As you probably already know, obesity is a major issue in America. There are many Americans struggling to stay at a healthy weight. Obesity is everywhere in our society, but the question is why? Why are there so many obese Americans? This question is hard to answer because there are so many different angles and ways of looking at the situation. First, lets just state the facts. America is very fast pace. We as Americans are always going somewhere. The average American life is very commercial and demands a lot of time. If we are not here we are there and we barely have enough time to do it all in one day. When lunch and dinner time roll around it is more appealing to take the easy way out. That is to go to the fast food restaurant right next down the street. You walk in, order, and within a few minutes you are out of there and on to your next activity. This process probably sounds pretty familiar. Places like Taco Bell, McDonald's, KFC, and many others pull you in using the most valuable idea in American society...convenience. Most fast food places like the ones mentioned above are very appealing after a long day at work and your child's soccer game coming up in thirty minutes. It is easy and quick. No waiting in front of an oven for an hour and no dirty dishes to clean. The problem with this fast food business is that fast food is not always healthy. In fact most of the time it is very unhealthy and fattening. Because it needs to be so fast, the restaurants don't have time to worry about whether or not the food is actually good for people. Most will sell the public whatever they can in order to keep business thriving, even if the food causes extreme weight gain. Now that it has been established that fast food restaurants can cause weight gain another question arises. Who is at fault? The individuals who consume the unhealthy food or the corporations who sell the unhealthy food? The answer to this question could go both ways. In my opinion, both sides are at fault. It is the individuals choice to consume the food, but it is very disappointing to think that corporations would sell this unhealthy food without thinking twice or even not being truthful about the ingredients (which sometimes is the case). The individual has to regulate how much fast food they are taking in at a time and how often they are doing so. Yes, we as Americans need to make smarter decisions when it comes to the food we eat, but the corporations need to consider what they are selling to the public. Either way changes need to be made on behalf of the lives of millions. Whether the individuals or the corporations are more at fault, obesity needs to be eliminated.
Picture by: phototram
Dear Britney,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post. I am very interested in what fast food really contains and recently I have been doing a little bit of investigation for myself. I have really started to take note of the negative effects fast food has on me, and I want to know why.
The idea that fast food means "No waiting in front of an oven for an hour and no dirty dishes to clean," hits the nail on the head for me. I often find myself wondering what to do for dinner when I am so hungry that I could eat a horse. It is that feeling of, I want to eat NOW, that leads me astray to a fast food restaurant, or really just a restaurant in general. I hate washing the dishes and if going out to eat means I don't have to wash them, I'll go out.
Though, I do not really agree with the fact that both sides of the obesity equation are at fault. So what if the fast food companies make the food unhealthy? It is 100% your decision to eat it. We all know what is in the fast food. Saying that it is the companies' fault for America's obesity just isn't right. It is like the woman who sued McDonald's because she got a fresh cup of coffee, and promptly spilled it on herself. She sued because the cup did not say anything about the contents being hot. It's fresh coffee, it's hot. It's fast food, it's unhealthy. It is just a known fact.
I do appreciate hearing your opinion. I really enjoy seeing other's vantage points. I expect to be visiting your blog again soon.
Zebra
Dear Briney,
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you that most Americans like to take the easy way out. When we're on the run, or have been on the run all day, we like to just get food and be done with it.
I loved when you said "It is easy and quick." I really liked this because, intentional or not, the sentence was easy and quick just like fast food is. It really stood out for me.
I really agree with your take on the woman who sued McDonalds. "She sued because the cup did not say anything about the contents being hot. It's fresh coffee, it's hot." Obviously coffee is going to be hot, and it will burn you. She's suing because she got burnt and McDonalds is getting burnt (pun intended!) because so many people blame them, when they shouldn't, for obesity.
I really enjoyed this blog post and I look forward to reading more from you.
Cardinal
Dear Britney,
ReplyDeleteI hole hearted agree with some of the aspects covered in this blog. If we stick on this trend of connivence above all else we are headed for a slippery slope.
"The average American life is very commercial and demands a lot of time." This is very true, personally I feel like I'm always going 100 mph just to keep up. It is very hard not to let this effect you around meal time.
"Who is at fault?" I've got to say its all the consumers fault. Corporations would not sell something that people are not willing to buy. Its up to each person to make time to find a healthy meal and stay away from everything that is saturated in fat.
Thank you for sharing your opinion. It defiantly made me think a little bit. I'll be sure to come back to see what else is going on.
Kudu