Thesis Statement: Obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions, although diet and exercise is important in weight management it is not the only cause to obesity. 1. What is Obesity A. Obesity is a health condition where a person has an abnormal amount of body fat compared to their height 1. Probability of becoming obese, a person with a body mass index of over 30 is classified as obese 2. Nutrition and eating habits a.
Even with healthier choices, one cannot be aware of exactly what is in the food cooked in restaurants, while families can opt out of the drive-through and go in to sit and eat together at fast-food establishments it isn't as intimate and the time is rushed, low-cost options on fast food menus cost more than cooking a family meal at home. Pollan writes, “The fact is that not cooking may well be deleterious to our health, and there is reason to believe that the outsourcing of food preparation to corporations and 16-year-olds has already taken a toll on our physical and psychological wellbeing” (106). This essay will prove that eating fast-food threatens physical health, weakens the family, and is costly. Physical health is influenced directly by our meal choices. Choosing to order a healthier meal option at a restaurant is not equal to a home cooked meal made with fresh foods.
The amounts of food portion that we are served in fast food joints are tremendous in size and these fast foods are affordable compared to healthy foods. Because Junk foods are high in sodium, sugar, fat and low in nutrition, they fade rapidly, leaving us with the feeling of hunger. These restaurants serve us more and more junk food because they know that it has more calories, therefore it doesn’t leave a lasting of fullness so we tend to want more. We eat crap, feel like crap and then eat more and more crap. When I was in Nigeria, food always had a cultural value in my house.
If certain restaurants are chosen that do not offer healthy choices variety is staggered. Pizza for example is quite good but not the most healthy if eaten on a regular basis. It can also become boring to the palate.Then you have home made pork chops that are also not healthy if eaten on a regular basis. These too can becme boring if made everyday. d) Eating fast food periodically to save time is beneficial depending on the lifestyle of the person utilizing this method of nourishment.
In addition, overweight and obese people are portrayed in a negative way in the media, including television and movies. Sociocultural influences on body image can lead to eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia and even obesity if an overweight viewer does not feel that she or he are living up to the culturally desirable image. The end result is a serious psychological as well as health issue. While obesity among adults has doubled since 1980, overweight among adolescents has tripled. The United States Office of the Surgeon General (2001)
Obesity is a life threatening condition and it is creating a major health crisis. Recently, obesity is becoming increasingly common around the world including our country, Malaysia. There are many factors that can trigger obesity. The three main causes of obesity are lack of exercise, unhealthy eating habits and genetics. The first factor is lack of exercise.
Were we the ones that promoted the whole fast food epidemic, causing a stir of obesity for others? Many experts believe that America has spread its ways to other countries, living a lazy lifestyle with high calorie food choices. It is true that other countries eat healthier than us, but there are other countries that have an even greater percentage of overweight individuals. America is infamous for massive fast food consumption. I mean, it is hard to get around without seeing one of these establishments.
From the above definitions we can conclude that obesity in its simplest form is being overweight or simply stated “fat”. From the above definitions we can also see that Bing and Wikipedia indicate that this is an unhealthy condition and that it could have a negative effect on the health of a person to the point of reducing the life expectancy of an overweight person and increasing the potential for health problems. America has become the fattest nation in the world due to
Introduction Obesity has become a very serious issue and health problem in the USA. Obesity is not just a problem but according to the American Medical Association, Obesity is considered a chronic disease (stateofobesity). As for what is driving America’s chronic weight problem, there is just not one answer. There have been many scientific studies to find the rational to obesity. Many theories and conflicting conclusion have been seen.
So who is at fault? Is it the people themselves or society? Greg Critser and Hillel Schwartz both wrote articles on this recent outbrake of obesity to look further into the problem and see what lies as the cause for this problem and what will solve it. In “Too Much of a Good Thing,” Critser focuses on the increasing rate of obesity in children. He states that in recent years, childhood obesity has been dubbed an epidemic by the surgeon general because “at least 25% of all Americans under age nineteen are overweight or obese,” (Critser 355).