Food Movement
Food: Personal Issue or Your Neighbor’s Concern?
Everyone has heard the adage “you are what you eat,” but what does this saying truly mean? For one to be in good health, he or she needs to put good, nutritious food into his or her body that supplies them with lasting energy. Unfortunately, obesity is a pandemic that has swept across the United States, and the media’s perpetual spotlight on the matter has made it a concern for the populace. Some critics believe that it is not the responsibility of the eater. We must propose the question, who is to blame? Do we sympathize with the working man and the poor who are unable to afford healthy foods by placing blame on corporations, do we take responsibility for our own health habits, or do we let others such as the government take the blame? In most cases, the person who is truly at fault when it comes to the topic of obesity and weight is the eater because he or she is the one making the conscious decision of what to eat. However, there are other cases. Sometimes there is not much one can do when they are living paycheck to paycheck in a low-income community, so they may need some help in order to live a healthier lifestyle. Obesity has even reached children proving that no one no matter what age, no one is safe from this disease. Other health problems arise when one is overweight such as diabetes, and, “According to the National Institutes of Health, Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country” (Zinczenko 154). In his article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that the fast-food industry is contributing to the overwhelming percentage of childhood obesity in the United States. He observes that there are not any healthy alternatives for children and teens to take, so the only option they are left with is cheap and calorie infested fast foods. The blame is being put on corporations because fast-food patrons do not know exactly what they are
Everyone has heard the adage “you are what you eat,” but what does this saying truly mean? For one to be in good health, he or she needs to put good, nutritious food into his or her body that supplies them with lasting energy. Unfortunately, obesity is a pandemic that has swept across the United States, and the media’s perpetual spotlight on the matter has made it a concern for the populace. Some critics believe that it is not the responsibility of the eater. We must propose the question, who is to blame? Do we sympathize with the working man and the poor who are unable to afford healthy foods by placing blame on corporations, do we take responsibility for our own health habits, or do we let others such as the government take the blame? In most cases, the person who is truly at fault when it comes to the topic of obesity and weight is the eater because he or she is the one making the conscious decision of what to eat. However, there are other cases. Sometimes there is not much one can do when they are living paycheck to paycheck in a low-income community, so they may need some help in order to live a healthier lifestyle. Obesity has even reached children proving that no one no matter what age, no one is safe from this disease. Other health problems arise when one is overweight such as diabetes, and, “According to the National Institutes of Health, Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country” (Zinczenko 154). In his article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that the fast-food industry is contributing to the overwhelming percentage of childhood obesity in the United States. He observes that there are not any healthy alternatives for children and teens to take, so the only option they are left with is cheap and calorie infested fast foods. The blame is being put on corporations because fast-food patrons do not know exactly what they are
Cited: Balko, Radley. “What You Eat Is Your Business.” They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print. Huber, Bridget. "Walmart 's Fresh Food Makeover." The Nation. The Nation, 14 Sept. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. . Zinczenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print.