Anthelme Brillat-Savarin one time wrote. “Tell me what you eat and I will state you what you are” ( “You are what you eat” ) . More than tierce of American grownups and about 17 % of kids aged between 2 and 19 old ages old are corpulent ( “U. S. Obesity Trends” ) . Obesity is defined as a medical status in which extra organic structure fat has accumulated. taking to an addition in wellness jobs. such as bosom disease. type 2 diabetes and liver harm ( “Obesity” ) . There are many causes of fleshiness. the most of import being deficiency of exercising and hapless eating wonts that can ensue in excessively much saturated fat in people’s diet.

These saturated fats are normally found in fast nutrient repasts. There has been a great trade of argument and promotion environing the impact of “fast food” on people’s diet and the inauspicious effects it may hold. The term “fast food” refers typically to low nutritionary value and low quality nutrient served in concatenation eating houses. But to what extent should fast nutrient be blamed for being the cause of fleshiness in America? The topic needs to be examined from two positions: should fast nutrient be blamed as the exclusive cause of fleshiness or should it be simply seen as a conducive factor and non the root cause?

Fast nutrient should be blamed for being the cause of fleshiness for a figure of grounds. First. the ingredients in fast nutrient are highly fattening and do wellness jobs. These fast nutrient repasts are chiefly composed of sugar. fats and processed nutrients. A cardinal ingredient that could be a terrible job to our wellness is monosodium glutamate. ( MSG ) . MSG can chemically change the body’s metamorphosis in a manner that can take to nutrient dependence and intense hungriness. which can ensue in orgy feeding.

Fast nutrient repasts besides contain unreal sweetenings. which people consume. believing that they contain no Calories but possibly incognizant that the organic structure metabolizes them as sugar. All the meat found in these repasts is processed. incorporating MSG. sugar. endocrines. unreal spirit and a host of other chemical additives ( “Addictive Ingredients in Fast Food” ) . The ground that some of the ingredients should take to fast nutrient being blamed for being the cause of fleshiness is that some of the ingredients have a direct nexus to fleshiness.

For illustration. a high degree of saccharides raises the sugar degree in the blood. which causes the liver to bring forth more insulin. which increases sum of fat sedimentations in the organic structure ( “Fast Food Statistics. “ ) . A high sum of Calories in fast nutrient repasts is besides a possible cause of fleshiness. A kid who eats a dual cheeseburger. a big order of french friess. a big coke and a little vanilla shingle in McDonald’s. will hold eaten 1760 Calories and 63 gms of fat. ( “Fast Food Effects on Childhood Obesity by Terry Schierer. ” ) .

The recommended day-to-day consumption for a adult grownup is 2000 Calories a twenty-four hours ; hence in one repast the kid has had about the full grownup day-to-day consumption of Calories ( “Fast Food Effects on Childhood Obesity by Terry Schierer. ” ) . Another manner to demo that the ingredients in fast nutrient have a direct nexus to fleshiness is through statistics. If a kid eats fast nutrient repasts 2 to 3 times each hebdomad. they are likely to set on an excess six lbs ( 3 kg ) every twelvemonth ( “Fast Food Effects on Childhood Obesity by Terry Schierer. ” ) .

In drumhead. the ingredients in fast nutrient repasts are shown to be a important cause of fleshiness. Fleshiness in the US can besides be straight attributed to the ingestion of fast nutrient through the advertisement and selling used to advance these merchandises. In 2001 entirely. the U. S. companies spent $ 3. 5 billion on fast nutrient advertisement – approximately a 3rd of the full budget spent on publicity in the nutrient industry. About $ 1 billion was spent in publicizing the top five sodium carbonate trade names ( “Food Advertising Leads to Obesity. “ ) .

