According to the National Institute of Diabetes, more than 1 in 3 adults are considered to be obese. Thirty three percent of individuals struggle with easily avoidable health issues because of their unhealthy lifestyle choices. Some health risks of obesity include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, some types of cancer, and possibly a stroke. So why is the obesity rate rapidly increasing? Radley Balko, author of “What You Eat Is Your Business,” believes that we, ourselves are responsible for the obesity crisis. He argues that obesity is becoming such a prevalent issue in today’s society because individuals no longer try to live a healthy lifestyle. Instead of being active and healthy, obese individuals rely on medicine and doctors to keep them stable while they continue to indulge in the fast food that provoked their conditions in the first place.
Obesity is not an issue only affecting adults, many children suffer from it as well. According to Mayo Clinic, there are over 3 million cases of pediatric obesity every year. Government officials recognize this issue and are trying to regulate what foods are available to students at school, hoping that it will lead them to a healthier lifestyle. However, children don’t consciously think about what they are eating, they just eat what they are given. So, it is highly unlikely that this change of food choices available at school will affect anyone’s health since the majority of what children eat is from their house. Obesity among children most likely occurs due to the way their family feeds them, or their genes. Parents need to be more health conscious when feeding their children because an unhealthy diet will have a negative impact on their child’s development and life in general.
In my opinion, shaming fat people for being fat is like shaming an alcoholic for being an alcoholic. Yes, it appears justified to shame them because they can just “work out and eat healthy” or “stop drinking” and they would be okay. However, it is not that simple for individuals who struggle with addiction. Trust me, these people want to stop feeding their addiction just as much as everyone else wants them to, but after a while they become dependent on it. The majority of obese people are the way they are because they lose self control, and binge on foods that have certain effects on the brain, causing it to be addictive. Food is also completely legal and can be consumed at any time of day, no matter what you are doing. Eating food only strengthens the addiction and depresses the sufferer. It is a very vicious cycle that is hard to break, but individuals are still responsible for their own weight, not the addiction.
Another factor that impacts the obesity rate in America today would be fast food. It is widely advertised through television, billboards, and the internet without any warnings of how unhealthy it is. Some people insist that these advertisements include fast food’s negative impacts on the consumer’s health. However, that is not a very effective promotional technique for fast food companies, and everyone under the sun already knows that fast food is unhealthy. Fast food is also quick and easy to obtain which is very convenient in today’s fast-paced world.
Although people like to point fingers and blame the government or fast food companies for this obesity crisis, it is not their fault in the slightest. Obese individuals need to take care of their own health and be mindful of what they are putting into their body. Also, medicine should not be so readily available to these individuals unless they show interest in changing their lifestyle choices.