Obesity in America

Essay by reistdeHigh School, 12th gradeB+, October 2014

download word file, 13 pages 0.0

Reist 9

Obesity

Dean Reist

Senior English/ Period 2

February 3, 2014

Mr. Nowotnik

It is Obesity v. America and guess who is winning? The American Dream is being supersized, and rising at an enormous rate. Sometimes, bigger is not better. It is not hard to see such a problem amongst all Americans. Everyone can agree that something can be done in order to make America a healthier and more efficient nation. Government regulation and intervention will help to moderate the increasing epidemic of obesity. The real question is what they can do. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, took the initiative to start a program called "Let's Move" for children to be physically active and to make healthy decisions in their diets. If the government really wanted to protect and serve their governed inhabitants, it should place a special tax on foods that are considered unhealthy, such as junk-foods with many trans fats and high levels of sodium.

There are multiple things that many people do not understand about this problem, such as who is more prone to obesity, what the consequences are, and what it is that they are actually eating. Obesity is tearing this country apart and some initiative needs to be taken.

What exactly is obesity? According to Cassell, "'Obesity' is defined as a BMI of 30 or above" (Cassell) The Experts…. Furthermore, she states, "According to current guidelines, assessment of overweight involves evaluation of three key measures: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and a patient's risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity." BMI is a measurement of body fat comparing the height to the weight of the individual. Although it's considered inaccurate at times, it is the easiest and fastest way to calculate the numeric value for obesity. The...