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Obesity In America Essay

450 Words2 Pages

There is a myriad of factors that have fueled the obesity epidemic in the United States. Before discussing those factors, we must first define what obesity is. Obesity is defined as the condition of being grossly fat or overweight, body mass index greater than 30, and body fat percentage of 25 to 32 percent. The most obvious factor behind the obesity epidemic is clearly overeating and sedentary lifestyle over the past 60 years. Obesity is closely linked with poor nutrition habits and inactive lifestyles. Many Americans are not nutritionally educated and can’t make proper dietary choices. Therefore, a lack of dietary education has influenced the obesity epidemic. Technological advances in televisions, social media, and gaming have prompted many Americans to stay inside and relish in front of television screens and cell phones. On average Americans spend 3.2 to 4.4 hours per day on Facebook alone. New age gaming systems such as PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo WII, and Alien Ware laptops has prompted …show more content…

Scientific studies have demonstrated that overeating can be attributed to stress. Daily stressors such as work, marriage, and life changing events place great amounts of stress on us, and many cases it causes us to use food as a coping mechanism. This is an “unhealthy’’ coping mechanism and often times forces us to consume extra calories in our diets, which in turn causes us to gain excessive weight. Socioeconomic factors contribute to the obesity epidemic. Many Americans across the United States can’t afford healthier food choices and are forced to consume foods that may be high in fat and low in macronutrients. Healthier options may not be feasible because the healthier establishments may not be nearby. We also live in a society where, if you are “happy”, nothing else matters, even if you are severely overweight. This social norm is also an underlying factor that contributes to

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Imagine starting adulthood with a possibility of having a sudden heart attack due to excessive weight. In the 1970’s, life was very different from now, food was freshly made at home, sodas weren’t popular, almost nobody was obese, and boxed food didn’t exist. Over the years, health has severely declined in America, every year obesity becomes even more common and many worry that this could be the beginning of a horrible future for millennials. What caused a pivotal turn in American health was the fact that stores started packaging food, people began eating in high amounts, portion sizes almost doubled, and fast food places expanded all over the country. The main causes of the obesity epidemic among 18-25 year olds appear to be unhealthy eating

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American Obesity Essay “ Exercise , eat healthier , and start eating less , “ are just a few things people hear daily when talking about a healthy lifestyle . Our generation thinks that obesity is simple to overcome or simply blame on one another , however we have to really focus on why, and whose fault it really is. With the new year come resolutions , and some of those resolutions are to lose weight, if only it were that simple. We should start focusing less on the gym , and more on the real problem , which is the food industries advertisements food availability, and growing serving sizes.

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Obesity has become a major issue in the United States today. The number of people who are overweight has increased dramatically. A study done by the Centers of Disease Control showed that since 1980, one third of our adult population has become overweight. America is known as the richest nation but also we’ve become the fattest nation as well (Rutten). There was a time when Americans went crazy over being fit and healthy they dieting, jumping onto the treadmills, and buying prepackaged non-fat foods.

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With over 50% of the population overweight their ideal weight, and 30% obese, America’s life span is continuing to decrease. 2.8 million people die each year of obesity, so why have we yet to open our eyes to a healthier life style? Over the years, portion sizes, or the amount of food being eaten in one sitting have grown by a lot. If you were served a cheeseburger 20 years ago, it would have probably been only 300 calories. Today if you ordered a cheeseburger, you’re likely to get something nearly double the size of 600 calories!

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As obesity rates in the U.S. increase, people look at someone to blame for this epidemic. The most obvious perpetrator is the fast food industry, as its influence on American society is negative beyond doubt. Even though certain individuals would be looking to blame themselves for this issue, itś the fast food corporations that are causing the epidemic on today’s society with its convenience, low prices of foods and unhealthy choices are what makes fast food such a menace to today’s society. Food has transitioned from the kitchens and dinner tables of America’s homes to the everyday fast food restaurant. Causes of this include convenience, as most Americans now are working more and are leaving less time to cook and prepare food at home.

