Harmon 1
Rochelle Harmon
Wayman
A.P. English
09 December 2011
A Heavy Nation
America is a huge nation, literally. Not only is the population large, the overall weight of
Americans is massive. America is being overwhelmed with overweight people. Obesity is a
serious health risk that can cause life-threatening diseases or even death. It is most common in
children and parents are at fault for this because they let their children become grossly
overweight by not feeding them right. Obesity can easily be prevented by eating healthy foods
that are not from fast food restaurants and exercising. Instead of encouraging people to take the
simple tasks to be healthier and lose weight, a majority of America is creating accommodations
for the obese community so that they better fit into a normal lifestyle. No justifications should be
made for heavy people. Being heavy is a life choice, not a disability or disease. Obesity is an
increasing problem that should be recognized and changed.
Imagine a four year old girl having a make-believe tea party. The picture that would
usually come to mind is a tiny, twig of a girl playing tea. Not in the case of Anamarie Regino. In
the article “Watching Her Weight,” Lisa Belkin explores the heartbreaking story of Anamarie
Regino. This is a story of severe childhood obesity. Anamarie is not small, she is the exact
opposite. The simple task of lifting an arm to take a sip of tea is a struggle for her. Getting up to
walk and get another stuffed animal to play with has her almost gasping for air. Belkin reports
the fact that this little girl is 110 pounds and four foot, six inches tall. She is three times heavier
and two times taller then the average four year old. How could any sane parent let their daughter
Harmon 2
get this obese? Child services asked the same question, which led them to take four year old
Anamarie Regino from her parents and place her in foster care.
After the state had taken custody of their daughter, an investigation was opened on the
Regino family. Child services believe that Anamarie’s parents are at fault for her being
overweight at such a young age and view this as possible child abuse. Belkin reports that, “many
of Anamarie’s doctors thought her parents were trying to hurt her. Every time she was admitted
to the hospital she lost weight… when she returned home she gained it back.” The only
explanation to Anamarie’s obesity is that her parents are not taking care of her by making sure
that she is not being fed junk food, which in her case is life-threatening.
Anamarie’s parents are at fault for the bad nutrition of their child, but some say that
taking children away from their parents and putting them in foster care is too excessive. Giving
the government the choice to take children out of their homes because they are obese might be a
bad idea. Mikaela Conley highlights this point in “Should Parents Lose Custody of Extremely
Obese Kids?” by interviewing Dr. David Orentlicher who argues, “If we give government the
option of removing obese children from the home, we know from our experience… that many
child protective service agencies will be too quick to place overweight children in foster care.”
The government has a history of abusing their rights to save time and money and they could be
too immediate to rip children from the hands of their mother or father for this reason. Some may
say that a better solution is to aid the parents and give them guidance on how to help their
children become healthy and use foster care as a last resort.
While intervention appears like a better solution to some, it is not the quickest and most
effective solution. Taking a child from their family may seem extreme but for those children
“who have developed life-threatening conditions such as type 2 diabetes, and breathing and liver
Harmon 3
problems that could kill before the age of 30, temporary foster care may be an appropriate
solution” (Conley). Foster care gets to the point and does not waste precious time that could be
used to save obese children from brutal health situations or even possible death. To help children
become healthy again, foster care may be the only resolution, especially in the case of Anamarie
Regino.
Anamarie was put in foster care because her parents are blamed for her extreme obesity
and they are blamed for good reason. Children model and learn from their parent’s behavior.
Until they are old enough, which is usually around four or five, children do not know how to
feed themselves. Their parents are the ones who nourish them and therefore educate them on
what and how much to consume. The article “The Healthy Toddlers Trial Protocol: An
Intervention to Reduce Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity in Economically and Educationally
Disadvantaged Populations” by Mildred A. Horodynski supports that parents are responsible for
food their children is eating by explaining, “The healthy growth and development of children is
influenced by proper early nutrition and the establishment of early positive eating behaviors.”
This statement theorizes that children’s eating habits are influenced by what they saw their
parents eat and what their parents fed them. Horodynski also suggests that “parents need to
facilitate their toddler’s development of healthy eating habits.” The article is recommending that
parents should care about feeding their babies healthy foods instead of oversupplying and
providing their children with junk food. A lot can be done by parents to help their children be
healthy and there should be no excuse for children who are obese.
Overweight children should not be defended and the same goes for anyone who is obese.
