Obesity In America

In recent decades, the shift of eating practices has changed considerably due to the overwhelming popularity of fast food. Mirriam Webster’s Dictionary defines fast food “relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly” and is also supported with “little consideration given to quality or significance.” The readiness of these meals allows consumers to go about other matters, thus becoming a desirable option when time is under question. While there are many benefits to fast foods, awareness of consumption of such foods is alerting health professionals as unhealthy practices are directly linked to obesity and diseases like diabetes. In recent years there are reports of people filing lawsuits against fast food corporations claiming
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, approximately one-third of Americans are obese. There are several culprits to this alarming increase such as lack of exercise, failure to research nutrition information, and modality of convenience. Author of the book, “Fast Food Nation”, Eric Schlosser states the expenditure on fast food annually by Americans, has increased from six billion to 110 billion dollars in the span of approximately three decades. Schlosser correlates the increase of consumption to increase of Americans becoming obese. As mentioned earlier, fast food availability is only one aspect of the poor health epidemic. There are not enough valid grounds to prove the increase of obesity and diseases such as diabetes. The employees of the tobacco industry are not slipping cigarettes into the pockets of civilians forcibly. Similarly, these fast food corporations despite their sophisticated marketing are not completely directing individuals to consume their foods. Individuals have the freedom of choice and should be aware that their choices may lead to