A Solution to the Obesity Epidemic | Teen Ink

A Solution to the Obesity Epidemic

March 28, 2017
By Alexanderm2017 BRONZE, Sacramento, California
Alexanderm2017 BRONZE, Sacramento, California
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The U.S. is the number one leading country in the obesity epidemic, due to the excessive amount of fast and unhealthy food and inflation towards healthier foods. Whether the cause be low socioeconomic households not being able to afford healthier foods, time constraints on the ability to buy healthy foods, or just overall convenience, unhealthy fast foods are plaguing the U.S. generation by generation.


Today, 1 in 3 kids in elementary, junior high schools, and high schools across the country are considered to be overweight or obese and are teased and bullied for being so. According to the OAC (Obesity Action Coalition), a recent national survey taken by some overweight sixth graders show that “24 percent of the boys and 30 percent of the girls experienced daily teasing, bullying or rejection because of their size” (OAC) and doubles for overweight high school students with 58 percent of boys and 63 percent of girls experiencing daily teasing and bullying due to their size. Not only does this bullying and teasing happen in schools, it also happens in public places and social media among children and adults.


I am here to give a possible and liable solution to the bullying due to obesity as well as the obesity epidemic. What if, instead of trying to nationally implement healthier foods and disregard unhealthy foods, we ban every healthy food altogether. That is not a typo, yes I said ban all healthy foods. All fruits, vegetables, and nuts, taken out of local grocery stores and farmers markets should be banned. This would not only solve our obesity problem but also bring in more consumer dollars into the economy. According to a study published in “Society of Teachers of Family Medicine,” an average daily cost for healthy and whole foods was about $7.48 while the daily cost for unhealthy fast food was around $15.30. By making the price of fast foods more expensive we can assume the spending on these foods would create a massive and expansive phase within the fluctuation of the economy cycle.

 

We should also constitute a national weight average of somewhere between three hundred pounds to three hundred and twenty five pounds per person, so there would not be any discrimination between the size or shape of any individual who is overweight or obese, or raise the healthy BMI levels up a few steps.


BMI levels now according to the National Institutes of Health.
BMI levels after implementing the incorporation of the ban on healthy foods
Underweight
18.5 or less
Underweight
24.5 or less
Healthy
18.5 - 24.9
Healthy
24.5 - 28.9
Overweight
25 - 29.9
Healthier
29 - 34.9
Obese
30 or above
Even more Healthy
35 and above


By doing so we can end the bullying issue and the prejudicial judgement towards overweight and obese people, while also promoting a more equal environment within different communities. No more bullying, no more prejudice toward fat people, and everyone will be in an equal environment while eating delicious and tasteful fast food.


Now how do we get rid of the healthy foods, well we have to start with the farmers. Around 41% of the U.S.’s surface area is considered to be farmland and spend about $3.97 billion dollars in program funds to keep the farms running. We would have to convince the farmers who own the land to sell their farms in order to maintain and improve the nation’s quality food supply and the economy and give them a fair compensation. After the government owns the farmland, we can begin to build more factories to produce the fast foods and have the former farmers work in the factories. Hormone pumped, corn / grain fed, and caged beef, pork and chicken would be raised on the now government-owned farms, and butchered and distributed with savory preservatives that are sure to fatten up the American population. Along with the Hormone filled meat and poultry, we can genetically create fatter, sweeter and unhealthy version of fruits and vegetables to produce condiments and sides for our fast food meals.


I assure you this could be the only way to end the obesity epidemic. If we do not act now, who knows what might happen to the worldwide obesity epidemic, let alone the U.S.’s obesity epidemic. Obesity could start leading to diseases, or worse, paying for a gym membership that you would only use once every three months. Don’t be fooled by workout plan videos who tell you your obesity is an issue, embrace the obesity. Make America Fat.

 


Resources:
"Advantages & Disadvantages of Healthy Food Vs. Junk Food." LIVESTRONG. Leaf Group, 18 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
"Obesity Action Coalition » BULLYING, Bullycide and Childhood Obesity." Obesity Action Coalition BULLYING Bullycide and Childhood Obesity Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.


"Weight Loss and Body Mass Index (BMI)." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.


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