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Healthy
foods solve obesity
Approximately
one-third of adult Americans are obese,
according to MSNBC and the American Obesity
Association. Now there is a new drug, Reductil,
for those that have been clinically diagnosed
as obese, that modifies a hormone causing
obesity to help patients lose weight. Are
we really expected to believe that all of
these people are obese because of a hormone,
not because of what they eat or how little
they exercise?
There
was a lawsuit filed in 2002 by Caesar Barber
of New York, blaming fast food chains for
making him and others fat. This same claim
was filed by teenagers in 2003 because the
fast food chain McDonald's food was healthy
when really it was not. Those involved in
the case, and ate McDonald's on a regular
basis, claimed they had more health problems
such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart
disease, high blood pressure, strokes, elevated
cholesterol, and weight gain than others
who chose a different restaurant.
Anyone
who has seen "Super Size Me" can
attest to that truth, because it is obvious
that fast food is bad for you. Unless you're
fooling yourself, it is hard to believe
that a triple quarter pounder dripping with
special sauce and ketchup is going to make
you thin. Come on kids, think!
Morgan
Spurlock, the man behind the movie, eats
nothing but McDonald's for 30 days. Before
he started, he was a healthy individual.
By the end of the experiment, he had gained
high cholesterol and 25 pounds. McDonald's
fought back by saying that their food is
not meant to be eaten three times a day,
but as part of a well-balanced diet.
Perhaps
America is starting to wake up to this unhealthy
trend, what with the recent diet explosion.
South Beach, Atkins, Dr. Phil… and
because nutrition facts are available online
for restaurants and fast food, even McDonald's
is making an effort to change their menu,
having eliminated super size after Spurlock's
film.
They
even offer a step counter with the purchase
of a salad; so you know how many steps you
take from the car to the house after hitting
the drive through window.
Perhaps
this trend is good. Gym memberships are
up, and people are starting to get into
shape. The people are demanding a change
in diet, and companies are delivering. Low-carb,
no fat meals are popping up at every restaurant
imaginable.
Are
people really demanding health or just foods
that won't make them gain weight? The Atkins
diet seems like one of the unhealthiest
things you could do, pumping up cholesterol
and fat in exchange for carbohydrates in
the effort to look thin. As soon as you
are off the diet, that bagel you ate is
going to stick to your body like glue, since
you have been depriving yourself of one
of the basic food groups.
Starving
yourself won't work either. Sure, you'll
be thin for a bit but the second you start
eating your body will hold onto that fat
because it isn't sure when it will be fed
again. And don't even think about bulimia
because that will ruin your teeth, give
you thin hair and stomach pains, and the
whole point is to look good, right?
It
looks like the only real solution here is
to eat healthy foods. Just pick up an apple
or banana. That's fast food. We want to
look good and live long, is that too much
to ask?
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