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). This forces the community to become responsible
Over recent years, the United States obesity epidemic has increased in abundance to the point where an individual should be worried about making healthier life choices. Eating habits are an immense reason why our health has changed for the worse since the 70s. People die young due to developing obesity related diseases. Diseases occur from choices people make, what one decides to eat, and how much an individual decides to eat. Studies show the life expectancy for an unhealthy person who chooses to eat a bigger portion size, often less than the average individual who keeps a balanced way of eating. An individual is at fault, choosing to eat unhealthy or not, yet fast food restaurants can make a change when advertising fast food, providing the
When the dinner bell rings in America, many families are not flocking to the table, but running to the car and the call of the “Golden Arches”. In today’s over-scheduled world, food has now become an afterthought and America is paying the price, literally. Obesity is now an epidemic and a crisis that is not slowing down. The nation is not only paying the price with sky-rocketing medical bills from the effects of the American diet, but also with the deteriorating health of its citizens and for the first time in history, a generation with a shorter life expectancy than the generation before. Food today looks nothing like the food of just 40 years ago, and now instead, is making people sick and obese. It is quick, and the cheap, boxed, frozen,
Morgan Spurlock, an American Independent Filmmaker embarked on an experiment of eating only McDonalds for thirty days. He documented his findings in a documentary titled “Supersize Me” As a result, Spurlock gained nearly twenty-five pounds, and his body mass increased almost fifteen percent. The reason behind Spurlock’s investigation was to identify the problem with our countries rise in obesity, largely contributed to a lack of fresh and healthy food being available. Obesity is an epidemic plaguing our country ever so quickly and one of the biggest reasons for it is many communities don’t have access to fresh food, and in many times that food if available exceeds the families budget. The United States Department of Agriculture (1) defines
In the essay “Green monster” who do you believe is his intended audience and why?
Obesity and its associated health problems continue to be a growing menace to the American population. With only a few minutes spent on a busy street observing all the people of diverse ethnicities, age and race walk by and most of us will agree that obesity in America is not exclusive; it’s affecting both the young and old alike. David Zinczenko and Radley Balko both agree that some measures should be carried out in the fight against obesity in their articles, “Don’t Blame the Eater” and “What You Eat Is Your Business” respectively. However, differences exist between the views of the two authors as to who to blame for the obesity crisis. Zinczenko believes that the fast-food industry
Nowadays in America, we are encountering problems with our food system. The way it’s being processed is affecting everyone. From youngest to oldest, farmers to lawyers and smallest to biggest animal. Consumers are made to believe that they are buying and eating healthy foods , but the labels that led them to believe that are not completely honest. The essay “Escape from the Western Diet” written by Michael Pollan is an explanation of the theories of the western diet. Then, David Zinczenko’s essay “Don’t Blame the Eater” focuses on showing the truth behind labels. Both Pollan and Zinczenko, are writers of essays about food and eating. They support the idea that people need to inform themselves regarding what they consume. If people were to inform
In the article "Don't Blame the Eater" informs the parents and any fast-food consumers on the dangerous health effects fast-food can cause. Child obesity and type 2 diabetes have increased within the country, a possible factor for this kind of sickness can be tracked to fast-food, David Zinczenko attentively constructs his argument against teenage or child obesity and properly builds support for his position. His argument was achieved by his usage of humor credibility, and forced teaming. Together, these devices complete Zinczeko's mission while he remains considerate of the opposing side.
David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame the Eater” is an article about the dangers of the fast food industry and their direct correlation to childhood obesity. Through his argument, he shows the readers that the consumers are not the ones at fault. He provides great detail on how the cheap and convenient places for food are the ones to blame for the continuous growth of diabetes in our youth. Zinczenko gives a well-balanced argument as to why this is true through his use of personal stories, dictation, and tone. Through this, he is able to effectively prove his thoughts and opinions, and also include the reader into following along.
