America’s Big Fat Shame Obesity rates in the United States have steadily increased in the past few years. According to a recent study by the Journal of American Medicine more than one-third of U.S adults are obese (Ogden et al.). The term label “obese” is determined by a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. Obesity is defined for adults as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30. Obesity is often portrayed as a medical disorder condition that can be overcome by simply changing your diet and physical lifestyles; however, it is much more complex than that. People often stereotype those who are obese as being lazy, less intelligent, and unattractive. Observers may overlook tend to generalize those who are obese as lazy, the narrow minded thought that being obese is the own person’s fault and nothing else. However, not one diagnosis fits all. Negative prejudices against those who are obese influences the way we understand our increasing weight as a problem
…show more content…
Low income families typically have less access to healthy food options. With fast food restaurants throughout the country offering cheap meals for a fraction in the price someone would pay to make that same meal from scratch, it is no wonder why most people resort to fast unhealthy food. Why pay $5 for a salad when you can feed your entire family with $5 worth of McChickens? Researchers from the British Medical Journal reviewed 27 studies in 10 countries to find that there is indeed a gap in prices between healthy and unhealthy foods (Rao et al.). The largest price difference was in meats and proteins costing on average 29 cents more per serving. Although that might not seem like a lot of money, that is on estimate $1.50 per day and an astonishing $550 per year. Financial decisions like those are why some people make unhealthy food
Low income families typically have less access to healthy food options. With fast food restaurants throughout the country offering cheap meals for a fraction in the price someone would pay to make that same meal from scratch, it is no wonder why most people resort to fast unhealthy food. Why pay $5 for a salad when you can feed your entire family with $5 worth of McChickens? Researchers from the British Medical Journal reviewed 27 studies in 10 countries to find that there is indeed a gap in prices between healthy and unhealthy foods (Rao et al.). The largest price difference was in meats and proteins costing on average 29 cents more per serving. Although that might not seem like a lot of money, that is on estimate $1.50 per day and an astonishing $550 per year. Financial decisions like those are why some people make unhealthy food