Section 1: This bill will propose eliminating trans fat in the United States. Section 2: Congress hereby finds that trans fat is ruining America’s health with high medical costs, more health problems, and lastly, jeopardizing its youth’s health. Obesity is one of the major health problems that America faces today. Trans fat contributes to an unhealthy lifestyle, and if it is gone in America’s diet, people can become a bit healthier than right now. It is in most things that people eat, even without their knowledge. It can indirectly raise people’s medical costs, and make them feel more sluggish. Another reason to remove trans fat is also because it raises the risk of health problems. Digesting two to three grams a day can increase the risks of heart disease, bad cholesterol, obesity, type II diabetes, and much more. Since “more than a third of the adult population is obese”, this indirecting is a bad influence to the younger growing generations . Seeing adults eat junk food, they will be encouraged to eat the same kind of food. Food that contains trans fat in it tastes better and since it makes people desire it, people will crave more of it. It is also cheap, and since most people do not have that much money, it is a win-win situation least on the short run. Over time, if they continue this, they will develop health problems. Most Americans can not change their diets overnight, but with more knowledge about trans fat, this can be a revelation to people to slowly eat healthier and be healthier. It is time for change in America. Trans fat helps contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle by causing people to pay more to not be sick. In 2008, “medical cost for obesity was nearly $150 billion dollars”, which can be avoided if people try... ... middle of paper ... ...g in Adults, Study Finds." New York Times, , sec. Editorial, October 17, 2012. http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=ST135623-0-1117&artno=0000346232&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=Trans fatty acids&title=Cholesterol Is Falling in Adults, Study Finds&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N (accessed November 20, 2013). Pronovost, Peter. "More Coordination Would Help." Wall Street Journal Online , April 21, 2013. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323741004578419031512580080 (accessed February 18, 2014). Tavernise , Sabrina. "F.D.A. Seeking Near Total Ban on Trans Fats." New York Times, , sec. Editorial, November 08, 2013. http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=ST135623-0-1117&artno=0000356676&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=Trans fatty acids&title=F.D.A. Seeking Near Total Ban on Trans Fats&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N (accessed November 20, 2013).
In addition, the fast food industry’s main goal is to produce profit, and advertisements for unhealthy nutrition options flood schools, television, billboards, and multitudes of other outputs, all places where young children can view endorsements for fast food. Drawing a parallel between fast food and tobacco, Fed Up claims that soda resembles the cigarettes of the 21st century and that both of these toxins present many future health implications. While continuing to discuss long term effects of unhealthy food and eating habits, various scientific researchers and individuals share that up to “40% of non-obese people have metabolic diseases” (Fed Up). While not everyone may appear overweight or obese, they may have diabetes, heart related problems, high blood pressure, and/or numerous other health concerns. Overall, Stephanie Soechtig’s Fed Up discusses the issues of obesity and how private provide and special interests place themselves above public
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
“Some trans fats are good for you: study.” 8 Apr. 2008 Edmonton Journal. 1 Apr. 2011
Jacobson, Michael. "Trans Fat Drop Huge Public Health Progress, Says CSPI ~ Newsroom ~ News from CSPI ~ Center for Science in the Public Interest." Trans Fat Drop Huge Public Health Progress, Says CSPI ~ Newsroom ~ News from CSPI ~ Center for Science in the Public Interest. CPSI, 18 Feb. 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
It’s no secret that the U.S. is encouraging people to pursue healthier lifestyles in order to combat the obesity epidemic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have recently joined the fight against obesity by advocating for the elimination of Trans fats from the American food supply (Tavernise, 2013). Not to mention the policy initiates that have been created in order to help combat childhood obesity (the Let’s Move policy initiative). Simply put, the nation’s p...
The government plays an important part in our safety, but many people think they take it too far. Recently, people have thought more and more about how much involvement the government should have when it comes to food regulations. Some people think the government's involvement in regulating food would greatly help obesity rates, and others think the country's obesity rates would show little to no improvement. Although no one cause of obesity exists, and no government regulations will likely alter someone’s lifestyle choices, the government should implement some regulations by implementing programs to educate and encourage citizens to lead a healthier life and by requiring companies to list a full disclosure of ingredients on their products.
Kalaidis, Jen. "Should the U.S. Adopt a Fat Tax?" The Week. N.p., 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 May 2014.
