Summary Of How Junk Food Can End Obesity By David Freedman

Obesity in America has been a problem for many years. The rise in the obesity rate amongst the middle and lower-class population is becoming alarming. Is the problem in the accessibility of the food, the convenience of purchasing and preparation, or the busyness of people’s schedules? In his article, “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” David Freedman addresses the debate on how fast food restaurants could lead the change to encourage healthier eating choices. While he is a journalist specializing in business and technology, Freedman does a sufficient job addressing the different options for healthier food choices, potential stumbling blocks and how fast food restaurants could be the leader of change. The first part of Freedman’s

The wholesome food industries argue that fast food chains and consumption of processed foods are the reason people are becoming more overweight. He argues that you can not just wave healthy food in front of people and expect them to want to eat it. Freedman argues are these healthier food options accessible to everyone, cost affordable and are these unprocessed food options easily to prepare. Most of the time the answer is no. Some lower class families receive government assistance for food. Are they going to pay for the healthier, fresh and more expensive food? Probably not, they can get for their money buying already prepared processed foods. The Whole Food industry has valid arguments but “people aren’t going to change their ingrained, neurobiologically supercharged junk-eating habits just because someone dangles vegetables in front of them, farm-fresh or otherwise” (937). Busy households middle or lower class sometimes find it just plain easier to purchase already made process foods at the grocery store or the nearby fast food

Whole Foods continue to insist food is not healthy for you unless it contains only healthy ingredients and can be traced back to a local farm. Fast food industry argues that reducing calories on a single dish places an eater on the track to reduce daily calories. Exactly what is needed for long-term weight loss. “It is just the sort of small step in the right direction we should be aiming for, because the obese are much more likely to take it that they are to make a big leap to wholesome or very-low calorie foods”(950). Freedman wraps up his article by suggesting researchers, policy makers, and advocates need to stop trying interfere with the efforts of the Fast Food industry’s fight to help the obesity epidemic of our nation. He suggests that “we can continue pushing our health-care systems to provide more incentives and support to the obese for losing weight by making small, painless, but helpful changes in the behavior, such as switching from Whoppers to turkey burgers, from Egg McMuffins to Egg White Delights, or from blueberry crisp to fruit-and-yogurt