Personal Responsibility and Obesity
Jim Rohn once said, “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” In our busy lifestyles, it becomes easy to lose track of what is important such as our health, and instead of blaming ourselves, we choose to blame others. Obesity is a major issue in our society due to lack of education, healthy eating, and money, and in order to solve this issue, we must first take responsibility of our own actions.
In America, we live in an individualistic culture in which we prioritize ourselves over others, however we choose to blame others when it comes to our health. For example, many people have …show more content…
Many people claim that even though they are eating healthy and exercising, it is difficult to lose weight. In the documentary, Fed Up, different obese children share their experience on how hard it is to lose weight. However, they also showed the kids eating sugary cereal for breakfast (Fed Up). This is an example of how people are not aware of what they are putting in their body, simply due to the fact that they are not educated enough about this topic. Brands that were in the documentary, such as Special K, promote weight loss however it could be doing the opposite (Fed Up). In fact, sugar is the third ingredient in Special K cereals. This is why it is important to teach kids and adults the importance of eating healthy as well as how to do it. The article “Food for Thought” informs the readers of the part food companies play in increasing obesity rates. “A carrot is clearly healthy and a sweet fizzy drink is not, but the distinction is not always as obvious as that. A company may reduce the sugar content of a biscuit, but that does not make it healthy” (economist.com). Food companies convince consumers the product is healthier by slightly reducing sugar or fats. However, these changes are not significant enough to make the products nutritional. In our society, we look for the easiest and fastest ways to do things for instant gratification and companies take advantage of that. Therefore it is important to learn how to distinguish …show more content…
Low-cost, high calorie foods among the poorer community makes them more susceptible to obesity. (Carroll and Ferstrom). In comparison to wealthy families, lower class families are usually limited to cheaper vegetables, such as iceberg lettuce, or fattier meat, and potatoes. These foods are convenient and cheap, however they lack the nutritional value of more expensive foods such as whole grains and lean meat (Drewnowski). According to an article titled, “Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?”, the authors find potential solutions for this issue. The main solution is for lower income families to properly distribute their income and time into nutritious food as opposed to unhealthy food. Consumers are able to buy healthier foods, however they choose cheaper foods because “they help reduce waste, spoilage, and cooking costs” (Drewnowski). In addition, some low income families receive benefits from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program which allows them to have nutritious foods regardless of their income. Although living a healthy lifestyle is more expensive and more time consuming, there are resources to help us. It is an investment for one's well being, resulting in a happy, long, and healthy
Jim Rohn once said, “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” In our busy lifestyles, it becomes easy to lose track of what is important such as our health, and instead of blaming ourselves, we choose to blame others. Obesity is a major issue in our society due to lack of education, healthy eating, and money, and in order to solve this issue, we must first take responsibility of our own actions.
In America, we live in an individualistic culture in which we prioritize ourselves over others, however we choose to blame others when it comes to our health. For example, many people have …show more content…
Many people claim that even though they are eating healthy and exercising, it is difficult to lose weight. In the documentary, Fed Up, different obese children share their experience on how hard it is to lose weight. However, they also showed the kids eating sugary cereal for breakfast (Fed Up). This is an example of how people are not aware of what they are putting in their body, simply due to the fact that they are not educated enough about this topic. Brands that were in the documentary, such as Special K, promote weight loss however it could be doing the opposite (Fed Up). In fact, sugar is the third ingredient in Special K cereals. This is why it is important to teach kids and adults the importance of eating healthy as well as how to do it. The article “Food for Thought” informs the readers of the part food companies play in increasing obesity rates. “A carrot is clearly healthy and a sweet fizzy drink is not, but the distinction is not always as obvious as that. A company may reduce the sugar content of a biscuit, but that does not make it healthy” (economist.com). Food companies convince consumers the product is healthier by slightly reducing sugar or fats. However, these changes are not significant enough to make the products nutritional. In our society, we look for the easiest and fastest ways to do things for instant gratification and companies take advantage of that. Therefore it is important to learn how to distinguish …show more content…
Low-cost, high calorie foods among the poorer community makes them more susceptible to obesity. (Carroll and Ferstrom). In comparison to wealthy families, lower class families are usually limited to cheaper vegetables, such as iceberg lettuce, or fattier meat, and potatoes. These foods are convenient and cheap, however they lack the nutritional value of more expensive foods such as whole grains and lean meat (Drewnowski). According to an article titled, “Can Low-Income Americans Afford a Healthy Diet?”, the authors find potential solutions for this issue. The main solution is for lower income families to properly distribute their income and time into nutritious food as opposed to unhealthy food. Consumers are able to buy healthier foods, however they choose cheaper foods because “they help reduce waste, spoilage, and cooking costs” (Drewnowski). In addition, some low income families receive benefits from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program which allows them to have nutritious foods regardless of their income. Although living a healthy lifestyle is more expensive and more time consuming, there are resources to help us. It is an investment for one's well being, resulting in a happy, long, and healthy