Summary: A Worldwide Epidemic Of Obesity

A Worldwide Epidemic: Obesity

Have you noticed anything different while walking down the fruit and vegetables isle compared to ordering something off the value picks menu at McDonalds? The first thing you may notice is that one option is healthier than the other, but the other big difference is the price! When it comes to picking between healthy food and junk food, many people are forced to buy junk because they simply cannot afford healthful food. Unfortunately, in many countries including Canada, the price of junk food is cheaper than healthful, wholesome foods such as fruits and vegetables. The low prices of fast food and increasing rate of obesity are the two main ingredients used in a deathly recipe for heart disease. I strongly believe

A statistic written by the journal, “Lancet” says that more than one third of Americans are obese and this statistic is only rising and is going to reach about 50 percent by the year of 2020 (Livestrong). If half of the population of America becomes obese the hospitals in the country will not be able to provide enough services for that many people, currently the population of America is 318.9 million people (Google Public Data Explorer). If by 2020 half of the population is obese that would mean that about 159.5 million people would be obese in America. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer; all of these diseases are some of the biggest causes that lead to preventable death in both Canada and America (Livestrong). The demand for personal support workers doctors and nurses to help keep millions of obese Americans alive would be very costly. The Heart and Stroke Foundation plays a leading role in the tracking and development of current statistics on heart disease and stroke in Canada. We are using too much money to hospitalize people with heart disease that is caused by obesity from eating

It is cheaper because it is made cheap. All of the food is processed in huge masses at even bigger industrial factories which use many different artificial flavours, colours, salts, and preservatives to make their foods. . Did you know that a McDonald’s hamburger patty is cooked in 38 seconds? (McDonalds) I must say that is pretty gross considering when you are cooking a burger at home it takes 20-30 minutes to be ready. From this, you can imagine what these patties are actually made of. Sure, there may be some meat in there, but obviously they are already prepared and sit before being reheated. It takes months for wholesome food to grow, for example, carrots are planted in the fall, and you must sow carrots three weeks before the last frost and then afterwards plant again every two to three weeks. There is more work and time that goes into the cultivation of healthful foods than there is when producing fast food. The shelf life of junk food and fast food can be for not only months but also years, while fruits and vegetables and farm raised meats can last for up to a week. If junk and fast food were more expensive, grocery stores wouldn’t have as much waste in throwing out old