Analysis Of What You Eat Is Your Business By Zinczekonov

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For a long time people have clashed over food and health. Is it our responsibility to make sure we eat a healthy diet or does that responsibility fall on the shoulders of others? Radley Balko and David Zinczekonov hold conflicting opinions on this subject. Zinczekonov, the author of the essay, Don't Blame the Eater, believes that fast food is at fault for people's unhealthy eating habits, while Balko, the author of the essay, What You Eat is Your Business, believes people are accountable for what they eat. Balko holds the opinion that we are responsible to maintain a healthy diet, while Zinczekonov believes it is necessary for the government to intervene and instruct people on what they should eat. Zinczekonov thinks people should be able …show more content…
Zinczenkonov thinks that the government should be supervising people's food choices. This would require the government's involvement in determining what is on the menus of fast food restaurants. "Fast food companies are marketing to children with proven health hazards and no warning labels. They would do well to protect themselves, and their customers, by providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products."(Zinczenkonov, 2) Zinczenkonov thinks the government should require fast food restaurants to put the nutritional information on their products. Balko argues that we should make healthy choices and the government should not be babysitting us. He also argues that government interventions will hurt those who are living a healthy lifestyle. "Our lawmakers enacted a huge entitlement that requires some people to pay for other people's medicine."(Balko, 1) We end up paying the health care costs for people who are sick as a result of their obesity. I believe the government should not intervene when it comes to peoples' food choices. They need to be held responsible for their actions and not …show more content…
Zinczenkonov sides with those who are suing fast food restaurants because they do not give clearly state the ingredients and calorie count of their food. "Without such warnings, we'll see more sick, obese children and more angry, litigious parents."(Zinczenkonov, 2) Lack of information about what kids are eating leads them bad choices that leads to obesity and serious health concerns. Balko believes that people are to blame for the food choices they make and must be held accountable. "This means freeing insurance companies to reward healthy lifestyles and penalize poor ones."(Balko, 2) Balko wants people to pay for their own health care and for insurance companies to have the freedom to punish or reward according to someone's lifestyle. I agree with Balko that we should be responsible for our own health care, which would include penalties for poor eating habits that lead to

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