In 1,000 years the human race could look completely different than it does now. By 3011 people might only have four toes, maybe humans will be taller in general, maybe the world will end before then, or maybe everyone will be obese and get around on segways. When I think of the future, I see the Disney movie WALL-E in my mind, and I worry. I’m not the only one worried either. More and more we hear reports that the amount of overweight people in America has gone up.

It’s really not surprising that people are getting fatter in general. Think about it; the human body is made to store fat as a survival instinct. In Prehistory times humans weren’t sure when they’d be getting their next meal. Their bodies stored whatever they didn’t need for later. The problem with that survival instinct is that nowadays we have an abundance of food and we don’t really have to exert ourselves to get it, unless you count grocery shopping as exercise. Some say human evolution will eventually kick in and our metabolisms will adapt to the surplus of food. The problem with that is it could take thousands of years. In the meantime we have to find some kind of solution.

Advertising and education are a big part of America’s weight problem. At least once a day an ad for some kind of new food or drink is being flashed around. The government should put a limit to the amount of advertising that can be done for junk food, or they should promote healthy food more. In school kids learn about nutrition, but they are taught to measure the amount of foods they eat by ounces. No 5th grader is going to measure his or her food like that. The system needs to be simplified to something that can be remembered and put to use easily. The Food Pyramid doesn’t take into consideration the age or weight of the user or the amount of calories they burn. People would be more likely to think about how much they are eating if they had something familiar to compare it to.

If nothing else we should learn more about how the preservatives and dyes in food affect us. The chemicals in our food can be just as responsible for weight problems as the amount of food we eat. They can also cause hormone imbalances. Chemicals used in milk to pasteurize it have been shown to speed up puberty in some cases. Some forms of sweeteners are thought to be related to cancer. We don’t know enough about the chemicals we put in our food.

Being an American, we have rights other countries don't have. We can speak our minds, like I'm doing now, and we are the seventh wealthiest country in the world. As Americans we have the resources and information available to take good care of ourselves, but we don’t always use these opportunities. Next time you’re at the store or in the school cafeteria think about what you’re buying and what’s in it.