In the United States, there are increasing numbers of people suffering from obesity. In Michael Pollan’s book “Omnivore’s Dilemma,” he says that three of every five Americans are overweight and one of every five is obese (76). Obesity becomes a major health problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimate medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion a year. Why Americans are obese? The answer for obesity is that Americans are relying too much on fast food. Many factors that contribute to obesity epidemic; particularly, fast food is the chief causes of obesity. Fast lifestyle drives people to take fast food, thus exposing them to the risk of being obese. Americans are …show more content…
Most fast food contains too many calories. According to Pollan, single meal from fast food restaurant often contains two-thirds of calories that a person’s requirement for a day (104). Sugar and fat are energy enrich foods; therefore, our instincts tell us to eat as much as we can, in case, if we cannot find food. The ingredients of fast food are loaded with saturated fat, Trans fat, carbohydrate, hydrogenated oil, sodium, and sugar. Since fast food is cheap and easy to get calories we need, people end up eating more than they should. Obesity results when we take more calories than we use because the body stores these extra calories as fat and it adds up over time. Later, these cheap calories can lead to obesity and higher the risk of other health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is served as one of the ingredients in fast food and over-consumption of HFCS is related to the epidemic of obesity. Almost all of the menu items at fast food restaurants contain HFCS. Pollan argues, “The bun and ketchup contain HFCS. It’s in the salad dressing too, and the sauces from nuggets, not to mention Isasc’s dessert” (103). The author believes that about sixty-five menu items listed on the McDonald’s handout, forty-five contains HFCS. HFCS is developed in the lab, and it is a sweetener
America is known for being one of the most obese countries in the world. Once you step foot in America, people can quickly find out why; everywhere you look there are a ton of fast food chains on nearly every block. Fast food to Americans is a quick, easy, and affordable way to get food. In the past Forty years, more than 160,000 fast food restaurants have opened in America (Pirello). This cheap and quick meal comes at a cost; according to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDCP), more than 66 percent of Americans are overweight and obese. To make things worse, the CDCP notes that one third of children and adolescents are obese. David Zinczenko, the editor-in- chief of Men’s Health
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
Apart from healthcare issue, the country has adopted the fast-moving life style, which has pushed most of our citizens to succumb to obesity as a result of fast foods. In fact, a recent report by the UN has ranked the United States as the most obese country in the world. Parramore (2012) outlines that, “Obesity is currently being considered as a national crisis in the United States and that it contributes 100,000 to 400,000 deaths per year. Statistics at the CDC and Prevention in 2010 indicate that 35.7% of the American adult is obese.” Many input trends exist in the American society, “First and foremost, people are highly used to fried foods, sugary drinks, and processed meats among others. There is also the sedentary lifestyle that has been adopted by many,” (Huffington Post, 2013). In fact, most of us love relaxing without exercise and too much television watching. These are some of the factors that contribute to obesity. The result is health complications problems such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease just to mention but a few. These affect the longevity of life.
Fast food is exactly how it sounds: food that can be quickly produced for a simple meal. Although they may be satisfactory, they are anything but healthy. Eating fast food is appetizing which is one of the main reasons it is so popular. Not only does it taste good to many, but it is inexpensive, too! America is the number one place for fast food. There are over 160,000 fast food restaurants in the United States and over 50 million Americans are served fast food daily. The frequency of eating fast food is also a problem because according to statisticbrain.com 44 percent of Americans confessed to consuming fast food once per week. What people do not realize is the harm that fast food is doing to their body. Not only is fast food a
There are people that go and eat fast food 5 out of 7 days a week because they either can’t afford to eat at home, don’t have time to eat at home, or are just too lazy to make dinner from healthier choices. These fast foods are cheaper and faster to make than traditional foods you can get from the grocery store, yet their fat and sodium and sugar content is extremely high compared to those traditional foods. These foods are processed and lose a lot of the nutrients that our bodies need to be healthy and have increases in the nutrients that we are getting too much of such as being “loaded with added sugar… or its evil twin, High Fructose Corn Syrup..” These people consuming these fatty foods even know of what they are doing to their bodies but continue to consume these foods. Although this might not be completely their fault, with these foods being cheaper and more cost
In America today one in three adults are considered to be obese. Over the years the rate of obesity keeps climbing up and up. Some people blame fast-food or the environment Americans live in. After all,someone can purchase a chocolate bar at a bookstore nowadays. But, most people are looking at the incorrect factor to blame. Although the food industry is a huge contribution to obesity in America, people are ultimately responsible for their own health.
