Obesity In Radley Balko's What You Eat Is Your Business

Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems. “The problem of obesity is increasing in the United States. Understanding the impact of social inequalities on health has become a public health priority in the new millennium. Social, political, and economic factors now are acknowledged to be "fundamental" causes of disease that affect behavior, beliefs, and biology.” (Goodman, 2003)  In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. Obesity has not always been seen as a medical

Obesity has been a growing problem in the U.S. for more than a decade. Various reasons and theories are thrown around as to the cause of this severe problem by psychologists, dietitians, and professors trying to pinpoint a single cause. Due to America’s vast supply of resources, luxurious living standards, and moral of the country, there is no one cause for obesity contrary to advertisements offering a quick-fix drug. America’s obesity problem is rooted much deeper than just cheap fast food and poor choices. Medical conditions, influence of genes, unhealthy lifestyles, and mental illnesses are all contributors towards obesity in any one person. Obesity is a serious problem in America with multiple contributors and one lone solution

The progress of obesity has developed over the course of four decades has many contributing factors that can not be ignored. Such as cultural beliefs, attitudes and personal preferences towards certain food

“I couldn't open up a magazine, you couldn't read a newspaper, you couldn't turn on the TV without hearing about the obesity epidemic in America.” is a quote by Morgan Spurlock, that acutely describes the obesity problem going on in America. Any way one can want to talk about the problem, it will always be a huge dilemma throughout the United States. For a long time now, people have been discussing who is to blame for the obesity crisis going on. Some people prefer to blame the government, several blame the restaurants, others the parents and even the schools receive criticism for obesity. People should develop their own ideas on the obesity crisis and to figure out who is to blame and how to fix the problem.

Radley Balko, the once editor of the Huffington Post, argues in his essay “What You Eat Is Your Business,” that personal responsibility is necessary when it comes to the food you ingest and your health. Balko goes into detail about how the government should not have a hand in what consumers eat or where they eat by discussing initiatives the government has put in place. Anti-obesity initiatives such as the request for more food labels and the restriction of junk food in vending machines at schools are becoming more popular and causing the American population to not take responsibility for their own health choices. American’s well-being has become an issue of “public health” instead of being an individual concern.

The topic of obesity is a current American issue that is in the midst of being solved. Obesity, the condition of being overweight, was named a disease in 2013. Obesity has rapidly emerged as an American problem and poses as a serious health challenge. The cause of obesity has a lot to deal with America’s social dynamics. Today, advertisements are in all places promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. Considering the great expense of healthy foods, low income families can barely afford fruits and vegetables. These two ideas are greatly connected with the increasing obesity rate in the United States. Seventeen percent of American adolescents were considered obese from 2011 to 2014. This is double the amount of obese

In recent discussions of obesity, food, and health, a controversial issue has been whether what people consider being healthy or obese. People share their personal beliefs or experiences about being healthy and about what others need to do or eat to be healthy. On one hand, some people find ways to blame others about the unhealthy eating habits our society has, while other people think that we are responsible for our eating habits, and that we need to choose the healthiest way to eat.

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.

Balko’s next thought is that, we are more responsible for everyone else’s health and less responsible for our own. He said, “Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest has said, “We’ve got to move beyond ‘personal responsibility.’” The largest organization of trial lawyers now encourages its members to weed jury pools of candidates who show “personal responsibility bias.” The title of Jenning’s special from last December—“How to Get Fat Without Really Trying”—reveals his intent, which is to relieve viewers of responsibility for their own condition. Indeed, Jennings ended the program with an impassioned plea for government intervention to fight obesity.” This evidence is sufficient, representative, accurate, and relevant. He is quoting a public health figure and recent media coverage of initiatives promoting increased government involvement in public health. The next claim Balko has is that, “the best way to alleviate the obesity “public health” crisis is to remove obesity from the realm of public health.” He has great ideas, but his evidence isn’t supported by facts or numbers that show that his idea would solve the

A critical issue has arisen recently in the United States that obesity has become more prevalent than ever before. During the past 20 years, more than one-third of U.S. adults and approximately one-fifth of the children and adolescents has been considered to be overweight. It is undeniable that everyone will promptly concurs something must be done in order to solve this crisis. However, this accord often ends on a debate of whether or not being obese is our own fault and government should intervene in helping the situation. In my opinion, although we are somewhat responsible for our own health, we cannot totally blame on those obese people for being corpulent and the government should definitely get involved in alleviating this problem.

Although some people may argue that government involvement is the best way to combat the obesity epidemic, I agree with Balko regarding holding individuals accountable for their own health. When someone else is paying for the bad habits of another, there is no motivation to correct the error of their ways. Making Americans responsible for their own decisions by educating them on how to make better decisions, and giving them the recourses to do so, will allow the individual to learn the link between their eating habits and their

Our life is something that is so precious. Every choice we make impacts our life wether it be physically or mentally. When we choose to make poor life choices, it will reflect on us as individuals. Poor choices in what we consumed or how active we are will lead to a life that can lead to an early death. Obesity is an epidemic health problem that has been one of the leading causes to death. The disease itself causes sever health conditions as well as mental health issues.no one wants to become obese, but in today’s society we have been given the perfect recipe that will land us in a fight for our life. Obesity is not something that simply happens, but a lifetime of poor choices. We must discover the source of obesity and attack the health issue from the primary leading factors. We start with the source in order to help improve the lives of people everywhere who are battling this disease, as well as those who are predisposed to a higher chance of developing it.

Statistical information confirms: obesity and overweight have already turned into an issue of national concern. In 2002, “a National Survey conducted by American Sports Data revealed that 61% of adults in the U.S. felt that they were overweight, 19% admitting that they were ‘considerably’ overweight” (American Sports Data). The major causes of obesity, overweight, and similar nutritional problems included genetics, population trends, hurried lifestyles, high-carbohydrate diets, less demanding workplaces, smoking cessation, and social class aspects (American Sports Data). That hurried lifestyles and a less demanding workplace contribute in the development of obesity trends is clear. But even more importantly, because the number of those who are overweight or obese exceeds one half of the American population, the government must control our diets. The information about the costs of obesity and related diseases is even more compelling.

David Zinckenko argues in his article “don’t blame the eater”, that it is a matter of personal responsibility but can sympathize with the obese individuals as there is a lack of alternatives and information regarding fast food consumption. Society in the United States has raised concern about healthy diets, providing alternatives sources of food but unfortunately at a cost. The increased cost for a healthy diet dissuades teenagers from eating healthier food thus without a change of environment it can result in a lifetime of obesity.