“What incentive is there for me to put down the cheeseburger?” asks Radley Balko in his article "What You Eat Is Your Business." He argues that, obesity does not belong in the public health crisis. He claims that obesity is not a problem that should be dealt at the cost of public money but should be dealt at a personal level by every individual. He also states that the government should allow the citizens to access their health care funds account to support his conclusion, that, people will be more responsible for their health if someone else isn 't paying for their health problems. However, Balko fails to to provide evidence for to support his claim. Even though the problem of obesity is important, the Shorthorn should not publish "What You Eat Is Your Business" because it poorly argued and not interesting.
Obesity is a prevalent issue within the United States. “According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (2009-2010), approximately 69% of adults are overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adult Americans considered obese”. Today’s society is inundated with a firestorm of information regarding the types of foods that are healthy and will decrease obesity. The most prominent voices in today’s food culture, primarily the wholesome-food movement, believe eating unprocessed food is the only way to live long, healthy lives free of obesity. However, journalist David H. Freedman argues that individuals should not fall prey to these false misconceptions. In his article “How Junk Food Can End Obesity”, Freedman examines these purported claims and strives to appear credible, reliable, and emotionally appealing to persuade readers that the wholesome-food movement is impeding the near-term step’s to reversing the obesity trend.
Instead of growing natural foods, food companies have found an easier, more profitable way of selling food to us: they take these plants and process them into something that tastes better and seems more appealing. And they’re also filled with artificial flavoring, preservatives, and all sorts of synthesized chemicals that make our food sweet but are harmful to us. With these processed foods, we can’t rely on tastes preferences to tell us what to eat, because if we want something sweet, we can eat it any time, which is the exact opposite of why we’ve evolved into liking something sweet. Pollan observes that we’re told to rely on science instead, but this ‘science’ keeps on changing. It seems like the only effect of this ‘science’ is that it helps the food companies make more money. The more we worry about eating, the likelier we are to listen to claims that food companies make. In 2002, an article in a magazine said that carbs make you fat. Overnight, millions of Americans stopped eating bread and started eating mainly meat. But there are places around the world where people are nowhere close to being as “health-crazy” as Americans. And yet the people living in those countries are proven to have lower rates of heart disease and obesity. But why? Pollan suggests that how we eat is just as important as what we eat. And that is the other thing that Americans don’t think about. Claims about being healthy aren’t the only way that food marketers draw our attention. There’s another one- convenience. Many foods aren’t meant to be eaten sitting down at a table. The company Campbell’s has even created a microwavable soup that we can eat in the car. This may seem more convenient, but Pollan suggests that this may not be a good thing. He says, “What difference does it make if
Obesity is an issue that affects many people worldwide. In the article “Why Shame Won’t Stop Obesity”, by Dhruv Khullar, Khullar tries to argue that obesity is a major problem in the United States and the way the country is handling this issue is incorrect. Khullar goes to medical school and experiences first hand the problems people with obesity have to deal with. He believes that some people have no option when it comes to what they choose to eat and that food industries are influencing people in the wrong way. He makes a strong and clear argument by identifying issues, providing evidence, solutions, and counter arguments.
“Don’t Blame the Eater”, written by David Zinczenko, is a short article discussing how fast food is the main cause of childhood obesity. This article came about in relations to two kids filing a lawsuit against McDonalds for making them fat. He begins his piece by sympathizing with these individuals because he used to be like them. Zinczenko then informs the reader of his background and how he fell into the category of being dependent upon quick and easy meals. In an attempt to provide a valid argument, he debates on how kids raise themselves while their parents are at work and that the nutritional values are not labeled upon prepared foods. Thus, creating confusion on what consumers are actually taking in calorie-wise. Instead of blaming the
Obesity is a terrible thing to have in life. People often assume overweight is the same thing as obesity but that in entirely wrong. “The United States is already one of the most obese countries on this earth and is quickly rising ever so higher on the list” (American 1). Obesity negatively affects society by insurance cost, health, Quality of life. Obesity affects your everyday life in many ways even with the simple things like tying your shoes and standing up by yourself.