Obesity: A Dilemma that’s Eating up the Nation
While obesity has been dealt with on various occasions, there hasn’t been a change that permanently stops this health habit. America has been known for being one of the most obese countries. To be able to put an end to the problem, the United States government should take a look at what the kids are eating these days and find ways to improve eating habits from the start. “It’s a disaster when your country has an obesity epidemic and a skinny jeans fad”. It’s no surprise that recently Americans have had an ongoing problem with being overweight. In fact in less than 40 years, the prevalence of obesity in the country has increased by over 50%. It’s even proven that two of every three American …show more content…
Over a 30 year span there has been an increase in our daily caloric intake and the average number of meals and snacks a day rose from 3.8 to 4.9 (Obesity in America). The first National Health study from the early nineteen-sixties showed that 24.3% of American adults were overweight. When they repeated the study in the late seventies, it number had increased up to 25.4%. But once this study was done again in nineteen-eighties, this number jumped to 33.3 adults (Kolbert). That’s one in 3 adults making poor health choices and affecting the people around them including children. So the idea of modern eating has been part of the reason this problem has arose. Something else that could’ve potentially led to this issue is the influence of our surroundings. As the times economically get better, people have a tendency to spend more money on things even though they don’t need them. People began to put on more weight during certain times because it made sense financially to do so (Kolbert). Particularly during the 1980’s, there is huge change in terms of Americans and the food world around them. This decade was a time of stability for people’s wallets as well as their plates. Between 1983 and 2005, the cost of soft drinks dropped by more twenty percent. Also during that same period the costs of fats and oils decreased by sixteen percent (Kolbert). Now instead of Americans only buying soda for special occasions, they begin to include it into their everyday routine only to harm them in the future. Another contribution to this issue today is the increasing amount of nonjudgmental and positive thoughts regarding obesity. Our society has become very accepting in terms of other people’s lifestyle choices. But being overweight has also been taken under consideration and is not as frowned upon by people as it could be. This idea or movement of
While obesity has been dealt with on various occasions, there hasn’t been a change that permanently stops this health habit. America has been known for being one of the most obese countries. To be able to put an end to the problem, the United States government should take a look at what the kids are eating these days and find ways to improve eating habits from the start. “It’s a disaster when your country has an obesity epidemic and a skinny jeans fad”. It’s no surprise that recently Americans have had an ongoing problem with being overweight. In fact in less than 40 years, the prevalence of obesity in the country has increased by over 50%. It’s even proven that two of every three American …show more content…
Over a 30 year span there has been an increase in our daily caloric intake and the average number of meals and snacks a day rose from 3.8 to 4.9 (Obesity in America). The first National Health study from the early nineteen-sixties showed that 24.3% of American adults were overweight. When they repeated the study in the late seventies, it number had increased up to 25.4%. But once this study was done again in nineteen-eighties, this number jumped to 33.3 adults (Kolbert). That’s one in 3 adults making poor health choices and affecting the people around them including children. So the idea of modern eating has been part of the reason this problem has arose. Something else that could’ve potentially led to this issue is the influence of our surroundings. As the times economically get better, people have a tendency to spend more money on things even though they don’t need them. People began to put on more weight during certain times because it made sense financially to do so (Kolbert). Particularly during the 1980’s, there is huge change in terms of Americans and the food world around them. This decade was a time of stability for people’s wallets as well as their plates. Between 1983 and 2005, the cost of soft drinks dropped by more twenty percent. Also during that same period the costs of fats and oils decreased by sixteen percent (Kolbert). Now instead of Americans only buying soda for special occasions, they begin to include it into their everyday routine only to harm them in the future. Another contribution to this issue today is the increasing amount of nonjudgmental and positive thoughts regarding obesity. Our society has become very accepting in terms of other people’s lifestyle choices. But being overweight has also been taken under consideration and is not as frowned upon by people as it could be. This idea or movement of