Fast Foods and Obesity Essay Example

Over the past few decades, the medical fraternity has held an indisputable stand on the health impacts of fast foods. Fast foods are attributed to unhealthy foods that often lead to obesity and overweight. However, this stand is itself established on shaky grounds as fast foods cannot be purely blamed in the case of obesity. Maintaining good weight is the responsibility of an individual, and hence it would be wrong to entirely blame fast foods as a cause of obesity. Responsible checking of body weight would mean that an individual realizes that fast foods are a risk factor for their weight. As such, controlled intake of the same foods would not make an individual be obese. Nonetheless, the blame on obesity cannot also be purely left as an individual role. There are instances when obesity would too be blamed on fast foods in essential cases such as when it is the only food available or when the fast foods are also very high in calories even when they are taken in controlled amounts. Fast foods and personal irresponsibility inclusively may lead to obesity.

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Human health is highly dependent on the foods that an individual chooses to feed on. People who chose healthy living do not feed on any type of food that is available for intake. Rather, an individual who is concerned about their health realizes that taking a balanced diet in every one of their meals, and in adequate proportions. In any case, taking a balanced diet would never cause obesity since energy calories are balanced and often, an individual's body would never get obese while on a balanced diet (Brownell et al. 380). Feeding on a balanced diet is, however, the responsibility of an individual. Such a view, therefore, scalps the view that fast foods are responsible for obesity.

Fast foods are not the staple food for the American population; hence they would not be solely blamed for obesity. Fast foods are instead sold out in outlets to serve the purpose of people who may not access food due to constraints such as time and distance to their homes. Therefore, choosing to frequently feed on fast foods is personal irresponsibility since a person would make arrangements for healthy food if they are not in an emergency. Most people are however sluggish and do not want to prepare healthy food from their homes. Such individuals result to fast foods as the easiest way to get full whenever they are out of their houses (Street et al. 568). By frequently feeding on fast foods, the individuals may finally get obese. In this case, the blame on their obesity is not the entirely on fast foods. Preferably, it is more of personal irresponsibility since it would not have been the case if they were careful enough to prepare healthier foods from their homes.

The core of irresponsibility among Americans is also induced by the government as the reason obesity levels are on the rise in the country. A statement by the ministry of health influenced that Americans need to be more careful and take greater responsibility for their feeding. The ministry's concerns are deeply accrued to the irresponsibility of the American society. The American community's negligence on feeding is the reason as to why most Americans are obese. People no longer care the food they take as far as they are full. As a result, they end up feeding on cheap foods which mostly are delivered in fast foods outlets (Brownell, Kelly and Katherine 12). Such tendencies will often result in obesity. The induction from this outlook often shows that fast foods are not solely responsible for obesity. They are rather an available option for irresponsible individuals, and it would thus be wrong to lay the complete blame for obesity on fast foods.

Lastly, fast foods would be solely blamed for obesity of they were the only food available. It is not the case however since fast foods are just a single type of food from a pool of foods, most of which are healthy. The entire American society has a wide range of food outlets most of which even offer organic foods. Most of the healthy foods available are however considered not very appealing regarding taste by the American population (Brownell et al. 385). The irresponsibility of individuals narrows down to concentrating on the taste of food as opposed to the nutritional composition of the food. Irresponsibility in feeding in the society is, therefore, a core reason as to why people are growing obese. Personal responsibility would otherwise push individuals to feed on healthier foods even when it is not their preferred taste. As such, it is wrong to entirely blame fast foods for obesity when there are other choices which are healthier.

In some instances, however, there are cases where fast foods are responsible for obesity. In some parts of America, acquiring healthy foods is a hustle by itself. Therefore, residents in these localities especially those who are financially stressed have no other option than to result in fast foods. Feeding on fast foods for such individuals is, therefore, a result of their inability to acquire healthier foods (Street et al. 570). In such instances, it would be essential to claim that fast foods are responsible for their obesity. Even if they were conscious of their health and obesity, responsibility would only mean that they feed on the available food. As such, it is essential to blame obesity on the fast foods for such a situation.

Fast foods need not be high in calories as they presently are. Even without feeding on fast foods for long, time to time feeding on the foods is itself unhealthy since the calories acquired from the foods are very high. The high levels of calories in fast foods can be balanced by the manufacturers of the foods if at all they were responsible. Feeding on fast foods seldom is also a risk factor for the weight of an individual (Kim, Sei-Hill, and Anne 360). The high calories need to be reduced by considering such factors such as amounts and the amounts of sugar involved while making the food. Fast foods are thus to blame for obesity due to their high-calorie content even when taken in regulated amounts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, striking a balance on obesity requires a clear evaluation of the personal responsibility and that of fast foods. Personal irresponsibility is often the reason as to why most people grow obese since most do not care to take a balanced diet, are full of laxity and do not want to prepare healthy foods at home and concentration on taste as opposed to the nutrition content of the foods taken. On the other extreme, fast foods are also responsible for obesity when they are the only available foods and even for their high-calorie content. Personal responsibility, however, remains the core factor in consideration of obesity and fast foods. Individuals should consider it a responsibility when feeding on fast foods to avoid obesity.

Bibliography

Brownell, Kelly D., and Katherine Battle Horgen. Food fight: The inside story of the food industry, America's obesity crisis, and what we can do about it. Chicago, IL: Contemporary books, 2004.

Brownell, Kelly D., et al. "Personal responsibility and obesity: a constructive approach to a controversial issue." Health affairs 29.3 (2010): 379-387.

Kim, Sei-Hill, and L. Anne Willis. "Talking about obesity: News framing of who is responsible for causing and fixing the problem." Journal of health communication 12.4 (2007): 359-376.

Street, Jackie M., et al. "Community perspectives on the use of regulation and law for obesity prevention in children: A citizens' jury." Health Policy 121.5 (2017): 566-573.