That Serving Sizes Must Be Lowered “63% of Australian adults were overweight or obese in 2011–12, 70% of men and 56% of women. This has increased from 57% in 1995. Being overweight or obese are risk factors for many chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and … cancers.” This dramatic quote from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states the appalling: we are getting fatter and fatter every day. One of the main reasons for this is the giant increase in portion sizes, or “portion distortion”. Firstly, I will explain that portion distortion exists and why it’s a problem. Secondly, I will describe the many benefits of stopping it, and then finally I will convince you that we can stop it. The problems of portion distortion …show more content…
Today this value has inflated to a massive 4 288 kilojoules – more than double. You would have to houseclean for 2 hours and 35 minutes to burn off the extra 2 228 kilojoules. Similarly, back then, a bag of hot chips was 830 kilojoules. However, today it is 2 552 kilojoules. You’d need to go out on a 1 hour and 10 minute walk just to burn off the extra 1 673 kilojoules. The list goes on and on. Also, a Large Big Mac Meal has a massive 6025 kilojoules in it. This is more than the recommended dinner for anyone. It is even larger than the DAILY kilojoule intake for most sedentary people (who are the people who eat big macs the most). Leading on from that, according to a 2001 Cornell University study, “Moviegoers who had rated the popcorn as tasting relatively unfavourable ate 61% more popcorn if randomly given a large container than a smaller one. Moviegoers who had rated the popcorn as relatively favourable ate 49% more when the container size was increased.” Now, to the health risks. Weight gain is obviously the most common risk associated with over-eating, however weight gain can lead to obesity which can lead on to a whole host of problems, including (according to …show more content…
We can stop this by making ads for overeating, and portion distortion. Most overweight Australians know that they’re overweight, and they do want to get healthier, they just could not be bothered exercising. That’s why all those weight loss milkshake ads work – they appeal to their desire to be healthier. If the government created ads like that, along with smoking ad-style ads and better education websites, it would work. Some may say that it’s the people’s choice how much food they want to eat, and I totally agree with them. That’s why I proposed ads and other forms of education over government legislation. If everyone was educated well about portion sizes, it’s more likely that they will make better choices that will affect all of us. In conclusion, portion distortion is one of the most major reasons for the massive amount of overweight Australians and it must be stopped. Firstly, there are many reasons why it’s bad, secondly, it affects all of us, and finally, portion distortion can be stopped. Here is a quote from Hippocrates: “Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” This is our opportunity to make many healthy. Thank
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.
Both the risk factors and the effects of obesity are now more terrifying than any other preventable disease to both the population and the economy of Canada. In a survey of seventeen developed countries, Canada placed only tenth in life expectancy and wellbeing, while placing fourth in the highest spending on healthcare(Flood). A large factor in Canada’s state of poor well-being is obesity; obesity causes one in ten premature deaths of people aged twenty to sixty-four(Ogilvie) and is a leading cause of many life-threatening illnesses: “Obesity is recognized as a major and rapidly worsening public health problem that rivals smoking as a cause of illness and premature death. Obesity has been linked with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, gallbladder disease, some forms of cancer, osteoarthritis,
[4] National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Cancer Institute. “Larger Portion Sizes Contribute to U.S. Obesity Problem.” News & Events, NHLBI, NIH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
Overweight and obesity problem is becoming more and more serious in Australia. Not only Australians but also the world’s problem obesity is studied as one of the main causes of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and some cancers and sleep apnoea as well as other serious conditions, which put national economies and individual lives at risk. Obesity is also regarded as epidemic. Obesity is caused by a calorific imbalance between diet intake and consumed calories. Obesity has become the biggest threat to Public Health in Australia shown by Australia Bureau of Statistics (2013). Also, the prevalence of obesity is predicted as the ratio of obesity in adults and children will be doubled by 2025 (Backholer et al.2012). It is believed that this phenomenon is happening due to many social determinants of health, which have a strong negative impact on not only individuals but also society and economy. (Wilkinson and Marmot 2003) The social determinants of health are explained as conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age by WHO (Wilkinson & Marmot 2013). Different circumstances can be formed depending on their finance, power and global resources. These social determinants seem to be responsible for health inequities, which seem to be unfair and avoidable. Social determinants of health including social gradient, high calorie food intake, excessive amounts of stress and poor early life care are the relevant factors to contribute to be or being obesity. It is important to understand that the correlation of social determinants of health and obesity to manage the health problems and enhance public’s health.
