Radley Balko What You Eat Is Your Business

Are Companies At Fault? Or Is It The lack Of Personal Responsibility?

How does one become fat? Is it the lack of responsibility of one's actions to make healthy food choices, the lack of knowledge to know if something is healthy or unhealthy for your body, or television hypnotizing the viewer into buying an unhealthy product? According to surgeon general, obesity has become a health epidemic that needs to be controlled and prevented. Almost a third of America's population is obese and growing. Obesity is also now a wide spread topic that has caught the attention of journalists and health activists. Writers all over America have an opinion on the obesity epidemic such as Radley Balko who wrote the article "What You Eat Is Your Business."
In Balko's article, he argues that the government is attempting to control what Americans consume and that obesity is caused by poor food choices. He tells us that the government is removing junk food and sodas from school vending machines, wanting more labeling (such as warning labels), and restricting food marketing to children. "In other words, bringing government between your waist line" (158). Balko speaks the government is fighting obesity the wrong way by removal of the vending machine snacks, taxing more on higher calorie foods, and having restaurants send their food creations into a nutritional lab to be tested. He thinks the right way to defeat and handle obesity is to give the people a choice to want to be obese or improve your physical self. "... Government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of one's own health and well-being" (158). Balko tells us that "the best way to alleviate the obesity public health crisis is to remove obesity from the realm of public health" (159). Balko thinks that Americans need to be able to choose healthy on their own without the government's interference. If America is educated about food health, the better choice can be made. It is up to the individual to choose a salad or a home cooked meal over a Big Mac. People are smart enough to know what to put into their bodies. Another writer who wrote about obesity is John H.
population obese and that the rate of obesity has doubled within 13 years. He found link through researchers that obesity is connected to 30 other medical conditions and he learned that the epidemic is costing billions of dollars to treat obesity related conditions, and people are putting more faith into weight loss drugs and surgery, rather than naturally losing weight through exercise. He has discovered that FFR are more available in walking distance from a home than supermarkets. "Poor areas often have had an even higher exposure to FFR and fewer super markets..." (174). In Englers studies, fast food products are consumed in greater quantities (175). The amount food you receive has increased into bigger portions and according to angler people consume 30 percent more since 1983. Companies spend billions of dollars to advertise their products and their main target are children. Engler says that animated characters and toy gain the attention of children, thus making the children have their parents come in and eat at the restaurant. "Companies use cartoon characters, toys, and other items to have powerful influence over children" (175). The soda companies invaded schools to gain profit children. Engler's argument is that companies are relentless in selling their unhealthy products and succeeding in their sales. With the company's success