American Obesity

Just before our short week came to a close, Taylor brought in an insightful article about obesity. This is a topic that I never really put much thought into. I always just accepted it as part of our society.

As we go from day to day in our lives, we are likely to see at least one obese person. Our reactions greatly vary depending on who we are. Some may be irritated, humored, or even hurt.

If we take the time to stop and look around at the causes, we would be surprised at how much we support obesity. When someone has a birthday, for example, everyone gets jacked up for some sweets. That's just the way that we are wired. When Karin said that she was bringing in treats for her birthday I felt two emotions: excited and impatient. I felt excited because the vast majority of food tastes good to me so I knew that I was in for a good time, and at the same time I felt impatient because the food wasn't in front of me. If anyone else felt the same way or differently, then please comment.

Another contributor to obesity is the restaurant industry. After working at a restaurant for a year and a half I have noticed that we go for flavor, not health. I overheard my boss saying to one of the cooks regarding a buffet item, that he should leave all the grease in there because it adds flavor. McDonald's seems to be working with the casket industry because everything there is unhealthy, including the salads! Subway seems to be the only restaurant who advertises good health. However, a foot long will have as many, or even more calories than a delicious Big Mac.

Obesity is all around us. I am not saying that it is a problem, but it is a contributor an ill-informed public. Many of us don't even consider what we eat, just so long as it is good. The short and sweet message is that we should just read the damn label.