Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Who is to be Blamed for Obesity in America?
As humans, when something goes wrong we naturally have the urge to place the blame on someone or something other then ourselves. Since obesity is an issue on the rise we are looking for something that can be blamed for this problem that so many people are faced with. So who really is to be blamed for obesity in America? Nutrition plays a big and important role in a healthy lifestyle and weight control. Should the processed food industry be blamed or not blamed for the obesity in this country? According to Lorraine Heller author of the article The Obesity Blame Game, the food industry is not to blame. The food industry has started to make changes in the products that are being produced as this quote from her article shows, "General Mills reformulated its cereals to be made with whole grains; PepsiCo reformulated its snacks without trans fats; Kellogg slashed sugar from its products; Kraft introduced the concept of 100-calorie packs." However there are those who don't recognize this an important change and tend to blame the food industry for obesity. As the author of Is the Food Industry to Blame for Our Rising Obesity Problem? sees it, "the allegedly more-healthy-for-you products may still contain lots of sugar, high fructose corn syrup or other unhealthy processed components."What do you think? Do you agree that the food industry is making changes toward a healthier American or do you think that they could be making a better effort?
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This topic is a big issue in my household. My mom works for Weight Watchers and is always enforcing healthy eating and she always sends me those 100 calorie packs. Even though I am not over weight, I think that the American culture plays a big role when it comes to the blame of why we are obese. McDonald's and other fast food restaurants also have a big blame because they are targeted to the poor community because of the cheapness of their food. So the poor people go to McDonald's because they can afford it and they just end up becoming fatter and fatter.
ReplyDeleteI think they've made a good effort. They have the healthy options there, so really the next step is that of the consumer. They have to consciously put the food into their bodies, so it is really all on them. Some people do find themselves in situations where the most easily obtained food is bad for them, so to help that there should be more of an effort to make better food just as obtainable. It seems like that we as a population are conflicted on what we want, because we want low prices and healthy food. It's all very complicated, but we as consumers determine what we will and will not pay for, and we face whatever consequences come of it.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the food industry has made a decent effort in trying to make America healthy. Americans demand good-tasting food, however in most cases they do not want to pay for quality they want cheap food. This is why fast-food restaurants prosper in our country. Its ashame how we demand and buy the food because it tastes good, but when we realize we have an obesity epidemic, we are quickly to blame the food industry. As Dudley stated above, the next step is up to us; the consumers. We make choices and we choose what we want to eat. If you want cheap food, keep in mind it might not be the healthiest for you. You make the choice!
ReplyDeleteI believe that our "epidemic" can change by us not the food industry. The food industry only produces what people will by. Yes, they do advertise and attempt to persuade us to eat cheap and unhealthy foods but the choice comes down to the consumer. If America wants to change the obesity epidemic then people should refuse to by unhealthy food in turn forcing the industry to produce healthier foods.
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