Domains of culture
Domains of Culture:
Sustenance and Health
“Super size me!” These are words that have become all too familiar and comfortable in our
“American” culture. In our modern world with increasingly cheap, high calorie food (example, fast food — or “junk food”), prepared foods that are high in things like salt, sugars or fat; it is no wonder that obesity has increased rapidly in just the past few decades. I’d like to discuss how the food that we are prone to, and our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, is what conceptually is making us fat, as well as, how it’s affecting us as a nation in regards to obesity driven health problems. So why are we so fat? Americans know that they can get a value meal at almost any fast-food restaurant for far less money than it takes to purchase foods to make a healthy meal for their family. From deserts, to cheap fast food and soda; a revolving door between food agencies and the government, the system is very much stacked against healthy eating, and healthy people. If your meals consist of cheap burgers and large drinks, your diet may be cheap, but it is also excessively high in grains, sugars, and factory-farmed meats. (Ambriur, 2013) This is a recipe for obesity, diabetes and heart disease, just to name a few of the conditions that commonly befall those who consume "the Standard American Diet." Adding to the problem, many on the most limited food budgets, such as those who receive food assistance, live in areas without grocery stores, and perhaps only a convenience store or a fast-food restaurant where they can purchase their food.
So how does being fat affect us as a nation? Today’s generation may be the first to live a shorter lifespan than their parents. The obesity epidemic is one of the country's most serious health problems. (“Trust for america’s, 2013) Rising obesity rates have significant health consequences, contributing to increased rates of more than 30 serious diseases. These
Sustenance and Health
“Super size me!” These are words that have become all too familiar and comfortable in our
“American” culture. In our modern world with increasingly cheap, high calorie food (example, fast food — or “junk food”), prepared foods that are high in things like salt, sugars or fat; it is no wonder that obesity has increased rapidly in just the past few decades. I’d like to discuss how the food that we are prone to, and our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, is what conceptually is making us fat, as well as, how it’s affecting us as a nation in regards to obesity driven health problems. So why are we so fat? Americans know that they can get a value meal at almost any fast-food restaurant for far less money than it takes to purchase foods to make a healthy meal for their family. From deserts, to cheap fast food and soda; a revolving door between food agencies and the government, the system is very much stacked against healthy eating, and healthy people. If your meals consist of cheap burgers and large drinks, your diet may be cheap, but it is also excessively high in grains, sugars, and factory-farmed meats. (Ambriur, 2013) This is a recipe for obesity, diabetes and heart disease, just to name a few of the conditions that commonly befall those who consume "the Standard American Diet." Adding to the problem, many on the most limited food budgets, such as those who receive food assistance, live in areas without grocery stores, and perhaps only a convenience store or a fast-food restaurant where they can purchase their food.
So how does being fat affect us as a nation? Today’s generation may be the first to live a shorter lifespan than their parents. The obesity epidemic is one of the country's most serious health problems. (“Trust for america’s, 2013) Rising obesity rates have significant health consequences, contributing to increased rates of more than 30 serious diseases. These