The U. S. ndustries have invested a great trade in the advertizement of these nutrients and most of this selling is aimed at kids. as Gary Ruskin provinces in his article The Fast Food Trap. He puts frontward the position that “the rise of childhood fleshiness in America is portion of a larger narrative: how corporations have laid claim to children’s imaginativeness and play – to childhood itself” ( Ruskin ) . Corporations get through to kids through the media of telecasting and movies. The mean American kid tickers 19 hours and 40 proceedingss of Television a hebdomad. during which they’re non active and are exposed to 1000s of adverts ( Ruskin ) .

The Federal Trade Commission stated in 1978 that “the largest portion of the telecasting advertisement addressed specifically to kids is for sweetened foods” ( Ruskin ) . Companies bring forthing fast nutrient companies have besides used characters from children’s movies to publicize their nutrients. For illustration. McDonald’s employed Disney characters such as Winnie-the-Pooh. Nemo. 101 Dalmatians and Tarzan to sell their Happy Meals ( Ruskin ) . Additionally. Cindy Syracuse. Burger King’s director for young person and household selling. provinces. “Teletubbies was a great promo spouse. Coca-Cola paid Warner Bros. $ 150 million for planetary selling rights for the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ( Ruskin ) .

When the film ET featured ET eating Reese’s Pieces. gross revenues shot up 65 % ( Ruskin ) . Manufacturers of fast nutrient besides mark kids in state of affairss where parents are unable to command what they are exposed to. peculiarly at school. In 1989. Chris Wittle. the laminitis of Channel One. came up with the thought of tackling the schools to demo day-to-day 12-minute Television broadcasts that included 2 proceedingss of ads ( Ruskin ) . 2000 schools adopted the thought and shortly. 8 million pupils were watching its ads for Pepsi. M & A ; M’s. Snickers and the similar ( Ruskin ) . Then the companies got the thought of peddling machines and now. about 19 out of 20 high schools and 60 % of simple schools have peddling machines that sell sugared nutrients and drinks ( Ruskin ) . Tom Harris. frailty president of gross revenues and selling for the National Theatre for Children claims that “Fast-food companies. excessively. now have a large presence in the schools. It’s a great manner for them to short-circuit parents and advance their high-fat merchandises to kids.

At least one out of every five schools now contains a fast-food mercantile establishment. ” ( Ruskin ) . Fast nutrient corporations are publicizing any manner they can. even through the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry ( AAPD ) . who received a $ 1 million part from the Coca-Cola Foundation ( Ruskin ) . Michael Jacobson. the executive manager of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest provinces “I’m surprised that AAPD is willing to be co-opted in this manner. and for comparatively small money in the strategy of things. The Academy’s leading should vacate. ” ( Ruskin ) .

Therefore to reason. as Gary Ruskin states “Television literally is an fleshiness machine – both because of what it shows and the manner it affects children’s lives. It gives advertizers a manner to walk through the front door and talk straight to kids. ” ( Ruskin ) . Finally. fast nutrient can be singled out as a cause of fleshiness in the US because it is so widely available and low-cost. The University of California. Berkeley. led a research undertaking and concluded that if a fast nutrient eating house is within a ten percent of a stat mi of a school. it increases the hazard of fleshiness in 9th graders by 5. 2 % ( “Fast Food Statistics and Obesity n America. “ ) .

In New York. there are 10 fast nutrient eating houses in a 2-square-mile country and there are merely under 16000 fast nutrient eating houses in the U. S. entirely ( “Number of Fast Food Restaurants in America. “ ) . The Washington Centre for Weight Management and Research found that people who assemble their repasts utilizing ingredients in XXL-size packaging terminal up fixing repasts that are 23 % larger than those who buy standard sizes ( “Obesity Statistics. “ ) . In footings of monetary value. a repast in McDonald’s for a household of four costs $ 28. which compared to the $ 60 for a healthy repast is well cheaper ( “Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? ) .

