How much we eat and how healthy we are depends on many variables, but a big one is potion size. Portion sizes in the United States have been steadily increasing, this is bad because people are still eating at the same places and ordering the same things as before, but now they have more calories, which if not controlled leads to obesity. Portions sizes in America therefore need to decrease, or it will be very difficult or impossible to end or decrease obesity in America. On the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s website, the “Portion Distortion” section shows how portion sizes have changed in just the past 20 years in America. Ninety percent of the foods shown on their website showed that foods portion calories have increased more than 200 calories. This shows how many food portions have increased and therefore causes and increase in calories consumed by people getting these foods. The implications of this portion size increase in relationship to America today are that most people do not pay much attention to potion sizes they just go out to eat or buy food that is available to them. By increasing, the portion sizes obesity increases and if portion sizes decreased, obesity would surely decrease. …show more content…
I thought it was just because calories just increased in the foods because of more sugar and other additives in the foods, but I did not think about how it was also the portion size that has dramatically changed that could have caused the obesity increase in America. By increasing the portion size of foods, it is easy for people to eat whatever they get. Especially since when we were little, our parents always told us to finish everything on out plates. This therefore leads to people just eating everything on their plate in restaurants or other places where the portion sized
68.8 percent of people in the United States and 30 percent of the entire global population are obese. “Obesity today is officially an epidemic; it is arguably the most pressing public health problem we face, costing the healthcare system an estimated $90 billion a year.” said Michael Pollan in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.”
When tourist come to America they see the bigger food portions on our plates than what they would see in other countries throughout the world. In the U.S. obesity is a one of the major problems we have because people are free to buy and eat what they want without anyone to tell them differently. The cost of healthier foods are also more expensive than buying fast food or anything else that’s not healthy. As the obesity issue becomes a bigger problem new problems start to rise. For example health issues are increasing for the obese.
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 United Sates approximately 10 percent adults were recorded to be obese during the 1950s. Helen McClintock noted that, “In 1980, 7 percent of children ages 6 to 11 were recorded to be obese.” In 2011 to 2012, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) reported almost 35 percent of U.S. adults were obese. The growth in obesity in American citizens has increased in the last six decades. There are many reasons for the increase in obesity in the U.S. One of the reason is the average restaurant meal is four times larger than it was in the 1950s. “Researchers found that children who watch more than three hours of television a day are 50 percent more likely to be obese than children who watch fewer than two hours”. The unhealthy food
The eating habits that Americans have are either healthy or unhealthy. The healthy individuals are probably the ones that work out, eat the right foods, and watch their daily consumption. While the unhealthy ones are probably, just eating whatever is in their face at the time, drive everywhere, and don’t watch their daily intake. Because of this fact, it is easy to see why obesity is becoming a huge part in the nation. The authors are trying to prove that “Americans eat everywhere, all day long-an average of five meals a day, including snacks” (2012, p. 621). Many people don’t think they are actually eating a lot because their proportion size is smaller than a normal meal but if someone were to look back in the past they would find that the size would be much smaller. There are many consequences that come from being obese, the authors only use one but it is one that really puts a prospective on things. “Obesity already reduces the current life expectancy in the United States by four to nine months…Obesity rates among children and teens could knock off as many as five years from todays average of 77 ” (2012, p. 620). Knowing this statistic helps the reader, look at their own life and think about what they could do better. The authors helps the reader to become aware of how bad eating habits can affect the rest of someone
Shannon Brownlee, in It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat, provides an example of the increasing portion sizes by expressing,”Mcdonald's introduced its large fries( large being a relative term since at 3.5 ounces the ‘72 “large” was smaller than a medium serving today)”. The quote pulled from Shannon Brownlee’s article gives an example of how much the portion sizes have changed from 1972 to now. With the the portion sizes becoming larger and larger it brings more calories and more fat to the plates Americans are eating. Over the years the portions have become so big the size of plates today look like what a plate serving 2 to 4 people back in the 50’s would like. Also since the 1950s clothes sizes have become bigger. Marilyn Monroe who was a model in the 1950’s was considered a plus size model. In today’s size variety of clothes Marilyn Monroe would be considered 12 sizes smaller than the average person today. Clothing companies in today’s generation have sizes that vary from every single store, if a girl were to wear a size 2 pant at Macy’s she may wear a size 4 pant at Target which means that clothing companies are changing their variety of sizes. Clothing companies are adapting to the new needs of people by making their clothing sizes
over time, 32 % the daily calories stem from added sugars and fat. Sugar is considered an
Why are Americans getting bigger by the day? And what's so bad about that anyway? Studies
American daily life has changed quite a bit throughout the last couple of centuries. The average American added between 160 and 310 extra calories a day from eating out and 62% of adult Americans were overweight in 2000(Healthline,2014)(Profiling Food Consumption in America). In 1980, it was
As seen during the eighteenth century, the presence of excess body fat was envied and very rare; seen only in kings, the rich, and the wealthy as a sign of power and prosperity. Once food shortage was no longer relevant, the 20th century re-assessed this “sign of power” as a sign of ill health, and was then documented in medical practices as the chronic disease known as obesity. As we look at the roots of obesity today, causes of the disease cannot be attributed to a single origin. However, there are many daily influences that justify our nations expanding waistlines; the most obvious being an unhealthy diet. The role of food in our society has altered the way Americans perceive nutrition. Meal times are advertised as social events; an instance of mindless eating, with little awareness on stopping when you’re full, and overeating as a result. Portion sizes are much larger than nutritionally necessary, and lack in substantial protein, causing you to
Knowing the causes to obesity are important. Some causes of obesity are thought of off the bat. But some causes aren’t all that well known. Researchers have found many causes to the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Two main causes to obesity are added sugars/processed foods and genetics, specifically with one’s parents and grandparents. The last cause of obesity is the American government. Many citizens of the U.S think that all sugar is bad. This statement is not true. As stated in http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/1/13/14219606/sugar-intake-dietary-nutrition-science “ Sugar is in so many of the foods we eat. It’s loaded into our granola and our juice, our BBQ sauce and salad dressing. Some ¾ of packaged foods and drinks in the US now carry caloric or low-calorie sweeteners.” In a healthy diet an American should consume roughly 6-9 teaspoons of added sugars. However the average in America is currently 41 teaspoons! Statistics have found that in the 13th century one pound of sugar would have costed roughly 360 eggs. Nowadays one pound of sugar would cost the same as only two eggs… this is a serious problem. The 1980’s was the national start of making and selling “low fat” products such as milk. In all reality this was also when the lowered the fat levels and raised the sugar levels sky high. As a result of extreme amounts of sugar in products it has given scientists evidence to prove that sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine. Another cause of obesity is
In modern America obesity is one of the largest problems. Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970s (Food Research and Action Center P.1). This significant increase of obesity in Americans has caused the number of issues that range from traditional health problems to national defense.
Americans are more obese than they´ve ever been before, the cause of the obesity? Fast food. Fast food has made such an impact since the early 1900s from small town restaurants to international corporations with thousands of restaurants centered in all of the major cities across the world; fast food has made such an impact in everything we can possibly think of, but not in a good way. Its no secret that fast food is bad for you, numerous documentaries has sprung up over the years and while that has brought more facts about fast food to light they have hardly even dented the growth that the fast food industry has gained and while millennials have been eyeing places like Chipotle, and Panera Bread; fast food consumption has continued to rise
“Obesity is a disease that affects more than one-third of the U.S adult population (approximately 78.6 million Americans). The number of Americans with obesity had steadily increase since 1960, a trend that has slowed down in recent years but show no sign of reversing”.
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.