Fast Food Habits : The Causes And Impacts Of Obesity

Ask any person on the street what is the one issue that consumes more than half of the nation and the answers will vary from cancer to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Most Americans are blind to the modern day plague that consumes even the nation's youth. What is this black death that promises health complications in the future, obesity affects more than two-thirds of American adults and one-third of American children. The term obesity is defined as the condition of being grossly fat or overweight. The “American diet” of processed foods is the root of the problem. The nation's health conditions have declined since the 1970’s and reached an all time low in the early 2000’s. The solution lies within the 18-27 year olds of the country

Obesity within adults is a prevalent problem in the United States, with over 51% of all adults suffering from obesity by the year 2030 (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity, or the state of being excessively overweight, is sometimes a result from what is known as food addiction. Much like an addiction to a substance, to be addicted to food is to constantly crave a certain food item (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity and food addiction tend to coincide with each other. That coexistence is shown primarily in the documentary Super Size Me, in which director Morgan Spurlock focuses on the way fast food and food addiction affect the human body.

As many Americans know, there is currently an obesity epidemic that is sweeping the nation. With more food advertisements, bigger portion sizes, and Americans eating more calories than ever before; Linder makes his viewpoint very clear on how this is negatively affecting our nation. In his article “Fat of the Land”, Linder looks at all of the possible leading factors on who is to blame on the current situation in resulting of more than 60% of adults in America being overweight. The main contributing people to blame for the obesity epidemic is of course, the fast food industry. Linder’s main argument starts with his comparison of American’s calorie intake in the 1950’s, than comparing it to today. With stating the other side’s viewpoint on while advertisements and marketing are always surrounding the world around us; it is not forcing us to do anything. With his basic statement claiming that people will be people and at the end of the day, it’s their decision if they want to eat that 1,000 calorie filled Big Mac from McDonalds. Linder does a substantial job at informing the reader about the many dangers causing obesity, while also persuading them by giving tips to lead a well-balanced, healthier lifestyle.

America is a developed, first world nation. The United States as a whole has had access to an ample supply of most healthy food staples since the end of rationing after World War II. ("World War II on the home front: Rationing") Since 1960, however, a health concern has taken a stronghold in America that is just as life-threatening as the food shortages of the 1930s and 40s: obesity. ("Publication of "Health, United States, 2002 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans"", p. 29) Americans are obese in greater numbers today than at any time in history. Access to food is greater than ever, yet, access to benefits like the federal government’s Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and local food sources have done little to solve the problem. (McWilliams) With attention to overcoming food deserts in inner cities, availability of food

Together we will take a look at what has happened to America in the last 40 years. We will observe the prior activity of children. We will explore the gender roles of the nuclear family, the effects of the economy on the family, the effects of technology and the media, and the replacement of the traditional homemade meal with fast food. We will see how these set of circumstances has caused Americans to become obese.

The enlarged percent of obesity amongst Americans is amazing. The National Center for Health Statistics recently reported, “the most recent national data on obesity prevalence among U.S. adults, adolescents, and children show that more than one-third of adults and almost seventeen percent of children and adolescents were obese in 2009-2010” (NCHS Data Brief, 6). Thinking back to humbler times when there was no junk food, people lived a healthier existence but were

All around the world food unites families and friends, but the food that was known then is not the same as today’s food. Food has changed for the worst. Diet choices hide a very nasty truth, which is unhealthy eating habits and those habits can potentially lead to obesity or some type of disease which can be fatal. In the 1970’s obesity was not a well known term as it is in today’s society. People's weight has increased drastically over the years that now doctors have had to develop new terms in order to distinguish and identify them. Another thing that has taken a turn for the worst is the mentality this generation has nowadays. People are turning more towards fast and easy service and accessibility as opposed to quality

From 1960-62 to 2005-06 the number of obese Americans almost tripled from 13.4% to 35.1% (Weight-control Information Network 2). These two extreme upward trends might make a convincing case that the extra fast food intake has caused the hike in obesity rates, and it may very well be a good indication, but it is far from proof. Too many things have changed over the years, from the way the average American exercises, to the types of other food that people are consuming.

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.

When was the last time you had fast food just because it was so easy, filling, convenient and inexpensive? Fast foods restaurants provide foods that are quick, cheap, and easy alternatives to home cooked meals, that do not provide table service, and tend to be high in saturated fat, salt, calories while containing little nutrients (Gaskell). Sometimes we eat food from restaurant chains such as McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Dunkin Donuts because it’s quick and may taste amazing when we’re really hungry. People primarily choose fast food because they find it quick, easily accessible, and good tasting (Hitti). While most Americans are aware that there are

In the article by The New York Times, Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause, Jane E. Brody states “When I was growing up in the 1940s and ‘50s, I had to walk or bike many blocks to buy an ice cream cone. There were no vending machines dispensing candy and soda, and no fast-food emporiums or shopping malls with food courts” (6). Now for young people who has available everything, and when young people see fast-food restaurants they prefer to eat there than make their own food because it is easier. Now eating out is normal and eating home with all the family is something special, but decades before it was

country alone, 17% of all children and adolescents are now obese, triple the rate from

From 1970 to 2007 the obesity rate in Americans has doubled. In the 70s being obese was for the most part just genetic and fourteen percent of the population was obese. The availability of unhealthy food has drastically increased since the 1970s.This food is also much cheaper, making it more appealing to the average American. Most meals were cooked at

Several studies have shown that the increase in fast food restaurants over the past few decades has resulted in a negative impact on the already outrageous obesity rate.According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number of fast food restaurants over the past thirty years has tripled, which equates to about three hundred thousand establishments in the United States alone. During this time the number of children, ages six to nineteen classified as obese, has risen from five percent to seventeen percent. The percentage of adults classified as obese has risen from half to two-thirds the population. Although fast food restaurants may be a contributing factor to the increasing obesity rate in the United States, people are

The fast food industry promotes childhood obesity by manipulating the young mind, putting them at risk for health complications such as hypertension and diabetes. The super-sizing of America is been a frequently talked about subject lately. Especially since it is seem to have negative effects on the health of children and adults alike through massive consumption of fast food. Health providers and other authority figures are now concerned about children’s obesity rates shown during the past 3-4 decades. They have now drawn a close connection between fast food and obesity and identified a childhood obesity epidemic with increased negative health factors. According to the American journal of public health, 2005 September issue, fast food