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The evolution of the human body
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Professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, Daniel E. Lieberman, in his op-ed article, “Evolution’s Sweet Tooth,” published in the New York Times on June 6, 2012, addresses the topic of obesity in the United States and argues that human beings have evolved to crave and store sugar, yet in this day in age, sugar production, as well as consumption, has directly contributed to the unhealthy trend of obesity and obesity-related diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. He supports this claim first by responding to Michael R. Bloomberg’s “plan to ban the sale of giant servings of soft drinks in New York City” in order to explain that this will ultimately be a violation of human rights, second by teaching his readers the history
behind adaptation to sugar as a necessity for survival in order for them to fully understand this automatic need for something sweet, and finally by suggesting an imposed tax on all forms of junk food, seeing as how it’s more ethical to make unhealthy choices less achievable than to restrict basic human rights. Lieberman’s purpose is to create coercion among individuals in today’s American society by giving them a greater incentive to strive for a healthy, active lifestyle. He adopts an informative and reasonable tone for his audience, the readers of “Evolution’s Sweet Tooth” and others interested in finding an effective way to fight obesity nationwide.
Many families in America can’t decide what food chain to eat from. In the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan lists four food chains: Industrial, Industrial Organic, Local Sustainable, and Hunter-Gatherer. The Industrial food chain is full of large farms that use chemicals and factories. Industrial Organic is close to it except it doesn’t use as many chemicals and the animals have more space. Local Sustainable is where food is grown without chemicals, the animals have freedom and they eat what they were born to eat. Lastly, Hunter-Gatherer is where you hunt and grow your own food. The omnivore's dilemma is trying to figure out what food chain to eat from. Local Sustainable is the best food chain to feed the United States because it is healthy and good for the environment.
“A Simple Matter of Hunger” narrates the life of Eleanor Wilson, foster mother to an infant with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Monitoring Jancey is full-time work, and it involves dealing with insensitive and ignorant people, incompetent healthcare, and consistent bad news. Although the child is not her own and raising her promises never-ending heartbreak and difficult, Eleanor cares for Jancey as well as any mother can.
American health, specifically our obesity epidemic, has grown into a trending media topic. A quick Google search will bring up thousands of results containing a multitude of opinions and suggested solutions to our nation’s weight gain, authored by anyone ranging from expert food scientists to common, concerned citizens. Amongst the sea of public opinion on obesity, you can find two articles: Escape from the Western Diet by Michael Pollan and The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food by Michael Moss. Each article presents a different view on where the blame lies in this public health crisis and what we should do to amend the issue. Pollan’s attempt to provide an explanation pales in comparison to Moss’s reasonable discussion and viable
In “The Pleasures of Eating” (1990), Berry argues that people have become detached and unknowledgeable by taking food for granted, and should eat responsibly by preparing their own food, learning its origins, and shopping locally. Berry first claims that people in today’s society have become disconnected with what they consume. He says that people have a lack of knowledge that stems from wanting food to be effortless and efficient. He also states that the industrial food industry is somewhat behind this change, and wants to continue to streamline eating until it’s zero effort. He also talks about politics existing in food, with regard to the fact that people cannot
Soechtig uses factual data and statistics to further prove the argument of the increasing rate in poor diet among most Americans. The data used puts into view of how large an issue American’s have on their hands. She provides an example of how much damage one drink can have on your body. She expresses that one soda increases the risk of obesity by 20% (Soechtig, 2014). By using this statistic, Soechtig demonstrates the impact sugar has on one’s health. The statistic challenges the people in the audience who believe the idea that “one won’t hurt.” The director is not criticizing those who drink soda, but does hope to encourage and persuade them to make a switch. Even right now, over half of the American
I am responding to the request to analyze Radley Balko’s article, “What You Eat Is Your Business” and make a recommendation for or against publication in The Shorthorn at University of Texas at Arlington. In order to respond, I have examined the rhetorical appeals of Balko’s piece and determined why this article should be posted in the next edition of The Shorthorn. I believe that the Shorthorn audience would be interested in what is being discussed regarding of obesity, things that could potentially affect their lifestyle as well as the professors. In “What You Eat Is Your Business”, Balko claims that obesity is the responsibility of the individual not the government, and how our government is allowing American to live an unhealthy lifestyle
Ever since the creation of the golden arches, America has been suffering with one single problem, obesity. Obesity in America is getting worse, for nearly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight. This obesity epidemic has become a normal since no one practices any type of active lifestyle. Of course this is a major problem and many wish it wasn 't in existence, but then we start to ask a major question. Who do we blame? There are two articles that discuss numerous sides of this question in their own unique way. “What You Eat is Your Business” by Radley Balko is better than “Don 't Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko due to its position in argument, opposition, and it’s reoccurrence in evidence.
