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Chunky as Charged: Fast Food Restaurants Aren’t to Blame for Obesity Problem in The U.S.?
Obesity is something that the United States has struggled with for quite some time. As time goes by, more and more people are becoming obese. Why? How do all of these people allow themselves to become obese? Many people point the finger at our nation’s fast-food restaurants, blaming their unhealthy foods and cheap prices on the obesity issue. Indeed, many of these fast-food restaurants are guilty of providing inadequate, unhealthy foods to our nations’ citizens at relatively low prices, but they are not the sole factor in our obesity problem. Actually, more than one big factor plays the part in our obesity problem: agriculture, industrialization, our economy, and our nation’s citizens as a whole.
Agriculture in the United States changes all of the time. Whether that means changing what food that the livestock eats or enhancing crops with pesticides, farmers are always pressured to provide the quickest and most efficient food possible in order to compete with other farmers and to make a profit. In addition, many farmers have contracts with companies that sell meat and crops. Farmers are constantly pressured to produce tons of food in the quickest way possible in order to meet consumer demand. As a result, farmers are mass-producing livestock and crops. These final products are somewhat artificial in their instance. They aren’t as developed as a plant or an animal would be if it were given time to grow and mature, making them unhealthier than a natural plant or animal. The more of these unhealthy foods the consumers eat, the more obese the consumer will then be.
Another key factor played in our obesity dilemma is industrialization. In the past, the main source of income in the United States was agriculture. However, following the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, Americans have switched to an immobile society. People spend their work hours sitting at an office instead of working in the field. Without the manual labor that agriculture takes, individuals must rely on exercise on their own time in order to stay in shape. Many Americans simply don’t have enough time in their day to exercise because of long work hours, taking care of kids, or being involved with other activities in their lives. As a result, people start gaining more and more weight without burning it off until they are classified as obese.
A third key factor in our nation’s obesity problem is the United States economy. Recently, the United States economy hasn’t been the greatest. More and more Americans are struggling with poverty and unemployment. Our nation is trillions of dollars in debt, despite the constant high taxes being placed on its citizens. Because of poverty and unemployment, Americans can’t afford to pay for healthy meals. As a result, Americans find it easier to buy fast food because of their cheaper prices. They can buy more fast food at a cheap price other than a little amount of healthy food at the same price. In other words, one can feed his or her entire family with fast food but can only feed his or herself with the same price of healthy food. Many Americans are buying fast food, resulting in the rise in obesity.
The final key factor in our obesity problem is the consumers as a whole. Corporations and fast food restaurants aren’t at fault because they are just trying to make a profit and to serve their customers. Consumers seem to blame the fast food industry for our obesity problem and do not blame themselves at all. Instead of wasting time complaining about the obesity issue, why not try and fix the problem? Why not take the time to study the ingredients in foods before making a purchase? Why not cook more and go out to eat a little less? Sure, some Americans can’t afford to buy healthy foods all of the time, but does that mean they can’t at least attempt to find places that sell cheap, healthy foods? The obesity problem is going to continue to be an issue if the consumers don’t take the initiative to read labels and be more aware to the situation at hand.
Yet, some readers may challenge my view by insisting that fast food restaurants are the sole cause of obesity. They argue that fast-food restaurants hide fattening ingredients from the consumer to make that meal look healthier. They might also argue that burgers and fries are made in tons of grease to give them flavor. Of course, many restaurants do, in fact, hide ingredients from their customers and cook foods in extremely unhealthy ways. However, it is up to the consumer to decide whether the food is unhealthy.
Overall, fast food restaurants cannot be the sole cause of obesity in the United States because too many factors play key roles in our obesity problem. Agriculture, industrialization, the economy, and the consumers all play important roles in trying to fix this problem that has been haunting our nation for the past 20 years. Fast food restaurants need to provide their customers with more knowledge about the food they eat, while the customers need to take the time to read the labels and know what they’re putting in to their systems. If we as Americans use this knowledge to our advantage, we can take that step closer to becoming healthier as a nation.
