How Junk Food Can End Obesity By David Freedman

Fast Food Companies Can End Obesity Judging from the title of David Freedman’s “How Junk Food Can End Obesity” published in The Atlantic, Freeman's audience, the upper middle class of America, conjures up an image of Freedman throwing away every piece of scientific data that shows junk food is hazardous to your health. However, this is not the case. Freedman brings to light a more compromising approach to solving America’s obesity problem than others have proposed. His opinion is that by manufacturing healthier fast food we can solve America’s obesity issue. His method would be able to be established nationwide in a cheaper, faster, and more effortless way than some other methods that have been thought of as a possibility. Not all, but the

Freedman shares with his readers the time at a corporate wellness program where he listened to an unnamed “high-powered professional wellness coach.” According to Freedman, this coach’s philosophy was that, “it's okay to eat anything as long as its plant and animal origins aren't obscured by processing.” By this logic, Freedmen believes this wellness coach would reason that “potatoes chips are perfectly healthy, because they plainly come from potatoes, but Cheetos will make you sick and fat, because what plant or animal is a Cheeto?” Just because a food product comes from the ground and is void of pesticides and preservatives does not mean it is better for you, regardless if it deep fried in vegetable shortening or sautéed organic extra virgin olive oil. Organic food as defined by the USDA “is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through… methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.” In fact, not all food deemed organic is void of pesticides. Two of the most highly used organic pesticides are boron and nicotine, yes, that addictive substance in cigarettes, sulphate.

Although his beliefs on disclosure of nutrition facts and his drastic change of opinion on obesity solutions are both questionable, he understands that when it comes to fast food, “It makes a lot more sense to look for small, beneficial changes in that food than it does to hold out for big changes in what people eat that have no realistic chance of happening.” The issue with the belief of turning our present food system into a completely localized, organic food system as well as the belief that obesity can be lowered by cooking your own meals is that those routes involve serious effort, time, and costs. Through fast food, America can use less effort, money, and time to decrease obesity. Not only does Freedman believe in compromise, he understands that a large portion of the obese population will resist to changing their eating habits. A familiar, yet healthier fast food menu aids this resistance issue. Although Freedman’s idea has complications, his notion to work with fast food companies to create a healthier America rather than against them is a start in the right direction. Working with fast food companies is a smart way to spend as little effort, time, and money as possible while still making a big impact. Therefore, Freedman’s argument is a more viable approach to obesity than Pollan’s and those who believe in solely organic