I am sure I am not the only one who hears constantly that “Americans are so fat”. Well, unfortunately this statement is not all laughs; as a matter of fact about half of Americans are obese or overweight. Some may ask why this may be, I certainly did. My life revolves around being as healthy as I can with simple steps: eating the right foods, keeping up with good hygiene, and of course breaking a nice sweat at the gym whenever I get the chance. Now, I wont say I have never indulged in a large pizza before, but it sure is not all I ever eat because I know how bad it is for me. I have dedicated time to learn how to check food labels, how to be aware of the nutrients my body needs, and how to balance certain elements in my diet without eating too much or too little. All America seems to be based around is food. Not just any food, almost every square inch of America is filled with fast food places such as McDonald's, Burger King, Chipotle, QDoba and local pizza shops. Yes, it is okay to eat these foods on occasion, but not for breakfast, lunch and dinner 365 days a year. Most Americans are not aware of the fine line between balance and the importance of our health and nutrition. Sometimes they just do not feel it is that important to worry about. If American’s do not learn how important it is to eat healthy and exercise, they most likely will  find themselves suffering from something such as heart disease, obesity, and will become very lazy due to the lack of taking care of themselves.

The percentage of Americans becoming obese as a nation have been skyrocketing over the years. Eating unhealthy can cause many short term and long term health problems for all ages. Some of these problems include nutrition deficiency, chronic disease and weight gain. Without proper nutrition your body is not allowed to grow, maintain or function to its full ability. Eating unhealthy leads to type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and of course obesity. According to statistics more than 68.8% of the American population is obese or overweight. Fast food is linked to an increase in insulin for the body, which generally leads to type 2 diabetes. As a nation this says a lot about how careless Americans can be with their health. It also shows the lack of knowledge most Americans have on food and nutrition. As much as some may not care, it is important for the health of America’s children and people to be more educated on the subject.

Weight gain is one of the largest problems with eating unhealthy. Obesity is caused by eating too much or from intaking too many carbohydrates, fats and foods that are just not good for a person’s body in general. Most people think that by skipping a meal, not eating at all or binge eating one day and not eating another is a way of losing weight, when really the only healthy, true way of losing weight is by doing exercise and eating the right foods. Sorry for the disappointment. However, exercise is known to do much more than just help a person lose extra pounds; exercise is literally known for improving one’s self confidence, boost your mood and make you feel overall well.  If one of your family members is obese, it is likely that everyone else in the house will be. Eating habits and lack of exercise tend to rub off on everyone else in the house. Obesity can lead to heart disease, chronic illnesses and even death.

I first started to care about my health when one of my family members died of a heart attack. I did my research and found out that eating unhealthy links to clogged arteries and can cause a heart attack. I try to eat healthy the majority of the time because eating unhealthy foods makes me feel bad. It slows me down, makes me bloated and gives me little to no energy. When I eat healthy, I feel better about myself. I also care about my overall health. Yes, I love eating unhealthy, but I also care about my future health. As should other people too, but the way society is, junk food is all people enjoy. My overall health feels like it is in good standings. Eating unhealthy is one of the most addictive lifestyles a human can adapt too.

Is a few minutes of taste bud satisfaction worth all the health risks that come along with it? When people are unaware of what food is doing to their body, they most likely will just feed their bodies with garbage. Americans have become so addicted to the taste of food, that they constantly feed themselves with it. It’s a bad habit to get into, and young children and falling into the trap of eating like crap because that’s how they were raised. The rates of obesity keep going up and up every year and it’s because children don’t have good, healthy role models to follow. Good job America!

In America, the most common social gathering is based around food. Everywhere we go, food is the main priority. “Wanna come over later? I’ll have pizza and soda!” Of course that is going to attract any American to want to go and eat that pizza! No one can resist the temptation of free food. Americans love food more than anything in the world. The portion sizes of foods are getting bigger and our wallets are getting smaller. Food rates are going up due to increase in portion size. Fast food is quick and cheap so this appeals to most Americans. Due to this, Americans will tend to just constantly go for the quick and cheap. Little do these Americans know what that “quick and cheap” food is doing to their body. Did you know that a big mac has 530 calories with 27 G of fat? Probably not, because if you cared to know that you wouldn’t be eating it.

Works Cited:

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Rodriguez, Diana. "Your Diet, Your Health." EverydayHealth.com. N.p., n.d.
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Smith, Andrew F. "55 Juicy Facts About Fast Food." 55 Juicy Facts about Fast Food. N.p., n.d.
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"Why Obesity Is a Health Problem." Obesity Health Problem, Healthy Weight Basics, NHLBI, NIH. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Aug. 2015.