Fat Americans

There is a growing trend of overweight people living in America. This is nothing new however, overseas American's are known for being "fat" and "lazy", and for the most part it is hard to argue otherwise. American's being overweight has become such a common trend, that when I walk down the street, and happen to see a overweight person, I don't even consider them as being overweight anymore, because it has become commonplace, and obese American's may get a look here and there but for the most part they are just passed by the same as everyone else. American's are living in a society where people worship food and supermarkets have become the new cathedrals in this country.

There is a multitude of reasons why American's are overweight. You could argue that the main reason is that we just don't get enough exercise, and sit in front of the television or computer all day. Our lack of exercise is one of the main reasons that we are overweight, but it seems to me at least that our diet is the bigger of the two problems. Our culture is so immersed in food, that everywhere we look there is someone or something trying to convince us to eat at their restaurant.

In New York City, there seems to be at least 3 different choices for places to eat at on every block. What is most freighting about this is that, in my opinion, even with so many restaurants on each block, there are still waiting lists to get into some of these restaurants and there are still lines of people waiting outside in the freezing weather so they can go inside and eat until they are stuffed to the gills. People in America have fallen in love with food, they are willing to pay $20 for a light lunch at a restaurant, just so long as it includes a appetizer and dessert.

Eating has also become more of a routine now then anything else. Allot of people I have asked about this subject came to the realization that they don't eat because they are hungry anymore, they eat because its time to eat, and once they are eating they don't stop till they are full, the only way they are stopping is when what is on their plate is completely clean. We have been raised to finish everything on our plate, and that there are starving kids in India who would do almost anything for the food that we didn't like, so that we didn't eat. This mentality combined with the ridiculously cheap and convenience of fast food, to your doorstep delivery and even dine-in restaurants, makes it even easier for the average American to become overweight.

Today you can go to Burger King, get two bacon cheeseburgers, French fries, and a small coke for around $4. Without restaurants or fast food, eating would become more of a chore for most American's because most of us don't want to be bothered with going to the supermarket, bringing home all the proper ingredients and then cooking the food ourselves. Most American's would rather go to a restaurant and pay a little more money then they would at a supermarket for their meal.

Soft drinks, in my opinion are also one of the biggest reasons why so many American's are overweight today. Carbonated soft drinks account for more than 27 percent of Americans' beverage consumption. In 1997, Americans spent over $54 billion to buy 14 billion gallons of soft drinks. That is equivalent to more than 576 12-ounce servings per year or 1.6 12-ounce cans per day for every man, woman, and child. Soft drinks are everywhere today, you can't get away from them and we are in love with them as well, because they actually make the food we love so much taste better. You go into any fast food restaurant today, and you basically automatically get a 16 ounce included with your meal. Just give them $5, say a number 1-9, and you get greasy, deep fried fatty foods along with your delicious sugar drink.

I, personally have come to the realization that I am now addicted to soft drinks. If I go out to a restaurant, I have to get a glass of soda while I'm waiting for the food, and another one to drink while I'm eating. It has gotten to the point were Dr. Pepper goes better with certain foods, and Sprite goes better with others. There are even some cases where I can't eat food without having the soda that goes along with it.

Lots of soda pop means lots of sugar which in turn means lots of calories. In fact soft drinks are the fifth largest source of calories for adults. They provide 5.6% of all the calories that Americans consume. In 12 to 19-year-olds, soft drinks provide 9% of boys' calories and 8% of girls' calories. Those percentages are triple (boys) or double (girls) what they were in 1977-78, when hardly anyone drank soda at all, and it instead was considered a treat to be given once in a while on special occasions.

The soft-drink industry is consistently trying to tell American's that their products as are healthy, saying they are 90% water and contain sugars only found in nature. Soft drinks are health risks because of what they contain (for example, sugar and various additives) and what they replace in the diet (beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients). Often times I can eat a little bit of food and drink allot of soda to go with it and I'll be full, not because the food is filling me up with the minerals and nutrients that I need to be healthy, but instead the soda is filling me up with sugar and empty calories.

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