Preview

Is the Fast Food Industry Responsible for the Obesity Epidemic in the United States

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
538 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Is the Fast Food Industry Responsible for the Obesity Epidemic in the United States
Briana Richie
9-17-10
6th period

Is the fast food industry responsible for the obesity epidemic in the United States?

The fast food industry is not responsible for America’s weight gain. Other countries have fast food restaurants and yet America is the fattest. There are other factors that contribute to it like the lack of excerize, bad eating habits, and poor motivation. This industry isn’t force feeding people, the people have their right to choose what they want to eat. In fact, the restaurants have started serving healthier items. Blaming the fast food industry just isnt fair. No one can grow to be obese just because they eat fast foods. They would have to eat and never get off the couch. Ever since the ‘epidemic’ started people have tried to escape actual excersize and other industries have been thriving off of it. Weight loss suppliments have been created so you can eat all you want and still look good. People always have an excuse as to why they don’t get excersize. Work hours can be long and stressful and a lot of jobs wont require you to get any excersize at all. Parents are always taking care of children and the first chance they get to excersize is often used for resting or getting their nerves together. The reason most younger people don’t get out much is technology. Television, games, computers, cell phones and other gadgets are always commanding their attention. By the time young people pull away from these distractions, its already bed time. In addition to the lack of excersize, Americans also have bad eating habits. Choosing to eat fast foods on a regular basis is already a bad decision, but making poor choices outside of that is even worse. These are decisions the consumer must make by themselves. The restaurant doesn’t choose for them. Poor dieiting can start all the way from a person’s childhood. As they grow older they pass it on to their children and it can start as soon as the baby is given a fry of the mother’s plate. It

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thesis statement- Although healthy eating is a lifestyle choice, the lack of convenient healthy food alternatives, the geographical location of those alternatives in proportion to overweight Americans, and the cultural norms of insalubrious eating are responsible for the rising rates of adult obesity in the Unites States.…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    America’s obesity can be an argument that has many sides to it. The one that is the most straightforward and logical is that us as americans are bringing this upon ourselves. We know the kinds of foods that are good and healthy along with the foods that are bad, fattening, and unhealthy. We try to blame fast food restaurants and grocery stores for serving us foods that are unhealthy. In reality, we know. We try to blame those companies because we don’t want to blame ourselves. As much as we are told what is good and bad for our bodies, we tend to ignore that and keep eating those unhealthy products. America is blaming the fast food industry for obesity, when in reality, it comes down…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Some people disagree that fast food is the cause of obesity and believe the real cause is the parents or blaming others for obesity. Yes, fast food is not the only cause of obesity, however, fast food restaurants are the leading cause of the obesity problem. There are numerous fast food restaurants that offer a variety of foods (e.g., burger, tacos, pizza). These fast food restaurants might have other foods to pick from; however, these foods are made of the same fattening ingredients, which is still obviously unhealthy. Most fast food ingredients contain fattening ingredients: saturated fat, carbohydrates, and more sugar than natural foods that are considered healthy. Because of these less healthy ingredients and the levels of fat and sugar…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine a world where everyone is fit and slim. People biking and running every afternoon or morning. Everyone enjoying a good healthy meal in their homes. Cars are less used. Obesity is nowhere to be found. Everyone is happy and living longer. Fast food industries should not be blamed for obesity in America. Americans should be blamed for obesity.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    America's Obesity Blame

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In a paragraph from the article “Cheap Food Blamed for America’s Obesity Crisis” by Linda Carroll and Madelyn Fernstrom, the authors discussed the reason that people are getting fatter is because the food companies are providing people with cheap and unhealthy food, Roland Sturm, the study’s lead author, claims that food companies are at fault for America’s obesity problems (Carroll and Fernstrom). However, in the article "It's Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat" from The Sacramento Bee, the author Shannon Brownlee proves that consumers are responsible for obesity when she shared a story from 12 years ago, on January 5, 2003, a mom of a teenager who is 400 pounds sued McDonald’s for having food…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    chapter 15

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In my opinion, the food and restaurant industries should not be held liable for the rise of obesity. The reason is as I stated in question 1; the individuals are responsible for their own weight. That means if they have obesity, they would be responsible for that themselves. No one forces them to eat, so that they eat foods they like with their own risk.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    When it comes to keeping the human body, nutrition is the most essential part of everyone’s life. If people do not have full control, it will affect the way they will be in the future. Any change to someone's diet will change their body in the long run, whether it be positive or negative. It is quite apparent, especially in America, that the common person’s nutrition has gone down hill. Since the 1980s, the rate of obesity has inflated double the amount for adults and triple for children (“Obesity” p. 1). Shockingly, America spends more on fast food than on college education, computers, software and cars combined. In fact, in 2005, Americans spent one hundred thirty four billion dollars on fast food alone. In the ‘70s, America only spent six billion (Schlosser p. 10). I am not one to blame McDonalds for the drastic rise of poor nutrition. There are obviously other reasons why. I mainly blame the misinformation and myths that the general public has been told. The reason why that people are more unhealthy now than in the past is…

