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Aaron Kreider
Professor Bedell
CAS137H
27 October 2013

Obesity in America: A Paradigm Shift

America is getting fatter. It is the cold, hard truth. Each year, 300,00 Americans
die from obesity-related deaths, and the number is growing. In 1976-1980, 47% of
Americans ages 20-74 were considered overweight or obese. This number has grown
quite a bit since. In 1999-2000, this number grew from 47% to 64.5%, and in 2010, it was
a whopping 69.2%. Why is America struggling so vigorously with its obesity epidemic?
Experts say that there is no solid foundation that one institution is to blame for the
epidemic. Rather, one must focus on the domino effect of Americas policies that have
made obesity in this country as prevalent as it is. Experts examine the epidemic to be a
reflection of government policy for cheap foods, a lack in exercise, and an inability to
obtain healthier foods for the impoverished. Its not that people who gain weight are
stupid, but they dont have too many options. We are beginning to realize that obesity is
not only a biomedical problem, its also a community and environmental problem, said
Adam Drewenoski, director of University of Washingtons Center for Public Health and
Nutrition.
Obesity has not always been so prevalent in Americas network of public issues.
The publics attention to obesity has only grown proportionally with Americas stomach.
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Through the attention now paid to the obesity epidemic, experts are able to understand
the paradigm shift of Americas weight. And with this shift, one can examine all the
facets and causations of this obesity epidemic: cheap, unhealthy foods; less time to
exercise or use physical exertion; larger portions; and the unavailability of healthy
options to the American people.
America did not recognize the growing epidemic of obesity until the early 2000s;
however, it is a problem that is rooted in culture that can be traced back as far as the
1960s. In 1965, a study was conducted among Japanese men who lived in California,
Hawaii, and Japan. The body mass index (BMI) for those residing in the U.S. was
considerably larger than those who lived in Japan. It was determined at the time that the
fat intake of the men who lived in the U.S. was about twice that of those who resided in
Japan. This was one of the first indications that Americans consumed more fat than the
rest of the world at the time. Experts believe that the higher intake of fat was due to an
opinion that developed in America during WWII (Lee).
During WWII, butter and other saturated fats were rationed to the American
people thusly being viewed as a delicacy. The newly found availability of such saturated
fats in the 1950s and 60s led to the indulgent nature of saturated fats in the diets of
Americans at the time. As Americans consumed its newly available saturated fats, it was
observed that heart attacks began to become a more prevalent causation to death. It was
then, in the 1970s that saturated fats were viewed in a negative light and the public
demanded for alternatives to be introduced into society. While trans fats, such as Crisco,
were actually introduced for consumption around 1911, they did not become popular
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until the 1960s and 70s. It was then, after butter and other fats were seen as a delicacy
that the use of trans fats, such as margarine, became popular in the American diet.
The trans fats became more popular than many saturated fats at the time. Foods
such as Crisco had an extremely long shelf life, and it was extremely cheap. However it
was not recognized that trans fats were extremely harmful until about 1999, when the
U.S. government proposed a law that all food label show the amount of trans fat
contained within a single serving. This is not to recognize that trans fats were the only
contributor to the growing obesity epidemic, but rather that they were one of the factors.
Experts also recognize the growing portions of American food in restaurants and even in
the home.
Dinner plates are getting larger. Experts say that what would be considered a
salad plate in todays terms would have sufficed has a dinner plate in the 1950s (Van
Ittersum). And according to a study in 2012 by Van Ittersum of Georgia Institute of
technology, and Wansink, of Cornell University, it was found that humans are more
compelled to fill plates due to an optical illusion created by the proportion of food to the
plate. Experts argue that plates have gotten larger over the years in order to present
Americans with a more luxurious feel to the food they put on their plate. However, these
larger plates have also led to Americans consuming more food.
When one has a larger plate, a consumer fills it with more food because the food
looks like less on the plate. In a recent study, subjects were asked to put the same amount
of food on smaller dishes and larger dishes, it was found that subjects put up to 31% more
food on the larger plate. The displacement of food has led to over-eating and, thusly, the
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gain in a few extra pounds. One should take note, however, this disproportion of meals is
not just happening in American homes, it is also happening in American restaurants.
The original deal at McDonalds was if one buys a hamburger, they could buy a
2
nd
burger for a lower price. However, the restaurant industry soon realized consumers
didnt want the extra hamburger, and it was much more effective to make the meal
portions a bit more expensive with even more food. This created the illusion that
consumers were getting much more food for their money. And, examining the inherent
greed of human nature, experts argue the larger the proportion of the food, the more
likely one is to buy it. This can be observed in a food as simple as bagels sold at
restaurants. In 1993, the average bagel was 3 inches in diameter and offered roughly 200
calories. Today, the average bagel is 5 inches in diameter and offer up to 400 calories
