EATING OURSELVES TO DEATH
BY, ARMAN OGANOV
"Today's kids may be the first
United States. The problem lies in that
generation in history whose life
there aren’t any alternatives to the
expectancy is projected to be less than
food we eat. One cannot go into a local
that of their parents" (Katz). Is it
fast food joint and order from an array
really true? Are we killing our
of healthy meals. The truth lies in
children? According to Dr. Katz we are
thousand calorie snacks and burgers
since we practically feed our children
that exceed the 2000-calorie diet. We
to obesity. Obesity is an epidemic that
all love to have a Big Mac or a Juicy Six
spans one in every three people in the
Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010
dollar burger but is it truly worth the
social, physical or emotional. Manuel
joy?
Uribe is the fattest man in the world at
a weight of 1,225 lbs.
He was confined to
his bed for five years
where he would lay
and people would
bring him food. In
2006 he made an
appeal on television
and since then he has
Figure 1: BMI values for weight
We are a country that loves to
many requests from surgeons and
eat. The United States founded many
doctors to help him lose the weight.
of the ‘Fast Food’ joints across the
He is currently on a weight loss
world. So what does that say about us?
program that will hopefully reduce his
Our country has one of the highest
weight to 220 lbs within the next few
numbers of individuals who are obese
years (World’s Heaviest Man). There
and overweight. Being obese means
are dozens of stories, similar to this
that you have a Body Mass Index
one, of people over a thousand pounds
(BMI) over 30, compared to a normal
suffering to lose weight. To put this in
weighted person who would have a
perspective, an average cow weighs
BMI of around 18-24 (figure 1.) This
1,500 lbs. This gives a new meaning to
can cause many problems either
the term ‘as fat as a cow.’
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Examples Of Food That is Extremely Unhealthy
McDonalds’ Big Breakfast with
Hotcakes is the fattest meal on
their menu totaling 1190
Calories (McDonalds
Nutrition).
Surprisingly Subway, a company that claims to
be the healthiest has a foot long, Italian B.M.T.
that is shockingly 1,260 from which half are
from fat (Fat Calories).
This is the Carl’s Junior Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar
Burger. It has 1040 Calories from which 630 are
from fat. Sadly this is still less than the McDonald’s
Big Breakfast or the Subway Italian B.M.T. (Carl’s
Junior Nutrition).
Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010
What are some of the health Risks?
Everyone knows that obesity
exercise as much as people who have
causes health problems but do they
a normal weight. Manuel is an
truly know the statistics and facts for
example; he has to lie in bed so the
Obesity. According to the Surgeon
only exercise he gets is feeding
General 300,000 American deaths a
himself, if he can. Weight can also
year are attributed to obesity
cause cancers especially colon,
(Carmona). Around 2,420,000 people
gallbladder, prostate and breast
die per year in America meaning that
cancer. Women gaining more than 20
around 12% of all the deaths are
pounds from age 18 to midlife double
caused by obesity. An increase in fat
their risk for post menopausal-breast
weight means an increase in
cancer. Obesity causes problems with
Cholesterol, which can cause not only
the skeletal system, which can cause
high blood pressure but also strokes
arthritis. The risk of osteoarthritis
and heart attacks. This is a problem
increases with every 2-pound weight
because many obese people don’t
gain (Health Risk of Obesity).
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Is childhood obesity worse than adult obesity?
Obesity for children is even
more likely to have risk factors
worse than for adults because an
associated with cardiovascular
obese child decreases their life
disease such as high blood pressure,
expectancy even more than an adult
high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes
and it causes the person to live with
than other children and adolescents.
obesity longer throughout their life.
This problem will cause obese
The National Health and Nutrition
children to become obese adults. One
Examination Survey stated that 17
study found that around 80% of
percent of children and adolescents
people who were overweight children
ages 2-19 years old are obese
became obese adults (Childhood
(Childhood overweight and obesity).
overweight and obesity). This means
Obese children and adolescents are
that obese children, which are
Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010
continually rising, will become obese
recommended levels of physical
adults and cause a larger percentage
activity (Childhood overweight and
of obesity across the world.
obesity). The parents are involved in
Causes of childhood obesity
the problems as well because most of
have to do with many different
the time the parents give their
factors. A child’s life revolves around
children the food they want, the video
computers, TV’s and video games. This
games, the TV’s and if they do not then
they are considered a bad parent.
As California’s congressman said
in his speech about childhood
obesity “I, like most, believe that
childhood obesity is best tackled
at the local level through
improved parental involvement,
increased physical exercise,
is a major influence into childhood
better diet and restraint” (Filner). The
obesity because the children do not
children need to be taught what food
get any exercise and they eat
is good and which ones are not so that
whatever is handed to them while
when they grow older they can make
fighting off zombies or chopping off a
healthy decisions to pass onto their
head from a mummy. According to a
children. Parents can persuade their
study done by the CDC less than one-
children to have fun without the TV by
third of high school students acquire
going outside with them and playing
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Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010
sports or riding bikes. Whatever can
pass the same type of exercise to their
get the child out of the house will be
children without staying at home and
better for them. That way they can
playing video games.
What are the solutions?
The number of obese
This is just the beginning but at least
Americans is rising with obesity rates
there are people that participate and
higher in 28 states compared to last
can influence others to join.
year (Elseth). Many programs have
Americans can reduce the amount of
been opened to help fight obesity like
obesity in the world if they can change
the Obama’s “Let’s Move” organization
obesity in the US since the fast food
that focuses on:
places that reach other countries will

Eating healthier at home
serve healthier food (also because we

Eating healthier at school,
have one of the largest obesity

Access to healthier foods, and
percentages in the whole world).

