The most recent report of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 78.6 million American adults are obese (2015), which comprises one-third of the adult population. It is not a secret that when adults are obese, which means they are way too heavy for their height, they are at risk of being mocked for their looks. However, when it comes to children, people find it cute and healthy when children are fat. However, being obese, no matter what age, is a medical condition that needs to be addressed because of its negative effects. These include hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder issues, some cancers, mental illnesses, body pain, and many others (“The Health Effects,” 2015). For many people, institutions, and organizations, obesity is simply caused by an imbalance of energy. This means that when a person eats too much, high amounts of energy is taken, and if this energy is not burned through movement, weight gain is highly possible. Often times, this type of explanation about obesity shows that obese people lack enough discipline to avoid or resolve weight issues. However, imbalance of energy and lack of discipline are not the major causes of obesity. There’s a more powerful factor that triggers obesity, and this is the processed food companies that flourish within society. These food companies are the culprit behind the epidemic of obesity because they entice people to consume more calories than what is needed. They also provide misleading information that further promotes obesity, and they take advantage of people’s vulnerability.
First of all, food companies entice people to consume more calories than what their bodies need. They do this by using ingredients that are highly addictive. For example, most processed foods that people consume today are known to be high in fats and sugar (e.g., large portion burgers and pastries). According to a study, these kinds of foods strongly affect the rewards system “to override the appetite-suppressing hormones, thus prompting us to eat” (Kenny). The brain is responsible for signaling the body when to eat and when to stop; therefore, it has the ability to control and maintain a healthy weight. However, this ability is disrupted by appetizing foods. In fact, “brain-imaging studies by researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Oregon Research Institute show that the brain's reward systems in overweight individuals respond weakly to food, even to junk food” (Kenny). In other words, the foods that people normally ingest nowadays affect the brain’s control system when it comes to food intake, making more and more people food addicts.
Second, food companies tend to use misleading information that further promotes weight gain. In a 2002 to 2013 Gallup study, it was revealed that 51 percent of adults desire to shed some pounds (Brown). This figure, however, does not translate to the actual number of people who are able to lose weight and maintain a healthy one. One of the reasons is because despite the desire to lose weight, people are often deceived by food companies. Currently, many food products are marketed as “healthy” even if they are actually not. For example, it is common to see “low-fat” and “fat-free” food products in the market. As expected, people who want to lose weight would prefer to buy these products over others thinking that these are healthier options. However, removing fats from foods would most likely affect its palatability, so to avoid this from happening, food companies use enormous amounts of sugar and additives (Gunnars). As previously discussed, this affects the brain’s natural ability to control one’s appetite, which is why despite choosing a “healthier” option, losing weight remains a challenge. On the other hand, some people are conscious of the amount of sugar that they take, so they tend to check the list of ingredients to make sure that sugar is not on the top of the list. Health conscious individuals would know that the list of ingredients is listed according to the amount of each item. If sugar is on top of the list, it means that the food is loaded with it. However, it is not that easy to outsmart food companies. Most of them use different types of sugar. According to Gunnars, a food may contain “sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and evaporated cane juice” – all different names for the exact same thing sugar.” This deceptive strategy is done so that they wouldn’t have to put the label “sugar” on top of the ingredients list. Moreover, companies mislead people by offering “zero calorie” drinks, also known as diet drinks. A quite famous example of this is Diet Coke. However, studies reveal that this type of beverage can actually make people even fatter. According to Sharon Fowler (as cited in Waugh), who led a study on the effect of the consumption of diet drinks in the University of Texas, “increasing diet soda intake was associated with escalating abdominal obesity” (Waugh). Other researches also show that within the past 30 years when food companies use artificial sweeteners to offer diet drinks, the rate of obesity increased as well (Waugh). Clearly, even if obese people develop the desire to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, they often become victims of deception by many food companies that they trust. Lastly, food companies tend to take advantage of people’s vulnerability. In today’s society, people seem to have been busier than ever. They are often in a rush to go to work, to go to school, to complete projects, and the list goes on. According to Schabner, Americans do not just work longer hours nowadays, “they are also working longer than anyone else in the industrialized world.” The busier people get, the more vulnerable they become because they have less time to evaluate and look for healthy options. In fact, this is exactly why fast foods and instant foods have become popular, because these food items meet the needs of the busy people. For example, McDonald’s are just about everywhere. It has more than 30,000 stores in over 100 countries worldwide, and a report says that it serves 52 million every single day (McGrath). Why? Because McDonald’s knows the vulnerability of the people. It knows that people want a tasty food at the fastest time and most convenient way possible. Unfortunately, McDonald’s also serves high-calorie and unhealthy food products. A McDonald’s big breakfast meal, for instance, amounts to 1,150 calories while a supposedly healthy Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken amounts to 50 calories (Jargon and Tomson). If a person eats McDonald’s foods for breakfast, then it means that he/she almost reached the recommended daily calorie intake in just one meal. Indeed, food companies know that some people are vulnerable and they use this knowledge to their own business advantage.
Overall, it is true that obesity is caused by an imbalance of energy – more energy in and less energy out. However, there is a stronger force that causes this issue to occur. The main culprit behind obesity is the food companies. In making their products, they use ingredients that make people want to eat more so that they will continue to have loyal consumers. In addition, they use misleading information so that they will not lose their consumers even if they decide to live healthier and lose weight. Moreover, food companies take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities to gain profit. These companies know that people need fast foods, so they serve them what they need despite knowing that these foods are unhealthy and can trigger weight gain. There is no doubt that food companies are to blame for the epidemic of obesity.
Works Cited
“Adult Obesity Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Preventions. CDC, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Brown, Alyssa. “American’s Desire to Shed Pounds Outweighs Effort.” Gallup. Gallup, 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Gunnars, Kris. “Top 11 Biggest Lies of The Food Industry.” Authority Nutrition. Authority Nutrition, June 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Jargon, Julie and Bill Tomson. “ Highest-Calorie Menu Item at McDonald’s? Not a Burger.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Kenny, Paul. “Is Obesity an Addiction?” Scientific American. Scientific American, 1 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
McGrath, Jane. “How McDonald’s Works.” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, n.d.. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
“The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity.” Centers for Disease Control and Preventions. CDC, 5 June 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Schabner, Dean. “Americans: Overworked, Overstressed.” ABC News. ABC News, May 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Waugh, Rob. “Diet Coke Actually Makes People Fat (And So Do Other Low-Cal Drinks).” Metro. Associated Newspapers Limited. 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
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