    • 1532 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fast Food, Who to Blame

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It is true that the fast food companies were more emphasized on their marketing strategy than our citizens’ health. The “super size” marketing strategy had trained us to think that “oceanic drinks and gargantuan portions are normal” (Browniee, 21). I do agree that fast food companies’ excessive marketing is really profitable for them and they don’t put our health in the first place. But I think it is the people who made the bad choice for their health. The point of the fast food is to save peoples’ meal time when they are in a hurry. It is convenient and cheap but also insures our daily needs of protein, calories, Cholesterols and a bunch of necessary Minerals. It’s not the best source of healthy food but it’s defiantly better than eating a chocolate bar or instant noodle when people are in a hurry.…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nutrition and Obesity

    • 1536 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Americans are heavier than ever before and, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million adults are obese, and 9 million adults are morbidly obese. Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. It can be caused by many reasons. One obvious reason is the rise in fast food consumption that companies are so adamant on pushing the public to buy, especially children. With fast food chains creating more and more ways to entice the American public to eat their food, it is becoming harder and harder to stay in shape these days. The fast life of America is quickly taking its toll on the public with the silent enemy called obesity creeping up at an alarming rate. In fact, the rate of it overtaking our lives is so fast; the Surgeon General has called it an "epidemic". Now, the real question is- are fast food restaurants really the culprits at work here? In this essay I intend to compare two very different takes on fast food companies and their ways of making people fat as well as my stand on the matter.…

    • 1536 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Some believe that while reasons of obesity are obvious due to the excessive amount of fast food restaurants surrounding us that it is the manufactures fault for the constant weight gain in America today but they fail to realize that it is not the food manufactures who force us to consume their food. People tend to blame the manufactures for the health issues today in America, but obesity is not something that needs to be addressed as a nation, it is more of a personal problem, food manufactures have not changed much throughout the years besides boosting their prices, and fast food branches may hand out toys and other objects that would appeal to adolescents but that does not put them at fault for the individuals who consume their food.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Fast Food in the Cafeteria

    • 1360 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Based on 2009 US Industry report, there were 303,989 fast food locations in the US alone. “Fast food was the main food source for up to 38% of children” stated researcher Shanthy Bowman, PhD, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Maryland. She also demonstrated that when kids eat fast food, they eat more food all day long and over one year time period, a child can pack on 6 extra pounds because of high fast food eating. The result of overeating is a nation that is becoming obese and overweight. The result of obesity? More illness and soaring healthcare problems.When we say fast food, we are thinking 'junk food ' yum...(insert drool here). Fast food has become one and the same from hamburgers to pizzas, to French fries, hot dogs and more. Fast food has high calories, fats, saturated fats, sugar and salt content. The fats, sugar, and salt in fast food draw us kids like a magnet and because fast food doesn 't contain much fiber we don 't feel full afterward so we tend to eat more later on. Compared with kids didn 't eat fast food, fast food eaters ate an average of 187 more calories a day. At that rate, “the child would gain 6 extra pounds each year, if they didn 't get enough exercise to burn…

    • 1360 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Obesity In America

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In general, Americans have become extremely lazy especially with the food we eat. Not only are we lazy with food but also with exercise as well which is a huge cause for obesity. “Thus, many working people have less time to take part in activates. In addition, after a long day’s…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Yves Engler, a Canadian writer and political activist, claims obesity is an epidemic in America caused mostly by corporations. He declares that obesity is the biggest health crisis in America, and that America is one of the most over weight and obese countries in the world. Engler pronounces that 127 million adults are now overweight and 60 million are obese. He believes that corporations such as the auto industry and fast food restaurants such as MacDonald’s, are to blame for people being over-weight and obese. A large number of fast food restaurants are distributed all over the country and they are continuing to cram more in cities.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    If society is allowed to blame obesity on a fast food restaurant, then it will start a downward spiral with no end in sight. Are casinos to blame for gambling addictions? Are tobacco companies to blame for cancer? With this mindset, one can do anything they want and never accept responsibility for any of it. Personal responsibility must be reinforced if we are going to accomplish anything. The only one to blame for the decision to eat a cheeseburger, gamble away your income, or light up a cigarette is the person that makes the decision. We are seeing more and more frivolous lawsuits making their way through the courts and judges are awarding plaintiffs on even the most ridiculous suits. Yes, fast food restaurants are bad for our health, but so are cigarettes and alcohol.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays