Is It Really The Eater’S Fault For Obesity?. French Fries,

In the UK about 46% of men in England and 32% of women are overweight, and an additional 17% of men and 21% of women are classified as obese. Overweight people and obesity is rapidly increasing so it is estimated that by 2015 over 50% of the population will be obese. These campaigns have a big emphasis on education and in particular in settings such as primary and secondary schools. Children are being taught about healthy lifestyles, one of the big changes was inputting healthy foods into school canteens. Adults are also being educated by replicating the idea in schools workplaces also have fatty foods replaced with healthier foods and reducing the number of smoking areas to discourage smoking breaks at work when it all gets too stressful.

In the essay, “What You Eat is Your Business”, Radley Balko writes to tell his audience about how the government is trying to control people’s health and eating habits by restricting food, taxing high calorie food, and considering menu labeling. Balko includes in his essay that government restricting diets and having socialist insurance is not helping the obesity problem, but it is only making it worse because it not allowing people to take their health in to their own hands so they have no drive to lose weight or eat healthy. In his essay, Balko is targeting society, including those who may be obese, he is trying to show them that the laws our

When it comes to the topic of obesity, most will readily agree that it is a growing dilemma. This argument has many writers bringing different responses. Two explanations are debated in What You Eat is Your Business by Radley Balko and Don’t Blame the Eater by David Zinczenko. Both pieces create a good stance on the topic of obesity. Balko’s piece, however, has a better all around flow, organization and consistency.

“The Cato Institute’s” Policy analyst, Radley Balko, in his article “What You Eat Is Your Business,” talks about the idea of obesity and whose fault it is. Balko’s purpose is to convey the idea that obesity is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s or anyone else’s for that matter. Ultimately, Balko’s “What You Eat Is Your Business” has a strong hold on ethos, pathos, and logos, making for a successful and persuasive article.

In the same way, both Radley Balko, author of “What You Eat Is Your Business”, and David Zinczenko, author of “Don’t Blame the Eater”, argue that obese individuals’ health insurance is becoming a burden to the rest of America, although they differ because Zinczenko argues that the obesity problem lays in the hands of the food companies, while Balko believes that obese people, old or young, are responsible for their own problems.

In the discussion of obesity in America, one controversial issue has been that fast-food has been causing obesity in America. On one hand, Radley Balko, author of “What You Eat Is Your Business,” argues that the government shouldn't have any say so on what people choose to eat no matter how fattening it is to the people. My own view is that the government shouldn't decide on what should and should not eat; it should be your own personal business on what you decide to eat whether if it's healthy or not. We also shouldn't blame the fast food corporations for the obesity problem in America because the people should know what to eat and what not to eat on a regularly basis.

After reading Balko’s essay, “What You Eat is Your Business” Balko argues that should not be government business to determine what people can eat. He argument that “all agitating for a panoply of government anti-obesity initiatives, including prohibiting junk food in school vending machines, federal funding for new bike trails and sidewalks, more demanding labels on foodstuffs, restrictive food marketing to children, and prodding for industry into more “responsible” behavior” which the author argue that is “bringing government between you and your waistline. He claims that “This is the wrong way to fight obesity. Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food options available to American consumers, our government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of our own health and well-being. Basically, he is saying that we need less public intervention and more personal’s responsibility.

This national initiative was put in place in 2010 by efforts of First Lady, Michelle Obama. The main goal of the initiative is to combat the childhood obesity epidemic. The program has put in place multiple action plans, in the hopes of putting kids in the path to a healthy lifestyle. The campaign has also included parents and schools to be a part of these programs. They are key places and people that allow for child development and decision making. Although this is a national campaign, strategies are being implemented within small communities across the nation. Some of the interventions that can be found are: Let’s Move! Active Schools, Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Countries, Let’s Move! salad bars to schools, Let’s Move! Childcare and Let’s Move! Outside. The campaign has had many accomplishments since its establishment. One of these is the President Challenge Youth Fitness Test, which is expected to be in 90% of schools by 2018. According to Let’s Move!, “The new Presidential Youth Fitness Program is a voluntary, school-based program that assesses students’ fitness-based health and helps them progress over time”(Let’s Move!, 2015). The Let’s Move! national campaign is still ongoing and no formal evaluation has been done, but success can be measured through the implementation of the accomplishments and policies that have accompanied the campaign. One policy is the Healthy, Hungry-free Kids Act of 2010, that touches upon changing nutritional guidelines in school lunches and other food

In the article, “What You Eat is Your Business,” senior writer and investigative reporter, Radley Balko, argues obesity is a personal and individual responsibility and should not be regulated through the government since that violates our freedoms and rights. Balko states the government’s regulations in preventing obesity, such as, removing junk food in school vending machines, more detailed food labels, and forcing the food industry to be more responsible in their behavior towards the health issues of consumers. Many politicians agree with banning of unhealthy snacks and sodas from school vending machines, in addition, calling for a fat tax on unhealthy, high calorie foods. According to Balko, this is the wrong way to fight obesity, he continues,

One of the most controversial debates of this generation is on who is the blame for the obesity epidemic. More specifically, who is responsible for obesity: the individual who is obese or the government and fast food corporations? In Radley Balko's essay " What You Eat Is Your Business" and in David Zinczenko's essay "Don't Blame the Eater," the main ideas that are presented both reflect upon obesity and personal responsibility. The main point that Balko wants to get across in his essay is that obesity has become part of "public health" which has forced us to pay for the health problems associated with the obese. Whereas

In the article, “What You Eat is Your Business”, Balko argues that the many government programs are not helping people become healthier. In reality, it seems that these programs are enabling bad choices. President Bush added a whopping $200 million into his budget to combat obesity, and state legislators are now banning certain snacks and sodas from school campuses and vending machines (Balko 396). Balko believes this is the wrong way to create a healthier society, because it does not create a sense of accountability for one’s health. He then goes on to say, “Your well-being, shape, and condition have increasingly

The Let’s Move campaign is a good start in taking action against obesity by educating parents and children, providing healthier foods in schools, and motivating children to participate in daily physical

“Let’s move!” was a public health campaign, created by Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States in 2010. Let’s Move aims to decrease the rate of childhood obesity to 5% by 2030. The purpose of the health campaign was to raise public awareness about the problem of childhood obesity and creating a better lifestyle for children. Five main goals of the campaign are creating a healthy start for children, Empowering parents and caregivers, providing healthy food in schools, improving access to healthy, affordable foods, and increasing physical activity. The Let’s Move! initiative has also created various programs across the nation with federal agencies, private businesses, and nonprofit organization to help kids and families.

In “What you eat is your business” Randley Balko explains that issues in the health system of the United States between the government and citizens. The government has tried different way to avoid obesity. One is about stop selling unhealthy food at the school. Another is building more sidewalks and bike trials, and the government incurs to food companies to be more responsible about the product they offer to the consumers. Point in fact, between the society and their midriff is the government (Graff, Brikenstein, and Durst 466).

Perhaps the most notable campaign recently created to deal with the problem of childhood obesity is the brainchild of First Lady Michelle Obama entitled "Let's Move". Online, the "Let's Move" campaign provides resources such as My Plate to encourage children to eat a balanced diet within a normal calorie range, and gives advice about appropriate exercise daily requirements. The approach is fairly conservative (the dietary and exercise advice is accepted by mainstream scientists) but there are few concrete proposals to enact meaningful changes, other than to make better choices and to get moving.