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According to the Journal of American Medicine, around 78.6 million adults in the United States are obese, and this accounts for more than one-third of the adult population (qtd. in “Adult Obesity”). This condition has been associated with major health risks. For instance, CDC states that “obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death” (“Adult Obesity”) What makes this issue worse it that adults are not the only ones who suffer from obesity. In fact, 12.7% of children and teenagers (ages 2-19) are reported to be obese as well (“Childhood Obesity”). This means that at an early age, a significant number of children are already exposed to the health dangers associated with obesity. This condition exposes the young generation to a higher risk of premature death. These facts show that America has a strong but harmful relationship with food - one that takes the best of its citizen and requires positive change in order to cultivate a healthy society.
First of all, America’s relationship with food is so strong that it actually formed a destructive bond that is hard to break. The alarming rate of obese citizens is a concrete evidence of this strong bond, and this is supported by the fact that despite the knowledge of the dangers of obesity, people continue to eat in the same manner that adds excessive weight. This strong bond is not built overnight. After all, Americans have been battling obesity for decades now. What, then, lead to the formation of this seemingly destructive relationship? Naturally, food is a necessary fuel for the body. Without it, human beings will not exist. However, more than a necessity, Americans started wanting more and more food as fueled by many factors, such as the food businesses’ intention to grow their market and sales. Michael Moss, based on his research, stated that there is “a conscious effort — taking place in labs and marketing meetings and grocery-store aisles — to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive” (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). In other words, food businesses are deliberately designing their processed food products to make it saltier, sweeter, and tastier and to ultimately make it more addictive so that people would want to eat more. Craving for processed foods that are high in sugar or salt is definitely one of the reasons why people are adding weight. Now, it would have been easier to put a strain between the strong relationship of American and food if food companies will cooperate and offer better food choices. However, doing so would mean that they will be prioritizing morality over profit. In fact, it was reported that on 1999, C.E.O.s and company presidents of the largest food companies in America were called for a private meeting to discuss the issue of obesity (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). However, it was reported that they did not like the idea of needing to change the way they create food products in order to address the issue of obesity. The meeting, therefore, ended without successfully drafting a resolution. Consequently, the relationship between Americans and foods seem to remain strong as ever.
Aside from being strong, the relationship between Americans and foods is a harmful one mainly because most of the food options are unhealthy. David, president of the global health and wellness media company called Galvanized Brands, relates his teenage years and how his lunch and dinner were spent by choosing between McDonald’s and other fast food chains because he has no one to prepare meals for him (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). For David, the problem is caused by the “lack of alternatives” and “lack of information” (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). Regularly consuming processed foods, especially foods from fast food chains, is a perfect recipe for obesity. It is oily, has too many calories, too much sugar, and too many salt. Ironically, some of these foods that many Americans adore do not look like food at all. For instance, in a documentary hosted and directed by Morgan Spurlock, he showed how the foods from McDonalds do not spoil at a rate that most natural foods would do (“Food That Heals”). Compared to french fries from a regular restaurant, Morgan showed that the fries from McDonald’s did not change even after 10 weeks of being left inside a container. If these so-called foods do not change its form after a significant amount of time, then, there must be something in it that cause it to be “preserved.” Moreover, even the foods marketed to be “healthy” have its downside. For example, David Freedman (author, editor, and blogger) cites the unhealthy part of a Vegan Cheesy Salad Booster, marketed as a “wholesome” or healthy food in a Wholesome Foods store he once visited (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). Despite being enhanced with healthy ingredients, Freedman states that it contains “more than three times the fat content per ounce as the beef patty in a Big Mac (more than two-thirds of the calories come from fat), and four times the sodium” (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). Clearly, Americans are offered mostly unhealthy food options in the form of processed and “wholesome” food products which makes the America and food relationship all the more harmful to the citizens.
Food in itself is neutral; it is neither good nor bad, but since Americans have already developed a strong and harmful relationship with it, a healthier society is far from being possible if no change is done. Many health experts and professionals have expressed their thoughts and opinions about how to make a change in terms of the way Americans deal or relate with food. In order to do this, for instance, author Michael Pollan suggests that habits and perspectives towards food must change (437). Instead of eating processed foods on a regular basis, eating “mostly plants,” as Michael refers to it, would be the best course of action (Pollan, 440). Perhaps this is because of the fact that the nearer a food is to its natural form, the more real and healthy it is as opposed to other products that have been altered to cause unnecessary food cravings. In addition, Pollan suggests that Americans must not eat too much by focusing on “the manners, mores, and habits that go into creating a healthy, and pleasing, culture of eating” (440). For some, Pollan’s ideas are so idealistic that most people might not even try to do it because they have been overpowered by their current relationship with food. As Steven Nickolas of the Healthy Food Project said, “Everyone’s mother and brother has been telling them to eat more fruit and vegetables forever, and the numbers are only getting worse. We’re not going to solve this problem by telling people to eat unprocessed food” (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). As previously mentioned, Americans have already formed a strong bond with food, specifically, unhealthy foods. This bond cannot be broken overnight, and some people believe that it is better to make small changes instead of jumping into drastic ones. For example, Jamy Ardy, an epidemiology and preventive-medicine researcher in North Carolina, believes that processed foods need to be part of the solution to the issue of unhealthy diet because it is currently a vital part of the environment. He adds that “fast food became popular because it is tasty and convenient and cheap. It makes a lot more sense to look for small, beneficial changes in that food than it does to hold out for big changes in what people eat that have no realistic chance of happening” (Graff, Birkenstein, Durst, ). No matter what steps are needed to take, the important thing is that actions must take place to promote better health.
Overall, the relationship between America and food could have been a positive aspect of the society if the “foods” that most people take and patronize are real healthy ones. However, the truth is that they are not. Because of the unhealthy food options that are mostly available, America developed a strong yet harmful connection to food, and if changes are not done, more and more adults and children will suffer from many negative health consequences.
Works Cited
“Adult Obesity Facts: Data and Statistics,” CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2016.
“Childhood Obesity Facts: Data and Statistics,” CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 June 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2016.
Food That Heals. “Super Size Me – The Smoking Fry.” Youtube. Youtube, 3 May 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2016.
Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, and Durst Russel. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, With Readings, Third Edition. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2015. Print.
