Obesity in America

Essay by kenny5462University, Bachelor'sA+, August 2006

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"This Wednesday is Ladies Night Out. We'll only have the appetizers and drink specials."

"I'll start the movie. Don't forget the buttered popcorn and soda."

"I thought that we could grab a quick bite on the road, that way we can get there faster."

Food is life, both socially and nutritionally. Healthy diets and eating habits supply much needed nourishment for human growth and tissue repair. Increasingly, the fashion, style and wont of American culture are found in the consumption of easy, quick saturated fats and simple sugars. America 's accelerated and frenzied lifestyle is a major proponent of our widening girths and associated health issues. Thus, one must ask if popular culture creates an obesity epidemic, and, if so, promotes viable solutions/alternatives for dealing with the ever-expanding waistline.

Many people simply do not eat to satisfy hunger; rather they use food as an emotional anesthesia, a calming sedative and seductive comfort.

These people may be guilty of drowning their overwhelming emotions of depression, boredom, stress, isolation, or relationships inside the sea of simple carbohydrates and fats. These underlying psychological and psychosocial conflicts must be internally assessed and resolved for people to emerge from the depths of over consumption.

American culture is witnessing an increase in the number of under active, overweight children. Family, cultural practices and religion can exert strong influences on eating patterns. Peer pressure and convenience are coconspirators to this escalating intake of high caloric processed foods. Set during childhood, these early and long lasting habits of high fats and added sugars are proven to lead to a vast array of other complications in later years. Hypertension, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, pulmonary problems, and certain cancers are the leading co morbidities associated with obesity. Furthermore, socioeconomic constraints inhibit many parents from purchasing the healthy choices,