Dont you hate the way....?

Question

Americans always blame McDonald's for the obesity epidemic...

(i know I'm generalizing as not all Americans believe this....but its a very common attitude)

Also, i know, to a certain extent, the sheer availability of fast food (ie. McDonald's) contributes to the rise of obesity....

But who is forcing people to go in and buy the product?

Is it really an excuse..?

Also, does the government really think putting 'calorie charts' in McDonald's is going to solve anything? Doing this gives the false impression that people were just 'unaware' that the food was unhealthy/fattening

Trust me, we all knew it was bad before we saw it in writing

The problem here (for the most-part) is NOT ignorance.....but pure laziness and lack of willpower

Environment/media/fast food...(in my opinion) are nothing more than a bit of fuel thrown on the fire

Anyone have any thoughts on this??? (sorry for the rant xD)

Answer 1

Well, I think if you put any fast food chain with a dollar menu in a country withe a declining economy, it's going to flourish. There are plenty of single working mothers that have 2 jobs, trying to pay the bills, and realize that a $.99 double cheeseburger is more affordable than trying to cook a well balanced meal after a long days work. I'm not defending all overweight people and their tendency to hide behind the fast food chain. There are plenty of people that just make poor decisions.

As for posting the calories on menus...did you ever know how many calories were in those TGI FRiday potato skins?  I mean, we all know they are unhealthy, but over 2000 calories in an appetizer? It woke me up, and I know I'll never order them again. So it's not a solution to the obesity epidemic, but it's a step in the right direction...educating the people.

Now why not more programs teaching working families how to cook healthy meals that taste good while on a tight budget. That would help so many. I'm a mom of 4, and it's hard on my pocket keeping fresh fruit, and healthy snacks available to my kids when they come home hungry. The cost of junk food is declining, while the healthy items are increasing.

Yes, alot of overweight people are lazy, but I think many are lost..they are ignorant on how to change.

Answer 2

I was in McDonalds in Galway(forced to sit and eat with my cousin and her kid) and what I saw was disgusting. There was 2 women with a baby no more than a year and half old and feeding it a regular burger meal. I felt awful sitting there and powerless to stop those disgusting women from destroying a baby's insides. I have no doubt that child will grow up to be obese and living off that c**p. The worst thing is that she'll blame herself for being fat when she's older but the reality is her mother is responsible!!

It's easier and cheaper for parents to being their kids to McD's and the more chains that are opened the worse it's gonna get. What did Supersize me proved nothing, the only thin I wanted to do watching it was eat a burger!! Until these chains are closed to a bare minimum, parents will continue to bring their kids to!!

Answer 3

No I agree with you a 100%. Not all americans are that way though. It's no that hard to bring a salad from home or leftovers from the night before to work or what not. Going out to eat should be a thing you do for celebration or for a treat occasionally. You should also exercise at least 3x wk for 30 minutes it's not much but it's a little exercise. The calorie charts the put out on food can help some. I guess when I look at the fat and calorie content of something it gross me out and I wont eat it. I think they should have healthier choices and it wouldn't be so bad but the food that they advertise as healthier actually is not much better.  

Answer 4

It's so typical of Americans to preach about the importance of responsibility but to not take any when it counts. It's not just the obesity problem but our driving habits as well that kill thousands of Americans every year. Yet we are so concerned about terrorists when that threat to us as individuals is actually very low compared to the things we have control over. Fast food tastes really good and it's convenient. These are important to Americans who are used to not sacrificing much unless it's forced on us. We have become weak and fallen prey to instant gratification. This has permeated every aspect of our fast living - fast dying culture. If Americans can find a scapegoat then they will use it because it's hard to look really hard at ourselves and what we do. But also fast food is junk so it's not really satisfying. It fills us up temporarily but does not give us the nutrition we need so of course people eat more because they are lacking nutrition. We also live in a society that talks about the importance of exercise but doesn't really make it that easy for people to practice it. We are so reliant upon our cars. Yesterday, my husband and I went for a walk with our dog and had to dodge cars on a fairly quiet residential street. It's like everyone is so self-centered that it's just about them and their needs. No one else exists. That's the attitude. We can complain but it won't change because people don't like change.