2fer #7

Darlenny Rodriguez

English 2

The Obesity Epidemic: What's Causing it?

Obesity has become a rapidly increasing issue in America, with more than one third of adults being obese. This is an issue because of the serious health problems it can lead to. They range from gallbladder disease, strokes, diabetes, and many other diseases. Many things can factor into the cause of obesity, such as non sedentary living, but one of the leading causes is processed food.  In a country where the majority of the food is process, obesity has become inevitable.

Processed foods are foods that are commercially prepared foods that aim to ease consumption, usually foods that have already been prepared. Shape.com highlights the different levels of processed foods and its negative impact on the human body. According to their article ¨Why Ultra-Processed Foods = Obesity¨, there are three levels of processed foods, minimal, semi, and ultra processed. They highlight the issues of ultra processing, stating ¨they tend to be calorie packed per bite, readily available, often super-sized, and heavily marketed; which all add up to overeating by throwing off our normal appetite, hunger and satiety mechanisms.¨  Food that doesn’t provide people with the needed nutrition might make them feel full but soon you will be hungry again because their body will be asking for nutrients. This becomes a process, which becomes harder to break after it is made a habit. Processed foods may seem great at first, but slowly they are harming the human body and their consumption should be minimalized.

Another reason why processed foods should be considered the leading cause of obesity in America is because of how accessible and marketed they are. Big companies are mass producing unhealthy items, ignoring the negative effects it has on people's health. Myfoodandhappiness.com speaks about this in an article explaining the correlation between obesity and processed foods. They state ¨They [processed food] are created to allure you, excite you and addict you to become a consumer of their product. The food companies’ goal, just like any other company, is to make more money. The way they do it is by designing products with a perfected taste with the help of people that have been hired to serve the role of guinea pigs.¨ Unlike many healthier foods, processed foods prioritize making money over keeping americans healthy. In addition to this, they are extremely easy to obtain. Restaurants, supermarkets, etc. are all around and many companies make them extremely affordable. These foods are marketed in a way to appeal to the general public, because of how easy it is to get them, making processed foods the main cause in obesity .

Obesity has became a bug issue in America due to the severe health problems it can cause. Many factors play into this, such as people not getting enough exercise, or genetics, but processes foods and its tactics that make you want them are reasons why the obesity epidemic should be blamed on processed foods.

1. editors, shape.com. “Why Ultra-Processed Foods = Obesity.” Shape Magazine, Shape Magazine, 25 July 2013, www.shape.com/blogs/weight-loss-coach/why-ultra-processed-foods-obesity.

2. Kriner, Matthew C., and Monika. “Processed Food and Why Is It the Main Cause of Obesity.” My Food & Happiness, 16 May 2017, www.myfoodandhappiness.com/processed-food-and-why-is-it-the-main-cause-of-obesity/.