Exercising more (Whitehouse).
There are a number of ways to stop
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Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010
obesity but the people have to force
Another type of program is the Weight
themselves and stop this epidemic.
Watchers and Jenny Craig Diet
Healthier food is an option to
program that use points and healthy
consider but obese people have
foods to help you lose weight and
already established the habit of eating
keep an upbeat lifestyle. The whole
too much food and food that is
food industry revolves around weight
unhealthy. As Jeffrey Levi said
loss and dieting which isn’t always
“"Millions of Americans still face
healthy but many options exist.
barriers — like the high cost of
Healthy foods come out everyday
healthy foods and lack of access to
from cereals to burgers to desserts, all
safe places to be physically active —
one has to do is search their questions
that make healthy choices
on the Internet and find pages that
challenging." But he later went on
contain the food they want.
saying, “We have to make healthy
Exercising is a key method for
choices easy choices” (Levi). This is
losing weight. Although obese people
what the Americans, and even the rest
have problems with weight rooms and
of the world, have to understand to
their machinery, dumbbells and free
accomplish a decrease in obesity.
weights don’t have machine
There are heaps of weight loss
restrictions. One can reduce obesity
programs that incorporate healthy
by exercising because as soon as they
food into their regimens. There is the
start, they will feel stronger, healthier
program P90X that incorporates
and emotionally happier. As Peter
weight loss with muscle building.
Giacobbi Jr., assistant professor of
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Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010
sport and exercise psychology at UF‘s
overtaken by obesity. Adults pass on
College of Health and Human
their eating habits, and genetics, to
Performance said “We found that
their children, which will cause them
regardless of the events they
to gain weight and pass that onto their
experienced on any given day, they
children, continuing the cycle.
had an increased positive mood and a
Reducing our dependence on fatty
decreased negative mood on a day
foods isn’t easy but exercising
they exercised more” (Giacobbi).
continually and eating healthy food
Personal trainers can be very
will reduce the risk of people
beneficial to an obese person because
becoming obese. Options exist but the
they have been trained to understand
population has to focus their mind on
how to allow their customer to lose
losing the weight. Obesity can end as
weight and gain muscle. Exercising
soon as we shut off the TV, drop the
can easily reduce the danger of
hamburger, pick up the dumbbell, and
obesity and its health risks.
start to sweat.
As the United States becomes
more obese, the planet also becomes
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Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010
Works Cited:

Katz, David. “How We Grew So Big”. Defeatdiabetes. Defeat Diabetes
Foundation inc. 2004. Web. 16 Jul. 2010 <http://www.defeatdiabetes.org>.

“World’s Heaviest Man”. Yourdiscovery. Discovery Communications inc. 2010.
Web. 16 Jul. 2010. <http://www.yourdiscovery.com>.

McDonald’s Nutrition. N.p. 2010. Web. 13 Jul. 2010.
<http://www.mcdonald’s.com>.

The Fast Food Explorer. N.p. 2009. Web. 16 Jul. 2010.
<http://www.fatcalories.com>.

Carl’s Junior Homepage. Karl Karcher Enterprises inc. 2010. Web. 15 Jul. 2010
<http://www.carlsjr.com>.

Carmona, Richard H. “The Obesity Crisis in America.” Surgeongeneral. N.p.
2007. Web. 18 Jul. 2010. <http://www.surgeongeneral.gov>.

“Childhood Overweight and Obesity”. CDC. N.p. N.d. Web. 18 Jul. 2010.
<http://www.cdc.gov>.

Filner, Bob. “Fighting Childhood Obesity”. house. N.p. 2005. Web. 17 Jul. 2010.
<http://www.house.gov>.

Elseth, Michal. “Obesity Numbers Rise in 28 States.” Washingtontimes.
Washington Times, LLC. 2010. Web. 16 Jul. 2010.
<http://www.washingtontimes.com>.

Whitehouse. “Let’s Move”. Youtube. 2010. Web. 17 Jul. 2010.

Levi, Jeffrey. “Obesity Numbers Rise in 28 States.” Washingtontimes.
Washington Times, LLC. 2010. Web. 16 Jul. 2010.
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Eating Ourselves To Death
July 30, 2010

Giacobbi, Peter. “Exercise Can Boost Moods of the Most-Negative Traits”.
Hdlighthouse. N.p. 2003. Web. 15 Jul. 2010. <http://hdlighthouse.org>.
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