Even though excuses should not be made, Americans are beginning to create justifications for
people who are overweight. Obesity is now seen as a disability or a disease. Some Americans
Harmon 4
would say that being overweight cannot be helped and because of this America should start
making special equipment that help heavy people fit in and navigate the world like everyone
else. They would say obesity should not be discriminated against, just like people who are
handicapped or mentally disabled are not differentiated. America is starting to create
accommodations for the overweight like they have for the handicap.
The idea that America is constructing easier ways of accessibility for the overweight like
they have for handicapped is seen through car markers. Car makers are currently making changes
to their vehicles to better suit people who are obese. The new program is dubbed “Plump My
Ride.” This is a mockery of the show “Pimp My Ride” so that it sounds more modern and
pleasing to potential customers. Andrew Hough interviews Ralf Kaiser who explains, “People
are getting more obese and we want to find out… how our vehicles can adapt to the changing
needs of our customers.” Car makers are now adjusting some features on cars to better fit the
needs of obese drivers. They are not comfortable in and have trouble driving a car designed for
an average person. Since it is difficult for a heavy person to turn around and look out their
review window to back up, cars now have a camera installed in the back. This allows a person to
simply look at the screen on their dashboard while backing up. In his article, Hough calls
attention to the fact that door handles on Mercedes are becoming stronger to help support heavier
passengers since they have a tendency to break off under a large amount of weight. Porsche is
joining “Plump My Ride” too, according to Hough, by installing steering wheels that rise up
when the engine is turned off. Hough also explains that in 1953 the Ford Prefect’s car seat was
four feet nine inches wide but now, in 2011, it is six feet one inch wide to fit bigger bottoms. All
of these elements have been installed to cars to help support the obese community in having an
easier, worry-free life.
Harmon 5
Along with the transportation of cars being altered for weighty people, transportation in
air is being changed as well. Airplane seats are transforming to make life for large passengers
more stress-free by changing the policies of obese travel at airports. The previous policy for a big
person to ride an airplane was that they had to buy two tickets if their plump body could not fit
into one seat. This policy is no longer enforced. Airlines are now going as far as to kick off
passengers to allow more space for obese passengers. Scott Mayerowitz gives a story in the
article “Southwest Airlines Boots Skinny Woman Off Plan for Fat Passenger” where a thin
passenger was thrown off an airplane to make room for an oversized passenger who purchased
only one ticket and needed another seat to ride safely. To avoid this situation from happening
again, airplanes are beginning to install at least two rows of seats, called “Big Front” seats, for
their oversized passengers. The seats are an inch wider and they “have large armrests and more
room for overflow” (Mayerowitz). Due to the new size of seats, overweight people can currently
fly simply and happily on an airplane.
Movie theater seats are other types of seats that are being adjusted for bigger people.
Some movie theaters are beginning to install a row of couches in each auditorium. They claim
that the couches are for couples who want to comfortably cuddle without the hassle of armrests.
But the real story behind the couches is that they are for obese people to sit and enjoy a movie
because they cannot fit into a regular seat with armrests. After the couches were added, movie
theaters decided to take it one step further by changing the armrests so that they are able to move
up and down. This again is claimed to be for couples who want to cuddle during a movie and do
not want to use the couches. Of course, the moveable armrests are actually for overweight
people. Now heavy people can move their armrests up to make room for their large behinds to fit
comfortably into their movie seat.
Harmon 6
Cars, airplanes, and movie theater seats are just a small portion of things that are being
altered to help the obese community have an easy and normal lifestyle, just like everyone else.
These things are being changed because people say that obesity is a disability, but in reality it is
not. A disabled person cannot change their disability or prevent it. It makes sense to make
equipment more accessible for the disabled because they have no other solution of getting
around. However, paraphernalia for large people should not continue being made because
obesity is not a disability, it is a life choice. Obese people have the opportunity to alter their lives
so that they do not need to be accommodated for. They can easily do this by eating less fatty
food and exercising more to become healthier.
To avoid being accommodated for, obese people need to stay away from the biggest
contributor to obesity which is fast food restaurants. America is becoming more and more
dependent on the fast food industry for their breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fast food is so
appealing because it is a simple and prompt way to get food instead of taking the time to cook
dinner at home. It takes five minutes to get a full meal at McDonald’s but it can take up to half
an hour or more to make something to eat at home. Fast food is also alluring because it is loaded
with sugars and fats which taste delicious to almost anyone eating them. But good tasting food
does not mean healthy food. Fast food restaurants are trying to make their menu seem like they
have healthy options so that they can snatch more customers and make more money. Salads,
oatmeal and parfaits are some newly added items to most fast food restaurants’ lists of options.
