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Should government have a say in our diets? introduction
Should government have a say in our diets? introduction
Should government have a say in our diets? introduction
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Helping America?
Imagine a place where one would be controlled by their government. Many people could see this as a vast opportunity to stop obesity. However, this could be detrimental to people where food play’s a big role in one’s life. The government shouldn’t control how much we eat because it would affect the holidays, it would ruin restaurants, and it will affect athletes. In the holiday’s it’s about family time and eating delicious food made by your family. Limiting one’s diet would change people’s yearly life and holidays would be forever changed. For example, Thanksgiving is a holiday known for eating until one is stuffed with turkey and other family traditional foods. Halloween would be no more since candy is too sugary. Kids across the U.S. would throw a fit to their parents, which would cause a parent to feel guilty. All in all, these are American traditions so why change America and focus on the bigger picture. In the “Education Level and Obesity” study it showed that people with less of an education were least likely to be fat (“Education Level and Obesity”). Why would that be? Big companies like McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s are the bigger picture. Selling burgers for a dollar each and still making profit seems ridiculous. Adding on, when big
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Could you handle having your favorite restaurant modified into something different? Sam Kazon, general counsel for the competitive Enterprise Institute said that if calorie counts don’t work on menus than the government will tell restaurants to take further action. Of course the government is going to change how much one can eat, now restaurants will be told what food they bring out. Furthermore, a great number of people in the U.S. passion is making food, by limiting their ideas can cause depression in a great chef’s mind. Ideas for food just wouldn’t be as creative and tasty since they can only work with healthy foods that the government regulates them
Radley Balko, The author of the essay “What You Eat is Your Business”, would agree that in order to stop obesity, we must turn this public problem around and make it everyone’s individual responsibility. Instead of inflicting the importance of personal ownership, government officials, politicians and congress make obesity a public problem by prohibiting junk food in school vending machines, federal funding for new bike trails and sidewalks, and restrictive food marketing to children. Overall I agree that this manipulation of food options is not the proper way to fight obesity, however, I think that government should inform people about the food they are eating because then they have no excuses for not taking responsibility of the actions.
Obesity is very common in America, around 66% of American adults are overweight and nearly 33% are obese, which leads to heart disease, cancer, stroke and many other illness. Furthermore, the consume of fast food is in my opinion one of the worst decisions we can make, the food may be cheaper but it leads directly to overweight problems, and it not only damages our bodies but they undermine local business, farmers, and in the process they support they massive slaughter of animals. Ms. Lappe states “…modern livestock production has steered away toward the industrial-style production to highly destructive overgrazing “(858).By consuming food from fast food industries we support the destruction of lands, and the poor conditions in which the animals we consume are suffering. Moreover, changing from consuming fast food to healthier food is in my opinion a transition every individual should make since we cannot keep supporting the companies that literally destroy our world and our body with our
Julie Guthman, the author of “The Food Police,” brings up the debate about the “epidemic of obesity” giving multiple examples of those who agree there is an epidemic of obesity; as well as those who disagree on the stance such as the author. Guthman brings the idea instead of pushing thin as the new beautiful to make suggestions to the food system so that everyone can benefit from making healthier choices and lives.
Obesity is a serious problem that increases year after year and affects the lives of many Americans. It is a problem that needs to be eradicated, but who is responsible for this problem? Some argue that individuals are responsible for their own weight; that it is a private concern. Some others, on the other hand, argue that it is a public concern; therefore, the government should play a significant role to stop reduce obesity from the public domain. They also argue that advertisements for junk food are factors that increase obesity. As persuasive as the advertisements can be and even with the help of the government, it is our decision to not eat healthy and end up in a state of obesity.
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans over eat because their social problems or because they are hereditary. Many plans have been discussed but finding the solution is the problem. Junk foods and unhealthy beverages have corrupted children’s minds all over the nation and putting a stop on it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised more to help prevent American obesity.
The government must have a say in our diets. Because the issues of obesity have already reached national scales, because the costs of obesity and related health issues have gone far beyond reasonable limits, and because fighting nutritional issues is impossible without fighting poverty and other social issues, the government should control the range and the amount of available foods. The cost of healthier foods should decrease. The access to harmful foods should be limited. In this way, the government will be able to initiate a major shift in nutritional behaviors and attitudes in society.