To reason. the figure and propinquity of the fast nutrient eating houses in America. every bit good as the monetary values and the sizes have had a large impact on fleshiness in America. In decision. the combination of the figure of fast nutrient mercantile establishments. ( and their propinquity to their mark clients ) . the size of the parts sold and the affordability of the repasts themselves have had a important impact on the degrees of fleshiness in the US. Although fast nutrient is a major contributing cause of fleshiness. it can non be wholly blamed.

It is a person’s pick to eat in a fast nutrient eating house and hence there is a big grade of personal duty involved. It is up to the person to make up one’s mind whether to exert and lose the Calories and fat they put on. or whether they choose to sit and watch telecasting and go on eating convenient fast nutrient. Harmonizing to Buchholz. an economic advisor on the George H. W. Bush disposal. consumers today have a wider pick of healthy fast-food options and hence can non fault fast-food eating houses if they are fleshy because of the higher-fat merchandises ( Buchholz ) .

Depending on what you pile on it. a fast nutrient Burger may non heighten your wellness. and it may impede your ability to run a endurance contest. but it is really easy to happen out the ingredients in the Burger you are eating. or the sum of Calories in the big part of french friess you ordered ( Buchholz ) . The fast nutrient industries have been seeking to give their costumiers a pick. It is a error to pigeonhole fast nutrient as merely a cheeseburger and a big french friess. Fast nutrient eating houses have immensely expanded their bill of fare for a assortment of grounds. For illustration. on the 10th March 2003.

McDonald’s introduced its premium salads that featured Newman’s Own All-Natural Dressings ( Buchholz ) . During the 1990s. McDonald’s and Taco Bell invested 1000000s of dollars seeking to develop low-fat. commercially feasible choices. such as the McLean Deluxe beefburger and Taco bell’s Border Lights. Burger King adopted its “Have It Your Way” slogan several decennaries ago ( Buchholz ) . Another ground why fast nutrient shouldn’t be wholly blamed for being the cause of fleshiness is because non all the extra Calories being consumed by the population are from fast nutrient eating houses.

On norm. Americans are eating about 200 Calories more each twenty-four hours than they did in the 1970s ( Buchholz ) . It has been shown that Americans consume two-thirds of their Calories at place ( Buchholz ) . When a individual goes nutrient shopping. they are likely to open up a box of biscuits or confect and eat it while they go through the supermarket. which accounts for why consumers eat two to three clip more sugared nutrient inside shops than at fast nutrient eating houses ( Buchholz ) .

The U. S. Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) led a undertaking knows as the “Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals” and discovered that Americans are non eating bigger breakfasts. tiffins or dinners ; they are simply noshing like ne’er earlier. Between the 1970s and the 1990s. work forces and women’s Calorie ingestion between repasts has gone from 160 to 240 Calories ( Buchholz ) . In 1987-88. Americans snacked less than one time a twenty-four hours. By 1994. they were noshing 1. 6 times a twenty-four hours ( Buchholz ) . Another ground why people are eating more than they did four decennaries ago is because the nutrient is cheaper presents.

Harmonizing to a study led by USDA’s Economic Research Service. households spent 23. 5 % of their income on nutrient in 1929. In 1961. they spent 17 % and in 2001. 10 % of their income was spent on nutrient ( Buchholz ) In 1986. eating house repasts were 1. 82 times the cost of a boughten repast and by 2001. eating house repasts were 1. 73 times every bit much. Higher incomes and lower eating house monetary values have induced people to eat more. off from place ( Buchholz ) . To sum up. consumers know that fast nutrient is unhealthy and that they can happen out what precisely they are eating.

They besides have the pick to lose the weight they have put on because of these repasts and it is up to them to take the duty for their actions. Fast nutrient industries have besides taken action and have provided healthier options for those who want them. Fleshiness is non merely caused by the ingestion fast nutrient. There are many other lending factors that can take to being overweight. The first and most of import factor compared to fast nutrient ingestion or diet by and large. is deficiency of exercising.