In a study from 2010, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) found that the number one cause of death, killing 597,689 people each year, is heart disease. A major cause of heart disease is obesity, meaning that obesity kills many people in the united states each year. “In 1999-2000, 27.5% of men were obese, and by 2009-2010 the prevalence had increased to 35.5%” (Ogden, et al. 4). It is obvious that obesity is on the rise in our country. “the most recent national data on obesity prevalence among U.S. adults, adolescents, and children show that more than one third of adults and almost 17% of children and adolescents were obese in 2009-2010.” (Ogden, et al. 6). If the trends continue, obesity will become an epidemic, killing thousands of people. The CDC defines obesity as having a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or higher. In some instances, this can be misleading. For some people, say athletes that have plenty of muscle and not much body fat, their BMI can indicate they are overweight. Nevertheless, it is still a good indicator for the general public. And studies have shown, using the BMI system, that obesity in America is on the rise.
Harvard School of Public Health “Shining the spotlight on trans fats.” Harvard Nutrition source, n.d.
Katan, MB. "High-oil compared to low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets in the prevention of ischemic heart disease." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 66:974-979, Oct. 1997
...d,” (Bittman). Bittman uses these statistics to show how hyperprocessed foods and sugary beverages have impacts America. Since the percentage of obese individuals continuously rises, Bittman believes that the government should step in and protect the health of individuals by establishing a new tax on junk food. People sense the urgency within Bittman’s article, since he believes it is time for the government to step in. Throughout history people have always wanted to limit the control of the government and only sought their help in dire situations; therefore, if the government is becoming involved in the weight gain problem, it must be a big problem.
Stronger regulatory rules need to be enforced by the government on fast food and junk food because the effects of unhealthy foods not only have a negative impact on Americans, but also on a global scale. It was reported on September 8, 2013 by news website, rt.com, that “from Mexico to Qatar, obesity rates are soaring to unprecedented levels. The alarming trend is damaging economic performance, as well as the health of millions of consumers worldwide.” Though fast food and junk food are factors to the rise in obesity rates, they are, however, not the only contributing factors to the increase of overweight people. Rt.com also states, “[take] our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, mix in a generous portion of American fast-food and dubious agricultural practices, add a dash of corporate duplicity and you have a recipe for high obesity rates across the planet.” Continuing this type of lifestyle could only lead to more negative outcomes and, possibly, to the destruction of everyone. The only way to make great changes is to start by making smaller changes.
By taking a stand against the rise of obesity, America’s bodies will be in healthy condition, and are able to be the positive motivation for others to follow. Once more people choose to live a happy and healthful life, the decrease of obesity will begin to show. The solution to solving the issue of obesity in America can be possible by: eating healthier foods, getting proper exercise, and setting boundaries on what fast-food industries can sell to customers. People need to get up and get moving for the problem of obesity and its trail of nasty effects will consume the healthy way of life everyone knows today.
In America over 300,000 people are obese and that number continues to grow because the about of junk food that is being consumed. This cost the economy one hundred billion dollars. That more damage done than smoking or drinking. (Crowley, Michael 5) There are other health problems, such as heart diseases, chronic diseases, and type-two diabetes that occur because of junk food. Increasing the price of junk food, by adding tax, researchers hope that this will prod people to reject unhealthy foods. Taxes will also encourage a healthier lifestyle, even in low-income families (Franck, Caroline 2).
For most people, the phrase , “you are what you eat”, rings more than just a few bells. In a growing visually appeasing society it may come as a surprise however that most Americans are overweight and that poor diet/obesity is a leading cause of death in our country. There are many ways that Americans try and attack this problem, the most common being dieting and exercise. Yet with all the money spent yearly on diet programs and personalized fitness regimens, Americans still top off the list in percentage of adults that are overweight. As of 2010, more than one third of all Americans were overweight and that number continues to climb at an alarming rate. In 2012 , there was an estimated twenty billion dollars in revenue for any and all diet books, diet drugs, and surgeries (1). Capitalism has a say so clearly, one aspect of the money is pushing the mentally weak toward fatty foods, the other form is racking in twenty billion on improper self discipline and fitness fads of those trying to be the opposite. Even with the increasing numbers of diets and obesity prevention programs, American obesity remains an instable issue. In our society obesity has become a primary link to heart diseases and other preventable lifestyle illnesses that can lead to early death. Why is our society overweight, and why is it our attempts to correct the issue have yet to yield positive results? Without the proper understanding that obesity is a social disease, our society will continue to seek quick fixes for obesity and never address the ongoing issue at it's core.