Is America Taking it too Far by Blaming Fast Food for High Obesity Rates?

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Recommended: Fast food is injurious to health

In 2013, a poll was taken making the United States the second fattest country in the world, following Mexico (NYPost, “Mexico Beats US to be World’s Fattest Country-”). So the questions stands, is America taking it too far by blaming fast food for the obesity rate? After all, It is the individuals choice where, and what to eat, but on another note, fast food restaurants have a very appealing way in getting buyers, and basically tricking society into eating processed junk food that is high in calories and fats. Even though it is the individual’s decision what to eat, fast food is one of the main reasons for obesity. It is cheap, easily accessible, and fast, but it also problem causing and very dangerous to our bodies.

Since fast food is cheap that means it is made with cheap ingredients, which have limited nutritional value. Studies show that access to health foods like veggies and fruits are almost nonexistent. Since 1970, the fast food industry has doubled, and the percentage of overweight children has tripled (Yancy, “Solutions”). Do not be fooled, even though the logos and slogans might be appealing, the industry is just advertising a highly processed meal full of cheap ingredients, fats, calories and sodium. Some of the ingredients even include pink slime and meat fillers that may be harmful to the body (Barclay, “Is It Safe to Eat ‘Pink Slime’?”).

The fast food industry has made their food so easily accessible that there is a drive-thru on almost every intersection and on every block, but that is not all, they have even been seen in gas stations and local supermarkets. That means there is not even a need for a meal plan, or to go grocery shopping. There is no need to cook at home either. The second a person pulls up to t...

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Action Coalition Fast Food is it the Enemy. OAC, 2014. Web. 13 Apr, 2014.

NYPost. “Mexico Beats US to be World’s Fattest Country- but We’re Still a Close Second.” New York

Post. N.p., 9 July 2013. Web. 7 May 2014.

Phillips, Stone. “Who’s to Blame for the U.S. Obesity Epidemic?” MSNBC.com.

DatelLine: NBC, 19 July 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

Schlosser, Eric, and Charles Wilson. Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know about

Fast Food. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 2013. Print.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Darkside of the All-American Meal. N.P.: Schlosser,

2002. Print.

Yancy, Clyde, Dr. “Solutions: Dealing with Americas Obesity Problem.” Washington Times. The

Washington Times, 16 Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

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