America’s Eating Habits.
The issue is that America as a country is over weight and obese. What is causing the problem is arguable it could be the fast food industry with all of its commercial advertisements. It could be our fast paced lifestyles everyone works and it’s easier to pop something in the microwave than to cook a meal from scratch. So much of our food is processed and packed full of preservatives. The fruit and vegetables we have in our super markets are coming from hundreds and hundreds of miles away. Hardly anyone in our country is growing their own food, which is much healthier than processed mass produced food. The question is what should be done to make our country healthier? Is it each individual’s responsibility to worry about themselves? Or should we be worried about or country as a whole and the medical costs that all of us have to endure because of the obesity epidemic.
This is a tough issue. Personally I don’t grow any of my own food. I don’t buy organic food either. In today’s times I don’t know how anyone would find the time to have a garden. Most women work, fewer and fewer women are staying home. Which I think is a good thing for women’s independence, but it also changes the aspects of what a traditional family is. So when you work full time and have kids to come home and make dinner for it is hard to plan out really healthy meals. I honestly would have no clue how to grow a garden. Every house plant I’ve ever gotten has just died on me. My sister in-law has property and a garden. She home cooks everything, she even has chickens. I think her food bill is probably a lot less than other people’s. Especially when you consider how much it costs to go out to eat on a regular basis. But for most of us that lifestyle is unpractical. We don’t have to time to dedicate to gardening or just don’t want to do it. A lot of us would rather buy their produce at the store for the convenience. On the positive side I don’t eat fast food very often. I don’t drink pop or buy chips except for at a birthday party maybe. I do sometimes buy the already made frozen family sized diners because it is convenient and easy. I bought one of those pasta bags that are in the freezer section the other day. The kind where all you have to do is heat it in a pan. I happened to look at the back of the bag before I started cooking it and saw that it had 42 grams of fat per serving!! I was shocked. I couldn’t eat it after that. I don’t think we always realize just how much fat we are eating a day.
I think it is each person’s responsibility to watch what they eat. After all we can’t force people to not become obese. There are things that can be done. In Oregon they just passed a measure that the middle schools and high school can no longer have junk food in their vending machines. I think this is a positive step. The schools should also have gym class everyday not just once a week. They wonder why our children are so over weight in our country but they only do PE once a week. Most kids probably come home from school and park themselves in front of the TV all day. We need to start out with our children learning what is healthy to eat at school. They need to put a bigger emphasis on exercise and health in public schools. The health issues from obesity are staggering. Diabetes, heart attacks and hypertension are all scary illnesses but they don’t seem to be scary enough to prevent people from becoming obese. I have to admit I love chocolate and baking goodies. So it’s hard not to over eat. I think the key is everything in moderation. I’m not over weight and I still enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies often, but I also try not to eat other fatty things like deep fried things a lot. I buy fat free or low fat when ever possible. If you look at the media our culture seems to be either anorexic looking or obese the media doesn’t portray a healthy body image in our country.
As much as our country loves fast food, deep-fried and fatty foods I don’t see our obesity epidemic slowing down any in the future. If anything I think by the time my kids are grown up the majority of Americans will be over weight if not obese. This is an issue that is going to be ever present in our country. All of us as a society will be paying for it with our insurance costs ever rising to keep up with the health expenses involved with obesity.
The issue is that America as a country is over weight and obese. What is causing the problem is arguable it could be the fast food industry with all of its commercial advertisements. It could be our fast paced lifestyles everyone works and it’s easier to pop something in the microwave than to cook a meal from scratch. So much of our food is processed and packed full of preservatives. The fruit and vegetables we have in our super markets are coming from hundreds and hundreds of miles away. Hardly anyone in our country is growing their own food, which is much healthier than processed mass produced food. The question is what should be done to make our country healthier? Is it each individual’s responsibility to worry about themselves? Or should we be worried about or country as a whole and the medical costs that all of us have to endure because of the obesity epidemic.
This is a tough issue. Personally I don’t grow any of my own food. I don’t buy organic food either. In today’s times I don’t know how anyone would find the time to have a garden. Most women work, fewer and fewer women are staying home. Which I think is a good thing for women’s independence, but it also changes the aspects of what a traditional family is. So when you work full time and have kids to come home and make dinner for it is hard to plan out really healthy meals. I honestly would have no clue how to grow a garden. Every house plant I’ve ever gotten has just died on me. My sister in-law has property and a garden. She home cooks everything, she even has chickens. I think her food bill is probably a lot less than other people’s. Especially when you consider how much it costs to go out to eat on a regular basis. But for most of us that lifestyle is unpractical. We don’t have to time to dedicate to gardening or just don’t want to do it. A lot of us would rather buy their produce at the store for the convenience. On the positive side I don’t eat fast food very often. I don’t drink pop or buy chips except for at a birthday party maybe. I do sometimes buy the already made frozen family sized diners because it is convenient and easy. I bought one of those pasta bags that are in the freezer section the other day. The kind where all you have to do is heat it in a pan. I happened to look at the back of the bag before I started cooking it and saw that it had 42 grams of fat per serving!! I was shocked. I couldn’t eat it after that. I don’t think we always realize just how much fat we are eating a day.
I think it is each person’s responsibility to watch what they eat. After all we can’t force people to not become obese. There are things that can be done. In Oregon they just passed a measure that the middle schools and high school can no longer have junk food in their vending machines. I think this is a positive step. The schools should also have gym class everyday not just once a week. They wonder why our children are so over weight in our country but they only do PE once a week. Most kids probably come home from school and park themselves in front of the TV all day. We need to start out with our children learning what is healthy to eat at school. They need to put a bigger emphasis on exercise and health in public schools. The health issues from obesity are staggering. Diabetes, heart attacks and hypertension are all scary illnesses but they don’t seem to be scary enough to prevent people from becoming obese. I have to admit I love chocolate and baking goodies. So it’s hard not to over eat. I think the key is everything in moderation. I’m not over weight and I still enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies often, but I also try not to eat other fatty things like deep fried things a lot. I buy fat free or low fat when ever possible. If you look at the media our culture seems to be either anorexic looking or obese the media doesn’t portray a healthy body image in our country.
As much as our country loves fast food, deep-fried and fatty foods I don’t see our obesity epidemic slowing down any in the future. If anything I think by the time my kids are grown up the majority of Americans will be over weight if not obese. This is an issue that is going to be ever present in our country. All of us as a society will be paying for it with our insurance costs ever rising to keep up with the health expenses involved with obesity.
These are before and after pictures of gastric bypass surgery. This surgery is becoming more and more popular in our country due to the rising rates of obesity. The picture below shows how the stomach is almost removed and then a small pouch is made to hold their food. Because they no longer have a large stomach that can stretch like it use to the person can no longer over eat.
2 comments:
Hi Katie,
I have to agree with you on the fact that most women today don't have the time to make their food from scratch let alone grow it.
Stacy
Katie,
I liked your essay a lot. I agree with you in the sense that most kids come home and watch television all day. Your essay was well informed and well thought out. I liked the pictures you posted especially the one of the gastric bypass.
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