Summary Of It's Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat

As I walk into McDonald’s, I recognize a familiar smell. It takes me back to a memory that occurred a few months ago. After school, my friends and I went to McDonald’s and ordered large french fries. When I waited, a sense of gluttony filled within me. I hastily picked up my order. I stuffed the fries in my mouth and it tasted disgustingly delicious. The grease that lingered on the fries sizzled on my tongue and I knew in that back of my head that it was unhealthy, yet I indulged. Most Americans can relate to this experience, but it is this habit and type of food that causes one of America’s expanding epidemics; obesity. In medical parlance, obesity is defined as possessing a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. According to the CDC, obesity

In Shannon Brownlee’s article, “It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat,” she introduces how Taco Bell was able to dramatically raise its revenue. They noticed that most of their income came from people who did not cook for themselves and did not care for nutritional quality; they cared about the price of the food. In response, Taco Bell lowered its prices. Taco Bell tempted people by lowering their prices and instead of people going to other places, those loyal customers would only go to Taco Bell and tell their friends about the cheap food. This worried other fast food companies, so they also cut their prices; which allowed more people to become

According to Michael Pollan, in his article “When a Crop Becomes King,” “the wholesale switch to corn sweeteners in the 1980’s marks the beginning of the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in this country.” The price of high fructose corn syrup is so low that soft drink makers super size their serving portions instead of lowering their prices. This means that soft drinks are becoming cheaper, unhealthier, and larger in size; a recipe for disaster. Not only is it hurting our health, but it also hurts the environment. Pollan states “Corn requires more pesticide than any other food crop. Runoff from these chemicals finds it way into the groundwater and, in the Midwestern corn belt, into the Mississippi River, which carries it to the Gulf of Mexico, where it has already killed off marine life in a 12,000 square mile area.” The government should stop subsidizing the production of corn and use its resources elsewhere. Corn is hurting America in more ways than