One Chubby Country

From Big Macs to Baconators to Bean Burritos, millions of Americans continue to pull around to the second window each year. According to CBSNEWS.COM, nearly 15 percent of children in the United States are obese, with nearly one-third of the adult population also being overweight.

The obesity levels in America have continued to grow at a rapid rate since the early 1980s, and much of this is a direct result of the fast food industry. The government already requires fast food chains to reveal the nutritional content of their food, but this has clearly not reduced our country’s fetish for flab. Obesity leads to heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, causing 2.6 million deaths worldwide each year; therefore, why shouldn’t the United States government pass legislation on fast food chains to protect its people?

I believe that we as individuals are capable of making our own decisions, but I also feel that the government could provide some assistance to help us make these decisions. The lifestyles within our country are changing, forcing us to often grab meals on the go, but why can’t we restrict the fat and calorie content within these meals to make them more hale and hearty? "Fast food emphasizes [elemental] preferences for salt and fat, which may promote overeating," said obesity researcher Mark Pereira. “To combat a high calorie intake along with overeating, the government should pass legislation to limit portion sizes and promote healthier eating habits. Smaller portion sizes would directly result in smaller calorie consumption. One could argue that even if the government were to reduce portion sizes, people would simply just order more food; however, the more food they buy, the more money they spend, thus fast food would no longer be a cheap alternative. Very few things influence our lives the way money does, which is why I believe fast-food related obesity would certainly decrease if people were forced to spend more money at the drive-thru.

Governmental regulations on fast food may anger many famished Americans at first, but the restrictions will only benefit them in the long run. CNN.COM revealed that fast food adds 6 pounds to the average American each year. With numerous ways to reduce the fat content in food, let’s take our chubby county and put forth the effort to make it a healthy one.