However, the outcome was different from his desired result due to strong protest from the dairy and livestock industry, so the Congress instead urged people to buy lean meat and less fat food so the dairy and livestock industry do not go out of business. This created the fat-free boom in the market in the 1980s. However, food companies began to put more sugar in their products because the taste was bad when they reduced fat in the food. Now, the sugar intake of Americans has doubled compared with before. In the American market, there are approximately 600,000 different food products, and 80% of those include sugar. Although sugar is written in various forms and names, one suggests that it’s bad in any form, especially if taken too much. Sugar consumed naturally through fiber-rich fruit or vegetable should be fine, but the added sweeteners stimulate the hormones that increase insulin. High insulin prevents people from thinking they are full, and thus crave more food. This causes many diseases. Of course one meal high in sugar will not kill them, but the problem is that people generally exceed daily sugar intake in one meal alone when consuming process food. We eat more processed and convenient food instead of fruits, vegetables, and
Time is another big struggle for college students. I know the feeling of applying for classes because it’s tough to decide on if there’s time to get from one class to one another; also if there’s time to get a bite to eat. Wendell Berry’s “The Pleasures of Eating: In What Are People For?” article suggests taking pleasure in eating a few ways to help anyone be a healthier eater, but “time” is an obstacle for the solutions. First off, both Berry and actually Pollan suggest students grow their own food in gardens. Specifically, Berry says to “Participate in food production to the extent” and “You will be fully responsible for any food that you grow for yourself, and you will know all about it. You will appreciate it fully, having known it all
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
In Wendell Berry’s “The Pleasures of Eating,” this farmer tells eaters how their separation from food production has turned them into “passive consumers” who know nothing about the food they eat, or their part in the agricultural process (3). They are blindsided by a food industry that does not help them understand. Berry argues that the average consumer buys available food without any questions. He states consumers that think they are distanced from agriculture because they can easily buy food, making them ignorant of cruel conditions it went through to get on the shelf. Humans have become controlled by the food industry, and regard eating as just something required for their survival. Berry wants this to change as people realize they should get an enjoyment from eating that can only come from becoming responsible for their food choices and learning more about what they eat. While describing the average consumer’s ignorance and the food industry’s deceit, he effectively uses appeals to emotion, logic, and values to persuade people to take charge, and change how they think about eating.
Why are the chronic diseases and obesity rates of America rising? Supposedly, we have a great control of what goes in our foods. We can pick what to exclude or include in our foods and in addition, create or alter compounds from foods. Because of that, what was supposedly created to alleviate the obesity issue actually worsened it. “How?” you may ask. Unlike other aspects in science, the data was the problem. The data was unreliable and inconsistent due to the poorly conducted studies (Pollan, "Unhappy Meals"). The debate between Michael Pollan, the author of “Unhappy Meals” and a lover of whole foods, and David H. Freedman, the author of “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” raises the question whether processed foods or whole foods are the solution to obesity. Pollan
In the article, “The Pleasure of Eating” by Wendell Berry, Berry was right about the fact that there should be a “Food Politics”. This article talks about “eating responsibly” and “eating agriculturally”. If you haven’t heard of these terms, they vary in Berry’s article. So “Eating responsibly” and “Eating agriculturally” basically means that everyone is expected to see and know about what they are eating. Nonetheless, not all fruits and vegetables are healthy. You might need to spend some time to take a look at the brand, price, and the facts about the products. Imagine, if Berry came to your dinner table? How do you get or purchase your food? What will you serve him? If Berry were to show up to my dinner, the best
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans overeat because of 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 to it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised to help prevent American obesity.
Abby Willow once said, “The average American adult consumes 11.7 pounds of chocolate every year- that's the weight of about 6 pairs of shoes!” With so much consumption of chocolate by Americans, it is crucial for the numerous brands to advertise their products in a manner that could potentially dominate their competition in sales. There are endless ways for a company to draw the attention of an audience in order to take over the competition of chocolate sales. Advertising is a key aspect as to how successful a brand may be when compared side-by-side to a similar product. While Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are similar, they are also different; the differences are significant because they demonstrate how some competitors choose to go above and beyond for their advertising while others opt to take a route that is of a more simplistic nature.