Why Obesity Is Eating Americans

Why Obesity is Eating Americans
Within the last few years, obesity has become the number one health risk in America. “For the first time ever, overweight people outnumber average people in America. Doesn't that make overweight the average then? Last month you were fat, now you're average - hey, let's get a pizza!” jokes comedian Jay Leno (Jay Leno Quotes). Although he isn’t quite right with his statement, a large percentage of Americans are at least 30 percent over the ideal weight for a certain height. People are getting fatter and fatter because we don’t exercise as much as we used to. Technology has made it easier to do things so we move less. And with a fast food joint everywhere you look it is hard to pass one buy without grabbing a quick, cheap meal. Fast food restaurants also make you think you are getting more bang for your buck by upgrading to a super size for only $.50 more. Obesity is a problem because it causes many health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and even strokes. These are all reasons why America is one of the fattest countries in the world.
Beginning in 1993 the infamous “Super Size” at McDonalds has been consuming Americans as they consume their meal. With a French fry order that weighs 7 ounces and a drink that weighs 42 ounces it is an extremely large, high calorie meal. Portion control is something Americans lack completely. As large sizes are being pushed on us, it’s hard to say no. We have huge portions at low prices. We think we are getting a deal but really we are quickly adding the pounds on. One Big Mac is 550 calories, large French fry is 500 calories, and a large soda is
310 calories (Nutrition). An average American is supposed to consume around 2,000 calories a day and this meal is 1,600 calories leaving you only 800 calories for your other two meals in the day. In other countries the large sizes are much different from ours. For instance, Americas small drink at McDonalds and KFC is the same size as a medium drink in Japan (Top 10 Ways). Our portions at fast food restaurants make it seem as though our portions at home have to be the same size. Even when we are full we don’t stop eating. As a child we are even told to clear the plate no matter what, because kids in Africa cant eat at all. While that may be true, we learn from a very young age that leaving food behind on the plate because we are full and content is wrong. We are brainwashed to always eat more.
Fast food is one of the leading causes of America’s obesity problems. It is so inexpensive and when low income Americans cant afford to pay $10 a meal three times a day for their whole family they get fast food. In the recession many people have to spend less money on things, food being one of them. Cheap food is not always good. It is cheap because it is low quality food, filled with high sodium and calories. This cheap meal can lead to expensive medical bills to treat diabetes for eating so bad. “In a study examining how fruit and vegetable intake are affected by food prices, researchers from the University of California at Davis discovered that in 2005, a low-income family would have to spend between 43 and 70 percent of its entire food budget to eat the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables,”(Gutierrez). Fast food is also incredibly convenient to get. We can take our car and with the press of a button or just driving up to a certain spot, someone takes our order and in less than three minutes you can have a full meal. It’s almost too easy to get food so fast. Although it may taste great though, the food is extremely high in calories. The average medium fast food meal has 1,680 calories; while a home cooked meal of the same size could be only 546 (Fat and Calorie Content).
Being in an age of technology also means we are in an age of major obesity. “Only about half of Americans exercise regularly (at least three sessions a week for 30 minutes at a time), and the percentage of exercisers declined last year compared to 2008,” says Caroline Wilbert, MD. (Wilbert). This is because Americans are extremely lazy and don’t seem to ever have enough time to work out. We lack the motivation to move after working 9-hour days five days a week. We have families and homes to take care of, making working out the last thing on our to do list for the day. Americans can use their technology to stay indoors and not move. Thanks to the Internet anyone can buy what he or she needs online and have it sent to his or her house. There are even delivery grocery stores, which means you don’t have to leave your house at all to get your families necessities. When Americans do finally decide to get out of the house to get things we rarely walk, we drive. 34% of Americans own a vehicle, which easily transports to where we need to be (Study Finds Americans). Walking would be the healthier thing to do, but again it takes too much time and effort. The nations newest generation of children have switched from playing games outdoors, to indoor. Bike riding alone is down 31% since 1995 (Cauchon). Kids these days only know technology because its what they have grown up with. America sometimes seems too wealthy because if all our kids own a video game console then they will most likely never see the light of day since they are stuck inside staring at a TV screen.
The problem of obesity is one we can conquer. If we eat less fast food we can cook our own meals and get to know what exactly is in it and how many calories there are. By cooking at home you can also control the size of your meals. People can also get off the couch and go work out; actually getting exercise helps to burn fat which will make you healthier. We should also switch out the bag of potato chips for some celery, or apples with peanut butter. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends at least 30 minutes a day of physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle. By changing America’s life style we can get off the list of the worlds fattest countries.