Research studies say Obesity is in charge for a large number of early deaths every year in England, and decrease life expectation by an average of nine years. Therefore this document will discuss the major factors that contribute both causes and health risk includes a possible prevention. In general, Why do people become obese and what are the major health risks they would expand in the future?
Obesity is a factor that takes a huge toll on our country. Former general surgeon Richard Carmona wrote a report about how obesity isn't a small factor:
The fight against obesity is not the responsibility of any one person or group. It will take an entire reevaluation of what we consider appropriate or trendy in our nation. As Judith Warner stated in her article, Junking Junk Food, it took the entire nation coming together and regulating our food consumption during World War II. She states that only by approaching the problem on two fronts were we able to succeed. By educating people about nutrition, and making eating healthy a public concern rather than one targeted at individuals will we be able to make a comeback against this epidemic.
The greatest impact on reducing dependence on fossil fuels could begin at home. All around us are devices that consume energy even as we do nothing with them. Known colloquially as “vampire power”, these devices in standby power mode continue to consume energy as they are never actually “off”. Studies by Ross and Meier (2001) have shown that the average household can have up to 40 different devices consuming energy, from clocks to microwaves and DVD players to television, these devices add up to, between, 5% and 26% of the total electricity consumption in a household – energy likely produced at the cost of burning fossil fuels, both in production of the electricity and the transportation of the fuels themselves.
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.
The obesity epidemic remains one of the nation’s most serious health crises, putting millions of people at increased risk for a range of chronic diseases and costing the country billions of dollars in preventable healthcare spending. There is a growing epidemic of obesity in Australia and also worldwide. The commonness of obesity has doubled to 65% of the world’s population live in countries where obesity and overweight kills more people than underweight does (WHO, 2014). Intrusions and preventions have become key strategies in reducing the impact of the obesity. This include the involvement of the healthcare, government, and the media. In addition, media usage may deliver auspicious opportunities to certainly affect the problem. Leading policy
The following statistic helps to depict the current situation in regards to obesity levels in the UK. According to The Health Survey for England: Adult Reference Tables (1997, cited in The Department of Health) “Obesity has risen dramatically over the last five years - 17 per cent of men are now obese, compared with 13 per cent in 1993, and almost 20 per cent of women are now obese compared with 16 per cent in 1993.
Overweight people are affected by physical and emotional health problems. A few of the most common physical problems related to obesity include asthma, hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and sleep problems (Kids Health.org). Other known risk factors are coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and some forms of cancer (win@info.niddk.nih.gov). These health conditions are becoming more and more common, society needs to promote this generation towards a healthier life style. Furthermore, schools need to better educate kids on the detrimental factors of obesity beforehand. In addition,
With obesity can come many other diseases or health problems. For example, people who are obese are more likely to develop heart problems, diabetes, or high blood pressure (Loop).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Over the course of the last few decades, the U.S. has seen a drastic rise in the spread of obesity. Through the rise of large-scale fast food corporations, the blame has shifted toward the mass consumerism of these global industries. It is, however, due to poor lifestyle choices that the U.S. population has seen a significant increase in the percentage of people afflicted with obesity. In 1990 the percentage of obese people in the United States was approximated at around 15%. In 2010, however, it is said that “36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher”(Millar). These rates have stayed consistent since 2003. The obesity problem in America is
March 17, 2014. Hinrichs, Roger ; Kleinbach, Merlin. Energy, Its Use and the Environment. 2013. The. Print.