An Apple or Reese’s
Tyler Keys
Professor Honea
ENGL 135

An Apple or Reese’s
Why is the world so obese and how to educate the entire population? Obesity has become a big problem in the world and the United States is number one among the other countries (cdc.gov). Would anyone ever think we would be number one? Of course with the portions we have these days that most people eat on their lunch break. According to Nazario (2010), 30% of the nation’s population is over the obesity index rate of 30. That means 70% of the population is below 30 on the fat index chart. The normal body fat index is supposed to be between 10 and 20% for a normal healthy American. Therefore, a fat index of twenty-three to twenty-nine is obese for men or women (Nazario, 2010). The three leading causes for the issue of obesity are lack of exercise, health problems, and environment. The physical effects can lead to an earlier death for most people.
Most Americans rely on their cars instead of their legs, which is lack of exercise and a cause of obesity. According to Hobson (2009), “about 15 percent of participants in the latest NEJM study dropped at least 10 percent of their body weight” (p. 1). For instance, in St. Louis, driving two miles to work but it takes me anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes to make it because everyone drives instead of using public transportation. Yes, I drive but it is because it is two miles and with all the bus stops it would take even longer. Along with driving, the elevators in most places get more of a workout than most of the people who use them. Mrs. Brown, my nutrition teacher, used to tell us all that the elevator is not worth the wait when the stairs are quicker. Technology has grown rapidly over the years causing the demand of physical labor to be less, such as factories, farms, offices, and schools. Pollan (2006) mentioned he used a combine every day but back in the early 1900’s the plows and horses did all the work. The lack of education on food labels or nutrition can cause for a few extra pounds, but would it make a difference or would the citizens maintain the knowledge? Most students in my nutrition class did not even know how to read a food label, nevertheless know what a protein or carbohydrate was. Most people do not even know what a saturated fat or vitamin C does for the body, but more universities are making the nutrition class a required course. Therefore, we see the southern-style or eastern shore cooking, and we think the fat is no issue, but in a few years you might think twice. For Thanksgiving, grandma fixes turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, dressing, macaroni and cheese, rolls and a few different desserts. With that type of feeding and buffet style dinners, Americans may recognize a few pounds.
There are several health problems that can come with being obese such as hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, and family genes. Marks (2004) stated, “We have inherited our genetic makeup from our ancestors, hunters and gatherers who ate diets rich in low-fat meats and grains, which had to stalk and capture the entrée for dinner” (p.1). According to Sayre (2008), gender can play a role as well, “Historically, women have been fatter than men, but that gap is narrowing” (p. 1). Inheritance along with gender as promptly been seen in my family for obesity. For example, my mother is medium built and my father is largely built, two opposite genders and different backgrounds. My brother and I are the same way as well, I am small built and he is a larger build. It is strange that we can relate all the way back to our ancestry to see where we get our body tone.
Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid glands do not produce enough thyroid hormones, causing the metabolism being slow, resulting in obesity. Women are more likely to get this type of health issue over men (Hypothyroidism, 2010). The Cushing syndrome is a high hormone disorder causing hormone cortisol, and most obese people have a higher