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Dillon Rhew

Connie Douglas

UWRT 1104

29th April 2017

Slimming America

The United States of America is facing a serious threat. This threat is not from abroad but

from the very heart of the nation. Today more than half of all United States adults are either

overweight or obese; this is a sharp rise compared to the less than forty-three percent that were

overweight in 1960 (Bettelheim 33). The causes of Americas drastic rise in obesity are

numerous from the growth of the fast food industry, due to its cheap prices and convince, to the

growing portion sizes in America. Americans have added sugar to almost every product in their

diet and have neglected to exercise just to compound these problems. This plague has swept the

nation over the past sixty years and is showing no signs of stopping. This problem affects every

American citizen overweight or not because it costs 189 billion dollars to treat every year (Prah

127). The biggest failure America has suffered is the failure to teach moderation. In the 1960s

Americans began to realize that a high fat diet was not healthy so they went on an all-out strike

against food products with fat in them. This caused an entirely new problem because food

manufacturers could sell fat-free food that was loaded with sugar and often had more calories

than it did when it was produced with fat, that is why we see the obesity rate in America begin to

climb in the same years that Americans cut fat from their diet.

Obesity can be caused by a variety of factors, some are lifestyle based and others, as a

new study suggests, could be based on genetics (Adams 542). The United States obesity

epidemic has not been caused by bad genes however because the gene pool has not changed
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drastically over the last sixty years. The major factors that have caused The United States obesity

rate to rise are the growing portion sizes in America, the high consumption of sugar, poor sleep

quality, and lack of exercise (Clemmitt 1020). For the United States to see a meaningful change

in the current obesity rates these factors must be considered and improved. This can be achieved

by encouraging citizens to join a gym, some insurance companies give breaks to its members

who have a gym membership. The United States Federal government could pass regulations on

the amount of sugar allowed per serving in food. If Americans watch their caloric intake properly

portion sizes will also reduce because customers will not want to pay for a giant serving when

they will only eat half of it. Making changes such as these could have a significant impact on the

obesity rates in America.

The rates of obesity in The United States have not slowed since the late 1960s when they

first began climbing (Bettelheim 35). The only group of Americans whose obesity rates have

leveled off in are young children. This is due largely to former first lady Michelle Obamas work

in raising awareness and working to change what food the school serves as well as what snacks

and drinks are allowed in the vending machine on school campuses (Kiener 823). She worked to

make school lunches healthier for students by ensuring that they served the appropriate portion

sizes of food and gave meals that include fruits, whole grains, and vegetables. The changes she

fought to implement were met with a lot of resistance from both the parents and the schools. The

parents claimed that the school lunch was insufficient to feed their children who were now going

hungry and lacked variety. The schools were frustrated because they did not feel that they had

the proper funding to support the costlier meals. In response to all the negative feedback the

regulations around school lunch was loosened negating any real impact to childhood obesity. The

biggest effect Michelle Obama had on childhood obesity made by raising awareness. Parents
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become more aware of the growing issue and organizations like the National Football League got

involved by making Play 60, a program designed to get children outside and active for at least

sixty minutes a day.

The United States needs to begin making drastic changes to combat the growing obesity

crisis. Educating people on what a proper diet looks like and how to plan an exercise routine into

their daily life will help the upcoming generations. For the generations of Americans who are

currently struggling with obesity, The United States needs to start regulating the food industry on

the portion sizes they serve and the amount of sugar allowed per serving. Health insurance

companies can help save lives and money if they will give breaks to individuals who have a gym

membership. A healthier customer costs the insurance company less money, and saving money

through discounts can be a good motivator for individuals to start exercising regularly.

Americans also need to become more health conscious as a nation, learning what makes a good

diet and what makes a bad diet. When changes like these begin to happen in The United States

the obesity rates will begin to fall and Americans will live healthier and happier lives.
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Works cited page

Adams, Jill U. "Manipulating the Human Genome." CQ Researcher 19 June 2015: 529-52. Web.

23 Feb. 2017.

Bettelheim, A. (1999, January 15). Obesity and health. CQ Researcher, 9, 25-48. Retrieved from

http://library.cqpress.com/

Clemmitt, Marcia. "Sugar Controversies." CQ Researcher 30 Nov. 2012: 1013-36. Web. 23 Feb.

2017.

Kiener, Robert. "Food Policy Debates." CQ Researcher 3 Oct. 2014: 817-40. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

Prah, P. M. (2006, February 10). Eating disorders. CQ Researcher, 16, 121-144. Retrieved from

http://library.cqpress.com/