As many people are trying to put the blame of obesity on restaurants, others, like myself, have a strong opinion that the restaurants have nothing to do with obesity and the customer has the right to order what they would like. Some supporters believe that government should take action to...
Here in the United States, the government has a great deal of influence and say in the way in which people live their daily lives. Everything from the things said on a cell phone to sites searched on the Internet to the laws by which everyone must abide, to say that the government has a fairly decent hold on Americans’ civil liberties would be an understatement. Yes, there is a certain level of freedom here that is not found elsewhere in the world, but there is still quite a bit of government intrusion. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the next step in the government’s desire to exact some level of control and order on American society is through the food on people’s plates. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the levels of obesity among adults have risen from 13% in 1960 to 34% in 2008. In fact, it is predicted that by 2030, 42 percent of Americans will be obese and roughly 11 percent will be morbidly obese, which means they are carrying more than 100 pounds of excess weight (Marlow, 2012). .
If the government is slowly trying to slim down American’s, would not give society the right to control their diets. Therefore this makes it easier for them to get into more aspects of their lives. For instance, “The broader issue is this firmly establishes the government’s role in improving the nation’s nutrition,”(Brownell). This statement shows that they are slowly changing the way Americans eat and could possibly change more.
In Read all about it: Calorie counts are everywhere, but do we care? the author, Los Angeles Times and Newsela Staff includes the main idea that being required to include calorie counts on menus in restaurants or other eateries, does not influence customers choices on what they order, as much as the food being served to the consumers. In Calorie counts are everywhere, but do we care?, by Los Angeles Times adapted by Newsela Staff, researchers found in 2012 to 2014 restaurants reduced calorie counts in the food they serve after posting the calorie counts on their own menus because of new laws added. The author states, “The study suggests the help comes from restaurants’ changing what they serve, instead of diners "changing their behavior.” (Los
One billion people are starving to death worldwide while another one billion are gorging to death(C). Many more people are becoming overweight in first world countries, especially those such as Canada where obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980(C). While some countries such as Japan or the Netherlands are improving because of their government’s involvement, the Government of Canada continually does nothing to stop or prevent the increase of obesity nationwide. And while the government and the large food corporations it controls are the main issue surrounding obesity, the general public is just as well to blame for not taking action. Furthermore, the effect obesity has on the healthcare system and the economy as a whole is devastating,
Posting calories is a government law required but all restaurant chains in the nation. labeling food items to help reduce obesity isn't effective because the preponderance of Americans will not be concerned to reading the information posted on food items."critics of the new law also contend that there is little evidence to show that menu labeling leads people to eat better"(Rosenbloom). Even if the supporters of the legislation say it's the right for us to
A great deal of people tend to believe it’s the government responsibility to help people fight obesity. In 2012, the mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg took a huge step to help fight obesity and received a vast amount of criticism and some praise for doing so. Mayor Bloomberg pushed through a ban that prohibited the sale of sugary drinks above 16 ounces (Wall Street Journal). Many people felt as if the ban took away their freedom of choice, but the ban only prohibited the ban of sugary drinks over 16 ounces. In this case, people can buy as many sugary drinks as they want, but none of them will be over 16 ounces. Dr. Michael Tanner stated in the Wall Street Journal that “there should be no doubt that government policies contribute to the obesity epidemic in this country.” Government policies have contributed to the obesity epidemic in a few
We, as society have the tendency to blame the government for all kinds of issues; however, with all the best of intentions, the government is an institution, and institutions are not families. Radley Balko, a policy analyst with the libertarian Cato Institute, argues that “obesity never should have been a public health issue at all. Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food options available to American consumers, our government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of our own health & well-being” (Tartamella, Herscher, & Woolstoon, 2004).
The article stated, “The government has no right, opponents contend, to curtail the food industry’s freedom and consumer choice, through measures like calorie posting requirements and soda taxes” ("Diet and Obesity" par. 9). I strongly agree. Just like it is stated in the Constitution, Americans have a list of rights. The freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and the freedom of petition are a few examples. Does the freedom to eat need to be included? No, because citizens already have the right to choose what they want to eat. There are no laws that say people have to eat a specific kind of food. What people are allowed to eat should be left as a personal decision. If someone chooses to eat unhealthy, they can either choose to be fat or exercise and maintain good health. It, again, is completely up to