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Obesity In Western Culture Essay

765 Words4 Pages

In case you haven’t noticed, the obesity rates in the western culture are rising tremendously, along with the rates of numerous diseases. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), 68.8% of the adults in the United States are considered overweight or obese. However, obesity is not only linked to the amounts of food consumed, but more importantly, what kind of food we eat.
Growing up, we were all taught that we need meat, fish and dairy for the protein, iron, calcium and omega-3 fats. Without these food groups in our diet, we would simply not live a happy, healthy, hopeful life. They have not been implemented in our food pyramid for no reason. At least, that’s what our parents told us.
The truth is, animal products will actually harm you. The China-Oxford-Cornell Study on Dietary, Lifestyle and Disease Mortality Characteristics, examined the relationship between nutrition and chronic illnesses among dozens of rural families in China. This …show more content…

That is not a surprise if you look at the amount of fast food chains there are today in western countries. Every day, millions of people stuff their faces with animal-based products, or in other words junk. Do you now get why it is called junk food?
If you are still about to order that Big Mac with a milkshake at McDonald’s at this point, there is more to come. Giving up that one single burger will save from 4,000 up to 18,000 gallons of water, as the USGS has estimated. The amount of water that is needed to produce meat, as well as other animal products, is abnormal. Compare that to the 25 gallons that is needed to produce one pound of wheat, as researcher Marcia Kreith concluded. I guess the problem of the world becoming the Sahara desert is solved, if everyone just transitioned to a plant-based

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