America: land of the free and the home of the brave, and recently, the home to a growing waistline. As for any other country, America is prone to an assortment of problems like immigration, debt, or foreign affairs, but one issue that is rather hard to overlook, quite literally, is the obesity epidemic. The extra pounds have become a common sight in America’s society, “men are now on average seventeen pounds heavier than they were in the late seventies, and for women that figure is even higher: nineteen pounds.” (Kolbert). Obesity does not just affect adults in this way either, the child population has been getting bigger as well, according to the numbers on the scale, “the proportion of overweight children, age six to eleven, has more than doubled, while the proportion of overweight adolescents, age twelve to nineteen, has more than tripled.” (Kolbert). This issue has been a major concern to doctors and scientists for decades and in recent years, has even has the American Medical Association recognizing obesity to be a disease (Pollack). That is a highly debatable claim because obesity itself is a preventable lifestyle, avoidable and curable to all (or at least most) of its sufferers. For some of the populaces, obesity is not a choice, rather genetics, but for the majority of the obese population, the extra weight is caused by an unhealthy diet and sluggish lifestyle, and for these certain individuals, through a lot of work and discipline, the return to a healthy lifestyle is not as impossible as it may appear. It is time for America to tip the scales back in the right direction.…
