Be warned, I am going to be very
direct in this article. It’s time to
talk about the elephant in the room (no pun intended), which is obesity. Please understand it is not my intention to
make anyone feel, bad but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t speak openly and
honestly about the problems that fast food and obesity are causing for adults
and our children.
This is a national problem on
multiple levels, including economic and social.
Obesity and all the health issues associated with it, represents one of
the largest financial burdens on our health care system. A negative impact on our wallets due to
expensive healthcare gets a nationwide reaction, but nothing is being done to
prevent the problem in the first place.
Fast food corporations prey on
people. The marketing techniques they
use make it seem as though the $5 salad or turkey burger is a healthy
choice. Do you really believe they could
mass produce that salad with healthy greens instead of iceberg lettuce for the
same price? Would you care to discuss
the health benefits of the cheeses, processed meat products, croutons, and
dressings they offer with these fast food wonders? And what about that turkey burger? Ground from the leanest cuts with no fillers,
and low sodium, right? Let’s not forget
the bun and special sauce that make it so delicious.
I have been fortunate enough to
travel to several different countries in my life including, England, France,
and Africa. In my experience, aside from
France, nobody adores money and an appealing physique more than we do here in
America. Obesity, however, paints a poor
picture of Americans. We went from being
a super power to being a super-sized power.
The images we see on TV show everyone being depicted as fit and
sexy. In reality, those people represent
the minority. I challenge you to go to
any mall, look around, and tell me what you actually see. Three out of every five people will be
overweight or obese. How do you think
that affects self-esteem, confidence, and our ability to function in society?
It may seem unfair, but the
simple truth is that first impressions are lasting impressions. When you meet someone for the first time, you
remember if things went poorly. When you
are meeting that special someone’s family for the first time, no matter how
confident you are, you want to make a good impression. Well, what about a job interview? What about the college graduate who is 5’4
and weighs a soft 200lbs? What about the
recently displaced 40 something year old who is starting over at about 75lbs
overweight? It may sound harsh, but body
image is a factor. A corporation looking
to hire someone who will represent their company wants someone who cares about
how they present themselves. And please
know that a Human Resource Manager is considering your impact on the company’s
health insurance costs (but they won’t tell you that…).
We have faced many battles
stemming from discrimination over the years ranging from sexism, to racism, to
classism, to ageism, to homosexuals in the military, and more. Now we face obesity, which is an equal
opportunity problem for everyone.
Society may judge what is on the outside, but you need to judge what’s
going on inside. Why are you here? What are you going to do about it?
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