America is Fat.

I just wanted to bring to light the obesity epidemic that has been hitting the US quite hard over the past several decades.  I was reading an article today that discussed a recent study, which stated that in 38 states, more than 25% of residents are obese, and eight states have obesity rates above 30%.  That’s SO many obese people.  The article also pointed out that in 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20%, meaning it has risen by 50% in the past two decades.  To read the article for yourself, you can check it out here.

Some of the efforts being made to curb unhealthy eating in schools are great, and I think they should continue and expand.  It’s good that we’re starting to stock vending machines with healthier snacks and beverages, and I read somewhere that taxing non-diet beverages also greatly increases the number of sales of diet drinks.  These efforts are great, but I think there’s a much larger battle to be fought against fast food in general.  There are so few healthy options at fast food joints, so even if people wanted to grab a salad, they’re usually laden with highly caloric and fatty dressings such as blue cheese and ranch.  Even regular restaurants pour on unnecessarily fat ingredients, sauces and dressings; do we really need to eat a cheeseburger whose buns consist of grilled cheese sandwiches?  Friendly’s developed this 1,500-calorie monstrosity, which also contains a whopping 79g of fat.  It actually makes me shudder.

In addition, I think Americans need to be more active; so few Americans are getting any sort exercise these days, save for reaching for another scientifically created cookie.  I mean, sure, I love having an Oreo once in a while, but at least I exercise five days a week.  Even if it’s just taking a walk around the block to start, I think it’s important that everyone do something to get their blood pumping.

Just some thoughts I had regarding the article.  Let me know what you think!