When you hear obesity, do you imagine malnutrition or simply an individual who “eats too much?” Well, these health threatening issues go hand and hand. Learning that a large number of obese individuals are low income, it can be concluded that a lack of funds results in cheaper, more fattening and unhealthy food purchases, which ultimately can develop into malnutrition and unsafe weight gain. The eye-opening film, A Place At The Table, provides viewers with a true representation of how the issues of hunger and malnutrition in the United States affect individuals on a daily basis. Throughout this movie, the filmmakers, Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, examine the lives of three individuals who suffer from hunger and and lack of nutrition.
The Truth of Obesity Fast food has been around for decades and it is an industry which will continue to grow, it is because of this main reason why so many Americans are now obese. Along with the lack of education and knowledge that many Americans are decrease their life span. However, obesity has never been such a vast problem as it stands today with its large population of uneducated and fast food hungry Americans. With this massive epidemic that is taking over America, comes many health issues and its targets begin with the children who become addicted to unhealthy but satisfying meals suffering from overweight, high cholesterol, and blood pressure to name a few.
It’s shown that rates of food insecurity among rural households are generally higher than urban households. The irony is that many of these food-insecure households are in the very rural and farm communities whose productivity feeds the world and provides low-cost wholesome food for American consumers (Feeding America.com). The US Department of Agriculture states that 17% of rural households are food insecure, or an estimated 3.3 million households, and in the 17% of rural house holds are below the federal poverty line. Next I’ll be showing how food insecurity can have two aspects to it, it can either cause obesity, or starvation.
Fixing the American Diet Americans’ nutrition has been declining for years, but is this simply because of unhealthy choices? While that may be the case for some Americans, for those of a lower socio-economic level, unhealthy habits are less of a choice. People living in poorer neighborhoods are more vulnerable to obesity. That being said, just because someone is of low income, does not mean that they will be more overweight than the average American, or that low income and obesity or causally linked, but studies have shown a correlation between the two. This could be explained by lack of access to healthy food, not being able to afford fresh, non-fast food, overeating when food is readily available, and the stress of poverty.
Obesity is one of the leading health problems affecting children in America. Furthermore, Obesity is the primary contributing factor of many problems in our community. In addition, most children are obese due to an improper balance of calories, and calories being burned. Although, a better quality of school nutrition is a solid step to preventing obesity; likewise, more enforced physical education classes could decrease obesity in children significantly. On the other hand, symbolic interactionism might explain the way obese people are discriminated against, and how they might feel socially isolated.
Synthesis Essay Rough Draft Obesity can be seen as the epidemic of the twenty-first century as it poses a threat to a large percent of the current population, and like all epidemics, there is a suspected cause, “Food deserts.” This term is a technical term used by the CDC to describe an area that lacks access to foods high in nutrients, such as specific areas without grocery stores nearby. The idea of “food deserts” is paradoxical and can be seen as holding back people who want to eat healthy food, but it also has little impact on those who do not already want to eat healthily. For the past decade, researchers and professionals have done surveys and studies on the possibility of “food deserts” being the cause of obesity and yielding different results.
According to the Economic research service of the U.S department of Agriculture that the family had at times, “limited or uncertain access to adequate food, caused by either economic or social conditions.” In other words the family didn’t always have enough food to feed everyone. Among households with children, one in five 7.8 million households were food insecure. (Hunger Pg.1) How can so many Americans be hungry in a country whe4re obesity is an
Some argue that the research done on food deserts is not accurate, due to the fact that residence who do have grocery stores within miles from their homes still do not utilize them and do not always buy the fresh produce Low income communities often lack full service markets where fresh produce, grains, and dairy are offered. Food Research and Action Center explains “One of the most comprehensive reviews of U.S. studies examining neighborhood disparities in food access found that neighborhood residents with better access to supermarkets and limited access to convenience stores tend to have healthier diets and reduced risk for obesity” (2015). This proves if families in impoverish neighborhoods had more access to healthier options there would be less obesity issues in these low income communities. Again others argue that healthy food options do not cost more than the alternatives which cause obesity.
With the rising price of groceries, the amount of food deserts, and the rampant amount of cheap, fast, unhealthy food in low income communities, it is no wonder that poverty level and obesity rates intersect. Without proper access to affordable groceries, coupled with the sheer amount of fast food restaurants, many families fail to get proper nutrition. Instead, meals are filled with empty calories and no time to burn them off. To what extent can we blame individuals before we have to take a look at their food environment? Without support for low income families and individuals, obesity rates will continue to rise at an unprecedented rate.
The increase of processed foods, like meat, greatly impacted American society in the late twentieth century. In the twenty first century, over reliance on processed foods as a cheap and quick substitution, immensely increased the demand for processed foods. In result, the population of obese tripled over the past decades, and continues to rise as the demand of processed foods increases. This new population of obese, and those involved in this epidemic, constantly put the blame on the industries and companies, who merely supply what society demands. Processed and fast food industries have virtually no responsibility in the epidemic of obesity in America.
Obesity is shown to be related to lower “income, economic conditions, education, geographic location, and access to resources” (Sealy, 2010, pg. 567). Families that have lower incomes are not able to afford the healthy foods because they are priced higher than unhealthy foods. Families are able to buy more food that are non-nutritious than the nutritious meals because they cost less. Not only buying the foods that are cheaper, but fast to make. Families are eating fast food more.
Obesity in America America has always been known in many countries for our unique ingredients on how we make our foods and the enormous sizes we serve to Americans. Due to this, one third of adults and one in six children are obese in America. This epidemic has citizens questioning themselves “Is the government doing enough to prevent obesity in America?” Through enough research and statistical findings, the government is trying to encourage Americans to be more productive.
Our world is greatly dimmed by those of larger body. When roaming the streets, we see every day those struggling to hold themselves up. Being fit and active, when viewing those who aren’t of our stature, it brings shame and depression. The problem of obesity has plagued this great nation since it’s founding. From the founding fathers to the common citizen.
It has come to my attention that obesity has become a very large problem in America. It is a sad sight for sore eyes to walk down the street and see the mass population of the United States spilling out of their clothes. These people have done this to themselves and it’s time for the United States to take matters into its own hands and stop giving into those that just cannot stop eating. As I have been turning this over for some time, I have found a way to solve not only obesity, but also much of the hunger in America, all the while creating jobs. The solution is simple, and I guarantee you will not find many that would disagree with this proposal.
The Economic Incentive to keep America Obese Accredited scientists and universities all agree on this fundamental idea: a caloric surplus results in weight gain and a caloric deficit results in weight loss. This idea is regarded by most Americans as fact and heavily supported by science. With this in consideration it is rather perplexing how 68% of americans are either overweight or obese. In aggregate Americans spend more than $60 billion annually on services and products that are advertised as weight loss promoters. There’s profit to be made either getting people fat or making them think think they are losing fat.