Obesity is something that the United States has struggled with for quite some time. As time goes by, more and more people are becoming obese. Why? How do all of these people allow themselves to become obese? Many people point the finger at our nation’s fast-food restaurants, blaming their unhealthy foods and cheap prices on the obesity issue. Indeed, many of these fast-food restaurants are guilty of providing inadequate, unhealthy foods to our nations’ citizens at relatively low prices, but they are not the sole factor in our obesity problem. Actually, more than one big factor plays the part in our obesity problem: agriculture, industrialization, our economy, and our nation’s citizens as a whole.
Agriculture in the United States changes all of the time. Whether that means changing what food that the livestock eats or enhancing crops with pesticides, farmers are always pressured to provide the quickest and most efficient food possible in order to compete with other farmers and to make a profit. In addition, many farmers have contracts with companies that sell meat and crops. Farmers are constantly pressured to produce tons of food in the quickest way possible in order to meet consumer demand. As a result, farmers are mass-producing livestock and crops. These final products are somewhat artificial in their instance. They aren’t as developed as a plant or an animal would be if it were given time to grow and mature, making them unhealthier than a natural plant or animal. The more of these unhealthy foods the consumers eat, the more obese the consumer will then be.
Another key factor played in our obesity dilemma is industrialization. In the past, the main source of income in the United States was agriculture. However, following the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century, Americans have switched to an immobile society. People spend their work hours sitting at an office instead of working in the field. Without the manual labor that agriculture takes, individuals must rely on exercise on their own time in order to stay in shape. Many Americans simply don’t have enough time in their day to exercise because of long work hours, taking care of kids, or being involved with other activities in their lives. As a result, people start gaining more and more weight without burning it off until they are classified as obese.
A third key factor in our nation’s obesity problem is the United States economy. Recently, the United States economy hasn’t been the greatest. More and more Americans are struggling with poverty and unemployment. Our nation is trillions of dollars in debt, despite the constant high taxes being placed on its citizens. Because of poverty and unemployment, Americans can’t afford to pay for healthy meals. As a result, Americans find it easier to buy fast food because of their cheaper prices. They can buy more fast food at a cheap price other than a little amount of healthy food at the same price. In other words, one can feed his or her entire family with fast food but can only feed his or herself with the same price of healthy food. Many Americans are buying fast food, resulting in the rise in obesity.
The final key factor in our obesity problem is the consumers as a whole. Corporations and fast food restaurants aren’t at fault because they are just trying to make a profit and to serve their customers. Consumers seem to blame the fast food industry for our obesity problem and do not blame themselves at all. Instead of wasting time complaining about the obesity issue, why not try and fix the problem? Why not take the time to study the ingredients in foods before making a purchase? Why not cook more and go out to eat a little less? Sure, some Americans can’t afford to buy healthy foods all of the time, but does that mean they can’t at least attempt to find places that sell cheap, healthy foods? The obesity problem is going to continue to be an issue if the consumers don’t take the initiative to read labels and be more aware to the situation at hand.
Yet, some readers may challenge my view by insisting that fast food restaurants are the sole cause of obesity. They argue that fast-food restaurants hide fattening ingredients from the consumer to make that meal look healthier. They might also argue that burgers and fries are made in tons of grease to give them flavor. Of course, many restaurants do, in fact, hide ingredients from their customers and cook foods in extremely unhealthy ways. However, it is up to the consumer to decide whether the food is unhealthy.
Overall, fast food restaurants cannot be the sole cause of obesity in the United States because too many factors play key roles in our obesity problem. Agriculture, industrialization, the economy, and the consumers all play important roles in trying to fix this problem that has been haunting our nation for the past 20 years. Fast food restaurants need to provide their customers with more knowledge about the food they eat, while the customers need to take the time to read the labels and know what they’re putting in to their systems. If we as Americans use this knowledge to our advantage, we can take that step closer to becoming healthier as a nation.