Obesity In America Research Paper

Erikson Pagtaconan
Jon Salunga
English
June 7, 2013 Obesity in the United States In today’s society, obesity has become a growing problem for many individuals. In the past few decades, rate of obesity increased by up to 30.5 percent. We live in a society where being obese is killing off more of the population than smoking itself. A study done by the Center of Disease Control concluded that since the 1980’s, one-third of the American population has become obese. America has been considered the “fattest” country around the globe (Klein 29). During this time, society in the United States was beginning to change. People had started to become obsessed with their own image, and have begun a dieting trend as a result. However, even with …show more content…
The desire for junk food has rapidly replaced the need for fruits and vegetables. Junk food is defined as foods that contain sugar, sodium, chemicals, and fats. Fast food is not only limited to just snacks; fast food was put on the list when the amount of fat, calories and sodium exceeded the nutritional value. American’s are spending $4.6 million per year on potato chips, and $23.5 billion a year on unnecessary sweets (Brownell). About 46% of Americans eat out every night, and one-third of them choose to eat fast food. Today, McDonalds has over 26,000 locations in several countries and Pizza Hut has 10,000. The media is also bombarding people everyday with eye-popping advertisements that persuade consumers to buy fast foods and junk food. People cannot even buy groceries without seeing candy bars next to the checkout counter. When people are in a rush, they can easily purchase fast foods without even getting out of their cars. The food industry is taking the initiative to make the consumer’s life easier in order to provide a way to sell to busy working men/women. However, it does not make preserving our health any easier. A fast food meal such as a McDonalds Big Mac contains 965 calories, which is more than double the amount of fat and sodium a human needs in a day (McDonalds). The food is providing unbeneficial ingredients for the human body. This is the main reason our country is obese, when the …show more content…
Studies have shown that people who are more anxious, depressed have a tendency to eat more. When a depressed person eats to get better, they gain weight, and being overweight can in turn worsen the depression. Obese people are often isolated from others and have trouble being included in events. They are discriminated against which only adds on to emotional strain that overweight people have to deal with. Their depression caused by being obese can lead to a sense of hopelessness, which makes them feel like it is impossible for them to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestlye (Why People Become Overweight). The book, Food as a Drug, describes food as powerful, psychoactive substance and “one way to view eating disorders is to appreciate that food is a complex mixture and that the body responds to food as it does to chemicals, such as those found in alcohol and drugs” (Food as a

Show More