These items may seem healthy but Meredith Melnick gives a shocking fact in “Nobody Orders
Fast-Food Salads, But That’s Not the Real Problem” that a “McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
contains more sugar than a Snickers bar.” So why don’t restaurants add real and honest healthy
foods to the menu? The answer is that no one would order them. Melnick provides another
Harmon 7
research detail: “47% of Americans say they want healthier restaurant options, but only about
23% actually order them.” People claim they want healthier foods but once they actually get to
the drive-thru window they cannot resist the tempting smell of the greasy foods. Most food
choices at fast food restaurants are made on desire when the customer gets there.
Another reason people make hasty decisions on what food they order is because they go
with what is cheaper. They do not order the healthy option because one salad at a fast food joint
is usually more expensive then a burger, fries and a drink combined. People want cheap food
where each item they order costs a dollar or less. These value menu prices are also why people
do not eat at home. A majority of the public believes it is less expensive to dine at fast food
eateries then to make dinner at home. But in fact it is less costly. Mark Bittman corrects the
falsehood that it is cheaper to feed a family of four at McDonald’s then to bake a nice, healthy
dinner at home in the article “Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?” He calculates that,
…two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, six chicken McNuggets, two medium and two
small fires, and two medium and two small sodas costs, at the McDonald’s a
hundred steps from where I write, about $28… You can serve a roasted chicken
with vegetables along with a simple salad and milk for about $14, and feed four or
even six people.
Obviously, feeding a family of six using half the money that would be spent on a family of four
is a better decision. And chicken with vegetables, a salad and milk is a great deal healthier then
burgers, fries, chicken nuggets and sodas at McDonald’s. Fast food places do not offer healthy
alternatives like chicken or vegetables. Since there are no healthy fast food places, the only
solution to eating healthy is to stop going to them all together.
Harmon 8
Some cities are beginning to support the idea of not going to fast food restaurants by
forbidding new fast food joints from being built in their settlements. Jennifer Medina discusses
South Los Angeles, an example of a city that is creating a permanent ban on new fast food
restaurants, in her article “In South Los Angeles, New Fast-Food Spots Get a ‘No Thanks.’” Fast
food places are beginning to take over America by constructing new restaurants all the time.
Medina illustrates how South Los Angeles is being overpopulated with these restaurants by
estimating, “there are nearly 100 fast-food restaurants in the 30 or so square miles of South Los
Angeles.” South Los Angeles wants to discontinue the spreading of any more new restaurants
through their new law. This law is a public health effort for South Los Angeles to stop
construction of unhealthy food joints due to that fact that “some 30 percent of the 750,000
residents in the area are obese” (Medina). Instead of fast food restaurants, the city yearns to start
building more sit-down eateries, grocery stores overflowing with fresh produce and meal centers
that have deli sandwiches and salads rather then burgers and fries. The city also hopes that their
example pushes other cities to outlaw fast food restaurants as well. If South Los Angeles is
successful with their new endeavor, their city could eventually delete a majority of unhealthy
foods that cause obesity.
Other places outside of America are also joining the effort to get rid of unhealthy foods in
their area. Denmark, a country in Europe, is making a “fat tax,” according to Lisa Abend in
“Beating Butter: Denmark Imposes the World’s First Fat Tax.” The tax is an attempt to reduce
obesity and obesity-related diseases in Denmark due to Danish eating habits. Danish tend to over
consume some of their favorite food items such as sausage, cheese, butter and milk. In an
attempt to dwindle the amount of fats that the Danish are eating, the raise in price per food item
is based on how many kilos of saturated fat are in the item. Pork fat, which is soaked with lard
Harmon 9
and saturated fat, rose from $2.15 to $2.85 in one day- a 35% increase (Abend). While at first
Denmark was skeptical about the tax, it has been extremely successful. Studies show that the
“ban has played a significant role in reducing rates of cardiovascular disease by over 30% in
Denmark in the past several years” (Abend). If other countries started proposing a fat tax as well,
they might be just as successful as Denmark in reducing diseases and obesity. This can
eventually change the world into a healthier place.
