Obesity is a major issue in the United States today. According to www.obesityhelp.com, a quarter of the population in the U.S. is obese. The rate of obesity has climbed 60% in the last decade and continues to rise. Obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths each year and is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, and many others serious medical diseases.
While obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking, it is questionable whether the government needs to step in to help. Every individual is responsible for their actions and the government should not be responsible for its peoples’ eating habits. However, there are certain solutions the government can influence and regulations they can make.
The government can play a role with education in its public schools that can help teach children nutrition as well as provide healthy alternatives and ideas in eating. Classes could be offered beginning in elementary school to teach children about nutrition and how what they eat effects their bodies. High schools turning off school soda machines during lunch and providing their students with healthy meals help influence children about how to eat and live healthy.
We see supermarkets that include information about calories, fat and other nutritional values. Why shouldn’t fast-food restaurant chains do the same? In a National Pubic Radio Morning Edition: Nutrition Labels for Fast Foods, fast food chains including McDonald's, Domino's, Burger King, Wendy's, Pizza Hut and Subway are voluntarily provide nutrition information.
If Congress were to pass a bill that would require all fast food restaurants to provide nutritional information on the food they serve. This would enable people who are interested in eating healthily to be able to see and know what they are putting into their bodies.
Informative nutrient considerations would influence people who seek healthy lifestyles and could help decrease the amount of obesity in the United States.
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