Peralta Obesity In America Summary

In the article “The Fat Tax,” Jonathan Rauch ironically discusses the new public policy concern with obesity. Although the article is a satire, it’s economic analysis is actually valid. In order to get his point across, Rauch uses sarcasm, appeals to logos, and degrades the issue of obesity to help Americans better understand the “big picture.” Moreover, if the diet of American consumers does not change then maybe advertising more exercise to lose weight will cut down the obesity rate; but to be just as effective, enacting the fat tax will improve health as well.

The main contributor, widely reported by top experts, is the consumption of cheap, and convenient foods such as fast food and the myriad of boxed foods available in the supermarket. Diane Brady asserts in her essay, “The Employer-Friendly Case for Pricer Big Macs” that “Of all the reasons why a third of U.S. adults are obese, the lure of cheap, unhealthy food ranks near the top” (519). With continual attention being given to the effects of unhealthy foods on adults and especially young people, one would think that America would wise up and stop consuming it at such an alarming rate. Again, Brady points out that, “Fast food chains have raised their game with healthier menu offerings and support for programs that encourage physical activity, but they continue to thrive by selling high-calorie food. McDonald’s salads, introduced in 1987, make up just 2 percent to 3 percent of U.S. sales” (520).

Obesity is now an epidemic in the United States; with over sixty-six percent of American adults who are obese or overweight, this issue should not be taken lightly. However, adults are not the only people in this country who suffer from overweight; children are also a vulnerable population to obesity. In this study, Shafft et. all “focus[ed] on investigating the extent to which incidence of child overweight may be linked to poor or uneven access to full-service grocery stores” (155). This study focused on the rural population in Pennsylvania by taking an analysis of 501 school districts in Pennsylvania.

Obesity remains a growing epidemic that affects people who continually overindulge, causing weight gain which affects many countries and communities around the world especially the United States. During the last couple decade obesity has doubled and threatened people 's health because of adverse habits of overeating. Due to the advancement of mobile technology, fewer individuals perform physical labor. Instead, many people work from a computer where they spend long hours sitting at a desk consuming junk food non-physicality activity that leads to obesity. Consequently, some of the expense to the community regarding how obesity occurs causing medical complications of diabetes, heart attacks, and high blood pressure which produce expense on the economy.

In “What You Eat Is Your Business,” Radley Balko tackles the issue of who is responsible for fighting obesity. Balko argues that the controversy of obesity should make the individual consumers culpable for their own health and not the government (467). As health insurers refrain from increasing premiums for obese and overweight patients, there is a decrease in motivation to keep a healthy lifestyle (Balko 467). As a result, Balko claims these manipulations make the public accountable for everyone else 's health rather than their own (467). Balko continues to discuss the ways to fix the issue such as insurance companies penalizing consumers who make unhealthy food choices and rewarding good ones (468).

Americans today are well-known for their eating habits. With all the options the food industry gives us it makes it hard to go to the grocery store and resist picking up that bag of barbeque-flavored chips or blueberry flavored candy. Due to these processed foods obesity is a growing epidemic in our country and who is to blame for it? In an article entitled “What You Eat is Your Business” by Radley Balko, Balko argues for less government intervention. Balko believes is it our responsibility to take care of ourselves and make it a priority.

Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.

In both David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame The Eater” and “ Radley Balko’s “What You Eat is Your Business”, the argument of obesity in America is present and clear from opposing viewpoints. Both articles were written in the early 2000’s, when the popular political topic of the time was obesity and how it would be dealt by our nation in the future. While Zinczenko argues that unhealthy junk food is an unavoidable cultural factor, Balko presents the thought that the government should have no say in it’s citizens diet or eating habits. Zinczenko’s article was written with the rhetorical stratedgy of pathos in mind.

Households with lower incomes are more likely to have obese inhabitants due to stress. As I mentioned before, people turn to eating when they are stressed. When these low-income households get hungry, they are going to eat the only meal they can afford: a cheap, unhealthy one. I believe that the current state of health insurance has also contributed to sever levels of stress in poorer people. The percentage of people covered by employer-based health insurance plans in medium and large firms fell between 1988 and 2005 from 90 to 65 percent (Miringoff and Opdycke 2008: 139).

“Nearly 1 in 3 adults are overweight,” states NIH in a 2017-2018 survey (“Overweight & Obesity Statistics”). The popularization of fast food and sugary, non-nutritious sodas throughout America has led to a corresponding rise in obesity cases and weight-related health problems. Regardless of the persistent efforts by America in advertising and distributing dietary and fitness products, it is clear there is a US obesity epidemic plaguing its citizens. This conundrum has sparked controversy on whether implementing a federal tax on all junk food, sodas, and fast food can minimize dietary health issues effectively. Supporters of the federal tax argue that a rise in government revenue and the discouragement of an increased price will lead to positive

In the new era we live in, the levels of obese and overweight individuals are highly growing across the globe. Overweight is defined as the identification of individuals and groups at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Obesity is considered to be a disease of fat accumulating irregularly to an extent that it can harmfully disrupt an individual's health, it is also related to psychological problems and negative consequences. The situation of cumulative incidents of excess body fat is mostly due to industrialization, a mixture of little exercise, more abundance and availability of food, commonly in the industrialized nations of the Western Hemisphere. This situation comes along with a lot of controversy on the topic; overweight and obese individuals began to feel offended and discriminated by society, thus in reaction to this they created the Fat Acceptance Movement.

There have been around three million reported cases of obesity in America, with ages ranging from young to old. Though the effects of overeating is often seen as the result of a physical problem, obesity can also be linked to the psychology and mental health of human beings. Psychological issues can make it difficult to cope with certain things, and controlling weight gain may become increasingly more difficult for people who look at food as a coping mechanism. People start to unknowingly put unhealthy foods into their body and being to mindlessly eat, even if they may not be hungry. Many view obese people as weak because they think that breaking an over-eating habit is simple, but in reality, it is an extremely difficult task.

As a hole there should be more restaurants that promote healthy food choices. Obesity in the United States is out of proportion and something need to be don , not necessarily at the point of government intersection but this needs to be fix some way somehow. ”public health experts say that an unhealthy diet and the lack of exercise are still the two biggest culprits. ”-Felix gusson.

The article “Importance of Government Policies and Other Influences in Transforming Global Diets” states, “obesity has emerged as a major public health concern, primarily in developed countries but also among the growing middle class in middle and low income countries” (Hallam et al 591) . Besides, some of these diseases such as obesity are starting from the early stages of childhood affecting people’s life quality on matters of self-esteem and the development of inadequate food habits. Moreover, kids’ exposure to unhealthy diets along with the sedentary lifestyle of American teenagers contributes to obesity and other consequent problems that may be really difficult to deal with in the future. It is the government’s responsibility to take actions and find the correct ways to guarantee the human right to a healthy life for every single

Studies have showed that people who use SNAP or food banks purchase inexpensive unhealthy food because it cheaper allowing them to buy more. Many would benefit from fresh produce, dairy products and meats. Satisfaction: With acts such as the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act