Obesity

Obesity expository essay The obesity epidemic, id it the food companys that are causing it? Fast food has been around for at least 60 years, so what is causing this epidemic? Portion size, and advertising. In my expository essay I will talk about why this epidemic is growing at an alarming rate and how we can stop it. There are many reasons that cause americas modern obesity epidemic, but is fast food the cause. But it is not mainly the fast food itself, it is the portion sizes. Ever since taco bell started up scaling the size of their food and lowering the prices. Most all fast food companies have followed. The reason why fast food companies can sell their food for so cheap Is because “for every dollar a quick service franchiser spends to produce a food item, only 20 cents on average, goes toward the food.” that is a considerable amount considering that the rest is meant for paying other things like employees and other costs for the companies. So since it costs less, we seem to want to buy more of it.

But who is at fault here, the companies or ourselves? On one part the companies are to blame because they are making the food cheaper and bigger knowing that we will buy more of it, which makes us fat, but they still keep everything the same. They could easily reduce the size so that we will eat less. If most people see a lot of food they will want to eat more but maybe if we put a smaller portion size people will eat less. But the companies are raising the kids of the future to eat bad food and big portion sizes. “$15 billion last year was spent on advertising to children, compared with the $2.5 billion in 1998, according to research conducted at the texas A&E university in college station.”(david barboza) that is a lot of money that is going to children eating more fast food and raise them to be fat. So at one part the companies are to blame. But on another side could it be the parents that are causing the childhood obesity epidemic? The parents are the people that are allowing it to happen. If a child sees a commercial for McDonalds, they will want to go get it, but the parents have the right to say no. they also have the responsibility to teach them the right things to eat. The parents need to teach their children to have whole wheat, not white bread, and that fast food should be a treat and not an everyday thing. If the parents of the children took the time to learn about what should be eaten instead of fast food, they should carry it onto their child so they could pass it on and lower the obesity epidemic and decrease it so that it is not an epidemic anymore. In my personal opinion I blame the parent. The parent has full responsibility on what their child can and cannot eat. If their child keeps crying and begging for fast food, they could say no. they could also raise their child to enjoy healthier things in life so that when they get older they will not become one of the children that cries and whines for it. They could also tell their children what is a good portion size and when they get older not to eat to much and end up becoming fat in that way. And if a child likes to eat fast food and watch T.V. or play video games they could get their child to go outside and get a certain amount of exercise per day so that their child does not end up being obese. The childhood obesity epidemic could easily be stopped. With the right steps and precautions taken we could easily take it away. All we need is some education on nutrition, some good exercising tips, and just to eat healthier and eat less fat food. If we work at these couple of things, our future could be a place that is free from obesity and a place where healthier food becomes fast food.