Could fast food be the biggest serial killer ever? Actually, unhealthy eating habits is cited as the second biggest killer, only behind smoking. However, the number of obese Americans is on a rapid rise. Fast food has permeated every aspect of our society and become best friend to many. After all, it is cheap, fast, abundant, and easily found. It is these conveniences that keep us in the “fast food nation” mentality. We ignore the fact a Whopper and fries have 1250 calories or a burrito has 370 calories and order it anyway. Then we wonder why our clothes get tighter and tighter.
Obesity is an epidemic that is attacking our health, economy, and self esteem. More than half of American adults are obese and around seventeen percent of children are obese. Annual obesity related health care cost rise upward of 240 billion dollars and the CDC estimates that 280,000 Americans die each year as a direct result of being overweight. Now, I am not placing all the blame on the fast food industry. There are other genetic, inactivity, and disease factors that contribute to these numbers, but with Americans spending over 100 billion dollars a year on fast food, it has to be a major factor. A long-term study published in “The Lancet” offers compelling evidence to support a correlation between fast food, weight gain, diabetes, and insulin resistance. These obesity related health problems just continue to destroy lives, not only the obese persons, but every tax payers as well.
While some may say “well its my body and I will get as fat as I want and eat all the fast food I want to”, I say then be prepared for the consequences then. The vicious cycle of overeating moves from just a problem for the mouth it enters to everyone's problem as the persons health dwindles . Complications like diabetes , heart disease, and just plain inability to perform job functions lead to unemployment and loss of health insurance. This of course places the obese person in the government system- i.e. Medicaid, welfare, unemployment, SSI, etc. So, obesity is not just a personal problem. It is a national problem. Yet, that same guy who says he will eat what he wants when he wants it has no problem collecting his government check and filing on his Medicaid that everyone else's tax dollars pay for.
I am one that firmly believes in free will, but I equally believe in personal responsibility. People who CHOOSE to continue lifestyles that lead to a health crisis have the right to do so. However, they also must take the personal responsibility for the consequences from their actions. That includes paying for their own medical treatment!
