Obesity in America Approximately 72.5 million Americans are obese, a lot of people do not know that ( 15 Shocking Facts). There are few habits to blame or take the responsibility of obesity, that is because they all work together. Obesity is a medical condition and should be treated like one, sometimes it is portrayed as being weak or lazy. Being smart and wise with daily decisions should lead people to make good choices and therefore lead them to healthy lives. Obesity is a major health concern today due to the food industry and the American culture but it is treatable and preventable. There are many ideas running through people’s heads when they are asked who is to blame for such a big health issue. Many think it is solely the consumer’s
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Think about how often advertising affects where and what someone will eat. According to the American Psychological Association, children under the age of eight cannot tell the difference between advertising and the programs that they have intended to watch. There is a direct link between children’s obesity and advertising for non-nutritious food. Most Americans live a very busy life and are often on the road to and from someplace to their home. Some families do not have time to sit down and eat a meal and rely on fast-food instead. Most fast foods are not nutritious and in fact they are very highly concentrated with: calories, saturated fats, trans fats, sugar, and sodium (Obesity and Fast Food). Fast food is also attributed with the characteristics of high BMI’s and difficulty in maintaining and losing weight (Obesity and Fast Food) . Along with this, comes the availability and convenience of fast food or unhealthy food. A Big Mac at McDonalds costs $3.99 while a salad costs $4.79(McDonald’s) , with patterns like this in the environment, no wonder people are drawn to the burger over the salad. This is not the only case like this, many food chains are making the healthier option more expensive too. David Leonhardt, an …show more content…
Americans give many reasons why they simply can’t workout and these include: work obligations (41%), being too tired (37%), and time for family and friends (28%) (Survey Reveals). Making the decisions that we were taught as a child like “eating veggies” and things like that are what essentially keep people healthy, that along with getting adequate sleep and exercising too (How Can). Lifestyle choices are often started during the crucial stage of childhood and then carry over to adult life. Simply by setting goals to stay healthy, people can prevent becoming overweight and obese. On the other side of the spectrum is treating obesity after it has already happened to the
Think about how often advertising affects where and what someone will eat. According to the American Psychological Association, children under the age of eight cannot tell the difference between advertising and the programs that they have intended to watch. There is a direct link between children’s obesity and advertising for non-nutritious food. Most Americans live a very busy life and are often on the road to and from someplace to their home. Some families do not have time to sit down and eat a meal and rely on fast-food instead. Most fast foods are not nutritious and in fact they are very highly concentrated with: calories, saturated fats, trans fats, sugar, and sodium (Obesity and Fast Food). Fast food is also attributed with the characteristics of high BMI’s and difficulty in maintaining and losing weight (Obesity and Fast Food) . Along with this, comes the availability and convenience of fast food or unhealthy food. A Big Mac at McDonalds costs $3.99 while a salad costs $4.79(McDonald’s) , with patterns like this in the environment, no wonder people are drawn to the burger over the salad. This is not the only case like this, many food chains are making the healthier option more expensive too. David Leonhardt, an …show more content…
Americans give many reasons why they simply can’t workout and these include: work obligations (41%), being too tired (37%), and time for family and friends (28%) (Survey Reveals). Making the decisions that we were taught as a child like “eating veggies” and things like that are what essentially keep people healthy, that along with getting adequate sleep and exercising too (How Can). Lifestyle choices are often started during the crucial stage of childhood and then carry over to adult life. Simply by setting goals to stay healthy, people can prevent becoming overweight and obese. On the other side of the spectrum is treating obesity after it has already happened to the