Harmonizing to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. kids should acquire a lower limit of 60 proceedingss of exercising a twenty-four hours ( “Obesity in the U. S. in Children Due to Lack of Exercise. “ ) . In a study of 10th graders in Washington in 2006. merely 43 per centum reached the suggested day-to-day activity mark ( “Obesity in the U. S. in Children Due to Lack of Exercise. “ ) . From 1991 to 2003. physical instruction and general activities during school clip decreased by 14 % ( “Obesity in the U. S. in Children Due to Lack of Exercise. ) . Additionally. merely 28 % of high school pupils get the suggested day-to-day sum of physical exercising ( “Obesity in the U. S. in Children Due to Lack of Exercise. “ ) . Teachers in a New York school say that the deficiency of equipment and unequal preparation are the grounds for the deficiency of exercising ( “Obesity in the U. S. in Children Due to Lack of Exercise. “ ) . As good. kids in the U. S. ticker on mean 19 hours and 40 proceedingss of telecasting a hebdomad. during which they are non active ( Ruskin ) .

Another lending factor to high degrees of fleshiness is air conditioning. When a individual enters an environment that is either excessively hot or excessively cold. they have to fire Calories to maintain their organic structure temperature changeless. But when air conditioning is blaring into either their places or workplaces maintaining the temperature invariable. they don’t need to fire the Calories ( “Study Suggests 10 New Obesity Causes. “ ) . In fact. 9 out 10 places in the U. S. now have cardinal air conditioning ( “”Losing Our Cool” : The High Price of Staying Cool. “ ) .

Other less of import factors such as deficiency of slumber. pollution. medical specialty and self-pride are lending causes of fleshiness. To sum up. although fast nutrient is a major lending factor to the high degrees of fleshiness we see today. it is non the lone cause. As this essay has stated. deficiency of exercising is an every bit dominant factor. Fast nutrient repasts are non the lone repasts that contain ingredients which. consumed in surplus. can take to inordinate weight addition. ( It is true that the ingredients of fast nutrient repasts could be made healthier and the U. S. Government could make more to halt the companies from advertisement to the kids in schools where the parents have less control over what their kids are exposed to ) .

There are plentifulness of nutrient points in every family that have the same consequence. The cardinal point to observe here is that. as with most things. moderateness needs to be applied. Obesity is an all-consuming job that costs the Americans $ 150 to $ 170 billion in one-year medical costs ( Swaine ) . It was predicted that 75 % of Americans would be overweight in 2020 ( Swaine ) . Who should pick the measure for these immense medical costs?

For those three quarters of the American population are traveling to necessitate wellness attention and medical specialty. is it just to inquire the authorities. and hence the revenue enhancement remunerator. to pay for the wellness attention of a 12-year-old diabetic male child. for his insulin. for his visits to the dietician’s or for his extra-tuition when he missed school. when the fast nutrient industry is potentially at the root of the job. Should the fast nutrient industry be taking a larger portion of the duty? Coupled with a healthy life style. including plentifulness of exercising. the uneven fast nutrient repast will non negatively impact a person’s wellness.

Where it becomes debatable is where fast nutrient repasts are the chief diet and this can go on in more disadvantaged subdivisions of society where income is low and low-cost fast nutrient repasts are an attractive option. Clearly here the life styles are non so healthy. exercising is non a precedence and inordinate weight addition is more likely. Seen in isolation. fast nutrient can non be singled out as the cause of fleshiness but linked to other related factors including exercising government and socio-economic variables such as household income. it can clearly hold a negative impact.

Governments. ( non merely the US ) . have a duty to guarantee that the population is informed and educated about healthy diets and life styles and they continue to make this. Bridging the spread between low income families and those that can perchance more easy afford the healthy life styles mentioned supra is a harder challenge and in world one that will ne’er be to the full achieved. High degrees of fleshiness will go on to predominate where a diet and exercising are non seen as precedences.