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Processed food has become more readily available, which is resulting in the likelihood of eating more frequently and even when not hungry. Overeating is also a main cause of obesity, which is frequently coupled with the wealthier class of the society who are the main sufferers from obesity. Over the years, dietary practices have changed and moved away from organic and healthier diets such as vegetables, whole grains and fruits to processed and far more fattier foods such as snacks, fast foods and sugary drinks, where the amount of energy intake is very high especially in children (English, 2010). The foods that obese children are consuming are likely to be topped with fat content and calories while being low in many other vital vitamins and essential nutrients that children need (English, 2010). With fast food restaurants being very convenient and accessible in our society, Americans have become more reliant on quick and easy meals for their children and themselves, with increasingly large portion sizes and eating meals away from home contribute to the intake of unnecessary energy for children to add on some of those extra pounds.

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Cheaper sugar substitutes that have been added to more a wider selection of foods and lower food prices combined with bigger portions lead to increasing calorie intakes. All those aspects have contributed to the rising number of obese Americans. Obesity does not only affect the physical health, it also brings mental, social and financial problems, leading to an altogether burdensome life. The excess weight caused by unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle choices results in increasing the risk of diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, high blood pressure and sleep apnea and a lowered life expectancy to the point that children have a good chance to die at a lower age than their parents.

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Obesity has become a major problem throughout the world, but especially in the United States of America. Even though obesity has recently become much more prominent, it has been of concern for many years. In just a matter of two years, from 2013 to 2015, the percentage of adults that are considered to be obese rose tremendously. The number of states that had an adult obese percentage of over thirty-five percent rose from two states to four; and the total number of states that had an adult obese percentage between thirty and thirty-five percent rose from eighteen states to twenty-one. It is not just the adults being affected by obesity, however, it is also kids all across America as well.

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Obesity has taken over as the fastest growing cause of death in America. This disease has affected more than 33% of adults and 17% of children in recent years. With the amount of advertisements relating to unhealthy choices, the cheapness and growing portion sizes of fast food, and the quality of school lunches today, this trend of obesity will only continue to increase. Though many will argue that people have control over their own weight, some people only have access to the cheap and unhealthy food items they see on a daily basis and America needs to realize that this problem is not going to fix itself until they come to terms with that basic fact. Children and adolescents tend to go with what they see on TV and what they see are hundreds of ads praising cheap, unhealthy food products.

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“Approximately sixty four percent of most adults in the U.S. are overweight, including thirty percent who are or are facing problems with obesity. Overweight and obesity are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and also exact significant economic costs. The medical expenses attributable to overweight and obesity are estimated to have reached as high as ninety two billion dollars per year—roughly nine percent of total U.S. medical expenditures.” (USHFC P.1) Whether eating or taking out, Americans are eating more and more of their calories from a fast food restaurant or full service.

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“Obesity in adults jumped from 13% between 1962 and 2008 through it has since leveled off.” (Drenkard, 2011) The food Americans eat is killing our health system. Peoples health is getting so bad that in America an obese person is someone who had a BMI (body mass index) over 30. In England, someone here that is considered normal, is considered obese.

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For many years, American’s were being concerned about the wrong health risk soon to come. Many people are concerned with health risk that will affect Americans later on in life or accidents, rather than focus on what matters today. The truth is we are not being vigilant about what causes higher death rate in our young Americans. According to the CDC “over 37.5% of Americans are overweight or obese. ”This reasoning is because of the level of physical activity and our terrible eating habit.

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According to a study released in 2013, by 2030 the rate of overweight people living in the U.S will increase to about forty-two percent and health care costs will be approximately $550 billion per year (Marshall). People refuse to acknowledge how much money they spend on fast food which in the long run is increasing their chance of becoming overweight. Not only are overweight people spending money on fast food, but they have multiple health problems that rob them of their money. Obesity is becoming a significant problem in the U.S and people will continue to ignore it unless an “easy” solution appears. People who are overweight or obese tend to put off physical activity and pretend that it is okay to be that size.

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