Have you ever pulled through a drive thru window and ordered a Burger King chicken sandwich? If you wanted to know what would happen if you ate fast food every day for 30 consecutive days, Morgan Spurlock’s documentary will enlighten you. Morgan Spurlock gives the audience insight as to what would happen to an individual’s physical and psychological well-being if they ate unhealthy food. Spurlock conducts a series of tests and even sacrifices his body for science. His research proved his argument that the fast food industry encourages poor nutrition and is the leading cause of the “obesity epidemic” (Spurlock).
However, today’s obesity problem is not solely the fast food industry’s fault, but rather that people do not know enough about nutrition and the foods they are putting in their bodies. Due to the lack of knowledge regarding nutrition and related illnesses, the obesity epidemic continues to grow in America. According to the New York Times”, the percentage of obese people in America keeps increasing and doesn’t show signs of decreasing anytime soon” (Jacobs 3).
According to Dr. Frank Hu, ‘The trend of obesity has been steadily increasing in both children and adults despite many public health efforts to improve nutrition and physical activity” (Gussone 1). In today’s society, many Americans will consume whatever appears or tastes delicious without regard to its’ contents. Many do not realize that their eating habits and the foods they are consuming are unhealthy. Because of their ignorance, “40 percent of American adults and nearly 20 percent of adolescents are obese” (Gussone 2). In the documentary, Supersize Me, Spurlock did an experiment where he asked people about nutrition and calories. Most of the people he interviewed did not have any idea what calories and nutrition meant and how it affects them.
127 our experts are availableright now
When it comes to understanding nutrition only 28% of Americans understand or have some knowledge of nutrition. While shopping for food, people don’t recognize the hidden sugars. Atkins asked Americans if they knew about hidden sugars in foods they would consume. Shockingly, only 12% of the people asked were aware of the sugar content and checked nutrition labels. That meant that 88% percent had no idea about these hidden sugars that can cause harm to the body.
Obesity is a serious, chronic disease which can cause many more problems within the body. Spurlock states that the main reason for the obesity epidemic is because of the fast food industry. If a person was educated on nutrition, they would most likely stop eating junk food, fast food, and foods that contained high amounts of sugar. They would be more diligent about reading nutrition labels and ultimately, lead healthier lives.
According to Stanford Health Care, “people who are overweight or obese have a much greater risk of developing serious conditions, including: heart disease, type to diabetes, high blood pressure, some cancer, strokes, and bone and joint disease” (Stanford 1). The percentage of obese people in America has increased very much in the last decade. Obesity is a very dangerous disease, it is not that the person is overweight or has a lot of fat, the problem is what is going on inside the body. Those who know good nutrition and physical activity can maintain a healthy weight. But the benefits of good nutrition go beyond weight.
“Good nutrition can help reduce the risk of some diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, some cancers, and osteoporosis, it also may help to reduce high blood pressure, lower high cholesterol, improve your well-being, improve your ability to fight off illness, improve your ability to recover from illness or injury, increase your energy level” (Tufts 1). In order to stay healthy and in shape the body needs healthy foods on a regular basis.
The government has tried to inform the American people about nutrition and about unhealthy food habits. The government has revised nutrition guidelines, in 2017, for the first time in five years. The nutrition guidelines are meant to educate Americans about what is healthy and unhealthy in terms of food choice and quantity of portions. Another great example of the government informing the public was Michelle Obamas Let’s Move movement. The movement was created to “solve the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and be able to pursue their dreams” (Obama 1).
The government has also put sales taxes on unhealthy items, such as drinks that contain large amounts of sugar, as well as junk food. They have also removed tax benefits for companies manufacturing and selling unhealthy food products. The government also uses those taxes to increase the health effect,” tax revenues can be used for other health promotion strategies including retail, manufacturing, or agricultural incentives to reduce the price of healthier food products”(bmj 12).
Even with the government trying to educate the American people about nutrition and the foods they are consuming, more still needs to be done to make a large impact. In order to stop the obesity epidemic from increasing, there needs to be widespread changes. Instead of having more fast food restaurants open, the government should create and fund programs that teach people how to cook, understand the benefits of a healthy diet for specific persons, and how to be educated about nutrition, in general. If the American people can get educated on nutrition a lot will change.
In conclusion, the American people need to be informed and educated on nutrition and what they are consuming every day. If people learn about the dangers of junk food, the percentage of obese adults and kids could decrease substantially. Without people really knowing about diets and nutrition, they won’t understand that the foods they are consuming are causing harm within their bodies. People should stop blaming the fast food industry and start taking responsibility for educating our younger generation, so that change is guaranteed.
