Imagine this, cows slaughtered by the millions to be run through machines and processed. After being cut in the most conservative way and added with numerous chemicals and flavorings, it is sent to your McDonalds to be labeled ‘hamburgers’ and sold cheaply to numerous hungry consumers. These and other common products, such as snack and fast foods, are the main cause of the obesity epidemic in America.
The solution for the obesity epidemic lies mainly in adequate, daily physical activity and achieving a balance between calories consumed and calories used up. So to sum it up we must consume fewer calories and burn more. Snack and fast foods are the main cause of the obesity epidemic because they are extremely cheap and still very pleasing to the taste buds. This statement is supported in an article titled “Chea Food Blamed for America’s Obesity Crisis”, written by Linda Caroll, and Madelyn Fernstrom. They state “…the main reason we’re getting fatter — all of us — is because we are surrounded by tasty temptations that cost very little, from fast food menus to processed snack foods…” This backs that cheap food is causing America’s obesity crisis because it shows that fast foods are so cheap and still very appetizing. Another reason that snack and fast foods are the main cause of the obesity epidemic is that our survival instincts drive us to eat a lot, and nowadays we don’t need to because our food is so full of fats, sodium, and other unhealthy substances. This is also supported by Carrol and Fernstrom.
The authors state that humans survival instincts drive them to eat as much as possible to prevent starvation, but that it is not necessary in our world today. In our world, there is plentiful and cheap food at every intersection and corner and naturally, we are driven to feast upon this abundance before it isn’t abundant anymore. What our body doesn’t realize is that we don’t need this food all the time because it is way more full of those unhealthy substance’s. Some people claim that although fast food and snacks have a role in the obesity epidemic of America, they are not the main cause at all and if fast food is the main problem that we focus on, then we will not be able to overcome this epidemic. One article titled “Turns Out Junk Food Isn’t To Blame For Obesity” written by Kate Bratskeir states that “…for 95 percent of Americans, there is no relationship between how much junk they eat and their weight. While these foods can contribute to weight gain and obesity, these foods are not what’s driving the obesity crisis in America, according to Just.”
This is false because Carrol and Fernstrom showed through several graphs and statistics that as the amount of food at home and the amount of food eaten out have increased so has the average weight of Americans. Similar studies have been shown by Mandal and other authors. The solution for the obesity epidemic lies mainly in adequate, daily physical activity and achieving a balance between calories consumed and calories used up. So there are several things an individual must do. First one must learn to lower the calories consumed each day and increase the number of calories burnt through healthy, physical activity.
