Epidemic: Obesity in America

Epidemic:

Obesity In America

Josh Simonson

12/16/2011

Cm220

Unit 6

Obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions. America is fatter now than ever and it is not just adults, it is our kids too. Nearly 34% of adults are currently obese. (C.D.C. 2010) That is more than double the percentage of 30 years ago. Official CDC obesity estimates are lower than actual rates because they rely on self-reported height. Since both men and women lie about their height and say their taller than they actually are, the official obesity stats are lower than the actual rates, but, “Women not only lie about their height, they also lie about their weight and they say they’re not as heavy as they actually are. As a result, official obesity rates for women are much lower than are the true obesity rates” (Insider Monkey 2010).

The obesity epidemic in the United States is an unintended consequence of the economic, social, and technological advances realized during the past several decades. The food supply is low in cost, abundant, and palatable foods with high caloric density are readily available in prepackaged forms and in fast-food restaurants.

With the prices of everything on the rise, the cost of living has become higher and higher, with wages staying about the same people are eating cheaper and cheaper to save money to pay their bills to survive. It’s sad that the worse the food is the cheaper the cost. It should be the other way around with the healthier food being cheaper, rather than the junk food filling our supermarkets. Everyone knows we are in rough times. For some of us it is a lot worse than that. California has the most people on Food Stamps in the U.S. at 3,185,154. From October 2006 to July 2011 the people receiving food stamps went from 26 million people to over 45 million people. More people are losing their jobs and turning to Federal Aid to offset their food bills.

Calories that have no nutritional value - such as those found in...