Essay On Obesity In America

Obesity in America

America is suffering an epidemic not of disease but of obesity. Obesity has always been around but in recent years the number of people who are obese has risen to astronomical numbers. Research proves this as between 1963 and 2004 obesity rates have over quadrupled from 4.2% to 17.5% in 2004. This is obesity in America which ironically is also the most medically advanced nation so this cannot be an issue caused by a lack of knowledge. With that in mind, what would be the issue in America that has caused widespread obesity? The issue in America is consumers. Ultimately consumers are to blame for the obesity epidemic in America because nowadays everyone knows how unhealthy fast food is, also there are alternatives healthier

For example, researchers say,” Most chains post nutritional info both on their websites and at the franchise location” (Smith, Help Guide). This shows that even if you do not know fast food is unhealthy, which is very unlikely, the information is there for you if you seek it out not only at the location but also in multiple places online. This also shows that if some people do not already know about the nutritional information they might not care that the food is so unhealthy because the information is easy to find and access. In addition, the government requires food information to be put on anything you buy and, “It’s called the nutritional facts label. You will find it on all packaged foods and beverages. It serves as your guide for making choices that can affect your long-term health.” (Fda.gov).This shows that finding out more information about food is not difficult because nutritional information is printed onto anything you buy not in a restaurant. Yet again this shows that the information is out there and easy to access so people simply may not care about how unhealthy their food is. That’s why everyone should know how unhealthy different foods