nearly 1/4 of the recommended calories per day (Rotelli). This is not including the
popular bagel toppings such as cream cheese or butter, which can double the amount of
calories. The larger the bagel, the more cream cheese or butter will go on it (Americans
love to fill up their plates in all kinds of ways). However, these larger portions do not
come without causation. It is observed that Americans indicated to markets that they want
cheaper foods, rather than healthy foods.
In a world where money is constantly being saved, spent, lost, and transferred,
consumers have learned to value quantity almost exclusively over quality. This has
attributed largely to the availability of cheap, unhealthy foods. In Manhattan alone, there
are roughly 60 grocery stores and special markets where one can purchase food. On the
other hand, Manhattan is also the host to 83 McDonalds (Spurlock). Americans are
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becoming increasingly favored to buy cheaper, unhealthy foods rather than healthy foods.
But why is that? Why are unhealthy foods so much cheaper than healthy foods?
The cost of unhealthy food is largely attributed to by the fact that the U.S.
government gives subsidies to Americas agricultural fields. In 1936, the U.S.
government enacted the Domestic Allotment Act, which restricted the growth of staple
crops and promoted the growth of soil-building crops. This was a measure taken by
the government to ensure there would be no surplus of crop or livestock production. So
how are laws from 1936 allowing farmers to grow unhealthy foods today? These laws set
the precedent of government subsidies being provided to Americas farmers. So, what is
currently being subsidized? The most heavily subsidized foods would be the most heavily
grown, and Americas most grown food is corn.
Corn can be a fantastic source of Vitamin C, fiber, and protein. However,
America is not consuming corn in its natural form to receive these dietary benefits.
Rather, America is consuming corn in the form of corn oil, high-fructose corn syrup, and
starch. The use of corn as a sweetener was not introduced to the public until the 1970s;
however, in the 1990s and 2000s it has become the most popular sweetener in sugar
beverages and processed baked goods. Thusly, the government subsidies of foods such as
corn, which subsequently go into unhealthy foods, make these unhealthy foods cheaper.
Because these foods are cheaper and have longer shelf life they are the more attractive
option.
Regardless of portion sizes and food prices, one thing can still ultimately lead to
obesity: a lack of exercise. Humans store sugars they do not metabolize as fat for use
later. However, without ever working this extra fat off, it can lead to an accumulation that
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is diagnosed as obesity. So, are humans exercising less? Experts say no. In fact, from the
1980s until today, people who reach the recommended time of leisure exercise have
remained stable at about 25%. However, one must also observe the exercise one exhibits
outside of leisure time. For example, in 1950, about 50% of all available jobs required
moderate physical activity. This could be anything from walking to lifting the
occasional object. However, today, less than 20% of jobs demand even moderate physical
activity (Harvard).
Moderate physical activity may not seem like a lot, but lets examine what it can
entail. During the workday, moderate physical activity can account for up to 142 calories.
This is not much compared to the recommended 2,000 calorie per day diet, however, over
the span of ones involvement in the work force this can account for a little as 28
unwanted pounds.
But if we see these trends in the workforce, why do we see obesity rising in
children? This can also be examined through a lack of leisure exercise. In 2011, it was
estimated that 40% of schools had either limited or completely cut recess programs from
the curriculum. This is often due to pressure from the state that curriculums should be
more focused towards test preparation. However, these cuts have had adverse affects as
well. 33% of children are now obese, compared to less than 10% in 1950. There is also
little to no data on schools that did not have recess programs for youth until about 2006.
The correlation between little exercise and obesity are apparent, and are reflected through
this ever-changing hierarchy of productivity.
Obesity has become an epic problem in todays society. From larger plates to
larger portions, America has become grossly more obese within the last decades. Experts
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have spent time examining the physical and social elements to this growing epidemic. It
is the conclusion of many experts that the effects of many changes in the American
culture have attributed to the paradigm shift in Americas weight.
America must see a change. But what can we do in order to solve the problem of
the obesity epidemic? What can we as Americans do in order to start taking these
preventative measures? We must look to the causes. If America does not do something
about its growing waistband, it may face the dour effects of rampant heart disease due to
increased fat, cancer due to processed foods, or diabetes due to excessive sugar
consumption. We must recognize that recess is not a time to be thrown out with the arts,
but rather a time to let children run and play and prepare themselves for the second half
of the workday. We must recognize that our government is using our tax dollars to feed
us unhealthy food. We must recognize that butter really isnt that much of a delicacy
anymore. And we must recognize that our food is starting to offer more than the
necessary calories to power through the day. Our food is offering a adverse effect that
could not have been foreseen with something as simple as the Domestic Allotment Act.
Our food offers just one more domino in the cascading drop of Americas health.







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