In the past forty years, the average American’s weight has skyrocketed. This can be traced to the introduction of fast food into our everyday lives. Fatty cheeseburgers and grease laden French fries have replaced fresh fish and crisp vegetables. Americans have come to value convenience more highly than personal health and consequently we are paying for what we consume.
Moreover, Obesity is a vital root of many life-threatening diseases, like diabetes type 2, high blood pressure and even strokes. Most people who are obese are often associated with type 2 diabetes because obesity can cause resistance to insulin that produces the hormone to regulate sugar in the blood. Malnutrition motivates obesity whereby producing a lot of cholesterol, which closes up the bloodstream in the body, causing high blood pressure the process by which the heart is not able to pump the blood needed by the body. All this threaten the life of Americans and can lead to early death. Most obese Americans seem as if they do not care about what they eat nor drink. Their greatest concern about what they consume is fast food because they
The main point of fast food is to be fast, easy, and convenient- but sometimes we humans abuse of that option that was given to us. Yes, its true fast food is everywhere in every corner but we cannot blame the food chains for our decisions. Obesity is like a monster and we are feeding it, we stop on every school or work break to snack on some McDonalds, Wing Stop, and other fast restaurants that are in our path, the only issue with is that we consume it on a daily basis making it our routine and we end up putting our health at risk. A survey made by the college of agriculture, consumer and environmental science assures that 94 percent of people believed individuals are primarily or somewhat
Obesity is the most preventable health issue in America. It is considered the main problem in the United States and also has been around for centuries. Despite the fact that countless individuals are unaware about the increasing statistics associated with obesity, more than seventy percent of men and women within the United States adult population are overweight or obese. When discussing the obesity epidemic in America, many people name fast food companies as the number one cause, but there are several factors besides fast food that further deepen the obesity epidemic. Medication, stress, psychological issues all contribute to the obesity epidemic in America.
Around 160,000 fast food franchises have been opened all over America. America is the most obese country in this world. Healthy food is supplement rich, yet fast food has a tendency to be poor in nutrients and high in calories. Know that fast food can satisfy our day by day calories requirements; not only it gives us calories, but it also harms our health with other ingredients. For instance, fast food is high in soaked fats and trans fats. In addition, it has additives, chemicals, and artificial flavors. Fast food impacts our health and causes infections, for example, heart disease, diabetes, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. On the other hand, healthy food provides the best nutrients and protects our body from sickness, since it contains vitamins, proteins, and minerals. Fast food is addictive and unhealthy. (Obesity in America) (Chronic
The United States is facing an obesity epidemic. Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970’s (National Center for Health Statistics, 2009). While recent estimates suggest that the overall rates of obesity have plateaued or even declined among some groups, obesity is widespread and continues to be a leading public health problem in the U.S. (Ogden et al., 2014; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012; Wen et al., 2012). More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and about a quarter of 2-5 year olds and one-third of school-age children (including adolescents) are overweight or obese in the U.S. (Ogden et al., 2014). Health critics and those alike are placing a lot of blame and pressure on food companies as enablers to this matter. There are several factors that influence this complex condition to include, genetic, behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental influences (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2001). Critics say that factors that
This causes us to be very sick. Also according to Ann Pietrangelo and Elea Carey in the article, “The Effects of Fast Food on The Body,” fast food affects the human nervous system, and if you eat fast food there is a 51 percent greater chance to be depressed and stressed. It also causes high cholesterol, high sugar, and many other negative effects (Healthline.com). This shows how fast foods, and drinks are loaded with sugar and how unhealthy it is. Another fact is that according to Scott Christ in the article, “Stop Eating Fast Food: Why Fast Food Is Slowly Killing You,” childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years (Lifehack.com).This shows us that fast food causes kids to get overweight and very sick. Lastly, also according to to Scott Christ in the article “Stop Eating Fast Food: Why Fast Food Is Slowly Killing You” If you eat
American Obesity Eating Fast food,is the American culture.A lot of average Americans eat Fast food almost every day.But somehow a lot of people Worldwide donnot know what’s in the food.Consumers from time to time don’t care to read the food labels.Consequently,Obesity is becoming the #1 threat,plaguing America and Everywhere Nationwide.
What started as a tasty snack to a consumer and an easy buck for the producer, had evolved into a national epidemic. Not only were American becoming obese, but fast food began to dominate the