A law banning unhealthy foods is an effective way to put a stop to obesity, but what is
even more effective is if a person puts their own effort into eating healthy. It is not difficult to
change from unhealthy to healthy eating habits at home. If people are eating at home instead of
eating at fast food restaurants they are going to have more healthy options instead of options that
are loaded with grease and sugar. People can make time to put together a family dinner that is
enriched in healthy foods and nutrients like fiber, iron, and calcium that will benefit them and
their children. Sarah Klein gives an encouraging statistic in the article “8 Reasons to Make Time
for Family Dinner” by explaining, “A 2000 survey found that the 9- to 14- year-olds who ate
dinner with their families most frequently ate more fruits and vegetables and less soda and fried
foods.” Not only do parents control what their children are eating through making a meal at
home, family dinners also give parents a chance to educate their children on how to be and stay
healthy. Eating dinner at home also gives people the option to control portion sizes of their
meals. Portions at restaurants are continually growing and “the average restaurant meal has as
much as 60% more calories than a homemade meal” (Klein). Eating at home instead of eating
out is an easy way to stay healthy.
Eating at home is a simple way to stay healthy but it is not totally effective unless
exercise is present. Most doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to stay
Harmon 10
healthy. But now, insists Meredith Melnick in “Just 15 Minutes of Exercise a Day May Add
Years to Your Life,” just 15 minutes of exercise a day can have significant health benefits. A
new study has shown that doing 15 minutes of practical exercise a day is linked with increasing a
person’s life expectancy by three years and reducing their risk of death-related diseases by 14%
(Melnick). Reasonable exercise can be as easy as walking the dog, riding a bike, or playing a
quick game of basketball. It is not hard for a person to keep their weight down if they take just a
little bit of time out of their day to put towards saving their life.
Obesity will soon take over America if something is not done to stop it. Americans can
take effortless steps to reduce their weight to make them healthier. Parents can start doing this
for their children as well. Child obesity is not the fault of the child; the fault belongs to the parent
for not taking care of their child. Anamarie Regino is a perfect example of what can happen if
parents do not correctly nourish their children with healthy foods. If parents cannot properly take
care of their children and keep them healthy, then the child should be taken to a place where they
will be cared for, and that place is foster care. It is the most beneficial resolution for a child to
become healthy again. To reduce obesity America has to stop making special equipment for
obese people. This gives the message that America accepts obese people like they have a
disability when they are perfectly capable of losing their weight. Also, overweight people need to
start making healthy dinners at home instead of eating meals that contain fat and grease at fast
food restaurants. There is no way they can lose weight or avoid health risks related to obesity if
they continue to eat unhealthy foods at fast food restaurants. Some places are beginning to try
and cease obesity by banning fast food restaurants and creating a fat tax. These places are setting
a great example that others should start to follow to better the health in their communities. If
people start putting forth a little bit more effort, obesity can be a problem that is in the past.
Harmon 11
Works Cited
Abend, Lisa. "Beating Butter: Denmark Imposes the World's First Fat Tax." Time. N.p., 6 Oct.
2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
Belkin, Lisa. "Watching Her Weight." New York Times. N.p., 8 July 2001. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.
Bittman, Mark. "Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?." New York Times. N.p., 24 Sept. 2011. Web. 15
Nov. 2011.
Conley, Mikaela. "Should Parents Lose Custody of Extremely Obese Kids?." ABC News. N.p.,
13 July 2011. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.
Horodynski, Mildred A. "Title: The Healthy Toddlers Trial Protocol: An Intervention to Reduce
Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity in Economically and Educationally Disadvantaged
Populations ." N.p., 21 July 2011. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.
Hough, Andrew. ""Plump My Ride": Luxury Car Makers Create Bigger Cars for Fat Drivers."
Telegraph. N.p., 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
Klein, Sarah. "8 Reasons to Make Time for Family Dinner." CNN. N.p., 25 Oct. 2011. Web. 3
Nov. 2011.
Mayerowitz, Scott. "Southwest Airlines Boots Skinny Woman Off Plan for Fat Passenger." ABC
News. N.p., 28 July 2010. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
Medina, Jennifer. "In South Los Angeles, New Fast-Food Spots Get a "No,Thanks"." New York
Times. N.p., 15 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
Melnick, Meredith. "Just 15 Minutes of Exercise a Day May Add Years to Your Life." Time
Healthland. N.p., 16 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
Melnick, Meredith. "Nobody Orders Fast-Food Salads, But That's Not the Real Problem." Time
Healthland. N.p., 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.