because of this, eating healthy is seen to be expensive, time consuming, and daunting. This is the opposite of what we need here in America. Big name companies spend billions upon advertising their sugary, fat-gushing products. When in reality, we should restrict the abundance of adverts, plastered all over major cities, social media, and television. We need to start taking a

“Did you know that the average weight of an American has increased twenty-four pounds since 1960?” (Stewart). Obesity is a growing issue in America and the government and society want to have a say in this issue. The government can not stop a person from becoming obese. In order to understand why the government and society is too involved in obesity, one needs to understand the physical and emotional effects society has on America, and how media affects views on obesity, and the government controlling food portions in schools.

"America is the greatest and most powerful country in the world, not just because of our army but because of the values of our people” Obama.

We live in a world where we acquire the necessities we need through simple means. One of the main things that we need, food, can be acquired through groceries and food markets. They present us with options that comply with almost every preference that customers are willing to buy. With the variety that they present, may it be organic, naturally grown, or processed the problem of obesity comes along. Abundancy of food has taken a toll on the weight of humans, especially Americans. It affects one – third of the adult population in the United States, the numbers are about 78.6 million Americans who are affected by obesity (Obesity Society). Obesity can be caused by a number of reasons not only because of the food that we intake (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) and it has also affected and continues to affect the health of numbers of people (Center of Disease Control and Prevention). There are times that we fail to take notice that it is a problem that needs solving. When is the right time to make a change? Are the changes that we have already implemented enough for Americans to take it seriously? What are the ways in which we can prevent this from happening to children? There are always going to be a bunch of questions that we

Nearly a third of adult Americans are obese (NCHS 2003). The occurrence of obesity in the United States’ adult population has more than doubled in the last 25 years, from about 15 percent in 1976 to more than 30 percent in 2000. Since obesity in the US has reached epidemic levels, it is important to understand as many aspects of the social determinants of this disease as possible. Obesity is not a standalone disorder; rather it has caused increases in increasing risks of disability, related diseases, and death as well as important and burdensome increases in the cost of health care (Allison, Zannolli, and Narayan 1999; Wang et al. 2003). Further, obesity is estimated as contributing to almost 15 percept of deaths in the US each year (Allison and Fontaine et al. 1999; McGinnis and Forge 1993; Rogers, Hummer, and Krueger 2003; Sturm 2002).

3. When Berlant refers to the "racialization of obesity," she is speaking on a societal focus on stigmatizing individuals whose identities intersect between race and fatness (Berlant 774) Anna Mollow touches on as much in her article, "Sized Up." In regard to Berlant, Mollow writes, "queer theorist Lauren Berlant ... contributes to the stigma of fatness—and perhaps, inadvertently, to race and class prejudice as well—as she worries over 'subproletarian Americans' and people of color succumbing to a 'slow death' from obesity" (Mollow 3). That is to say, Mollow is pointing out how society's focus on eradicating obesity specifically targets women of color, or specifically, Latinx and African-American communities. Mollow likens this targeting to

The American society is being distracted by T.V advertisements, video testimonies, and fast food companies who’re encouraging individuals to consume fast food. This is an example of propaganda and a technological control. Obesity itself may cost a significant amount of money in the U.S. in addition to death. According to the article “Food for Thought: Malnutrition and Obesity” by D. J. Shaw, he states that the CDC has estimated that about 280,000 Americans dies each year from being overweight and also that obesity is costing the United States a whooping $240 Billion dollars in health care (351). Americans aren’t receiving the necessary motivation to exercise and practice a healthier lifestyle. Major fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Five Guys are falsely encouraging individuals to eat their food. They’re taking advantage of them by taking all their money. Instead of spending the money on whole foods, fruits, and vegetables, they’re spending all hard earned money on junk food. In addition, consumers don’t realize that these major food corporations aren’t telling how many calories are in their products. As customers, we have the right to know how’s are food being processed and how many calories (sugar, fats, cholesterol, sodium) are in the food.

Obesity in America has been linked largely to fast food and lack of nutritional knowledge. A study conducted by researchers at RTI International, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have shown that the United States may spend as much as $147 billion per year on medical expenses linked to obesity. In most cases obesity can easily be prevented by a simple change in diet. In my opinion, a diet is not something that one ‘goes on’; rather it has a much simpler meaning such as: the way a person chooses to supplement hunger. You may choose to eat pizza for dinner every day for a week, or you may choose to have a more healthy and balanced meal such as a small portion of protein, larger quantities of vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates. An example would be one grilled chicken breast, grilled or baked asparagus, boiled and mashed sweet potatoes, and

In America Obesity has become an epidemic. It has claimed over 400,000 lives just in the last year alone. This is because 1 in 4 Americans eat at Mcdonalds and other fast food restaurants every day where they are served “toxic food”. With the rise of fast food all over the world obesity has doubled in the past 20 years. At this rate obesity is expected to pass smoking in deaths. If this trend continues 1 in 3 children will get diabetes and 1 in 20 will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. Also 17 million people have diabetes just in the U.S. Also Mcdonalds has spent over 1.4 billion on ads to promote their food.

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.