Is Fast Food the New Tobacco? Should the obesity issue be government regulated or remain personal responsibility?

This week, I have learned a lot about this topic. First, I read David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” then the Netflix documentary “What the Health,” and finally, Michelle Obama’s speech at the 101st NAACP Convention in 2010.

In Zinczenko’s article, he talks about the fast-food industry being to blame for not warning children and parents about what their food has, but he also speaks about these people suing the companies for making them fat. This is where I first saw the comparison of fast food to tobacco. I have always hated the idea of smoking, and it sounded crazy to me when it was put next to something that I sometimes consume. I think that people should know better than to blame fast food restaurants for their weight gain as this type of food is also called “junk” food. It should be common knowledge that it is unhealthy. If we follow what Zinczenko says, there should be calorie and ingredient warnings in every meal we consume; this includes restaurants in general. 

The “What the Health” documentary changed some of my ideas about this issue. I disagreed with the close comparison of fast food being the new tobacco because I only saw the warnings in cigarette packages. Learning that processed meats are in the same carcinogen group as cigarettes, asbestos, and plutonium surprised me, and then discovering that red meat was in the following group made me worried. Most people do not know this.

The documentary shows how different associations in the United States, like the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association, are sponsored by companies that sell the foods that cause the diseases these associations treat and work to find a cure. The same goes with the government; they receive funds from beef, poultry, and dairy companies, which leads to advertisements for children and families to consume these foods to live healthily. Not even medical students learn about the power of food until they do their own research. How is the general public supposed to have a healthy diet if physicians do not get that kind of education? People with obesity, diabetes, or heart problems go to doctors who prescribe different types of pills and drugs that, in the long run, do not help the patient get better. 

Furthermore, lack of education about a healthy diet, in general, is also to blame because many people think that to get protein, you need to consume meat when, in reality, we can obtain all the protein our bodies require from plants. Plants convert nitrogen into amino acids. We might think it is expensive to have a plant-based diet, but the documentary showed that with $20, you can have food for an entire week. 

Lastly, Michelle Obama’s speech. She spoke about the goals of the Let’s Move Campaign: make grocery stores available for all people, encourage kids to exercise, improve labels on food packages, and add the number of calories in restaurant meals. These are things that the government can help with. These are solutions to problems that cause child obesity. Packaged food labels are ineffective as they can be hard to read or have language the general public cannot understand. We do not know what we are consuming. Also, according to Zinczenko and Michelle Obama, some parents may not have enough time to cook meals for their families. Therefore, they stop by a store or fast food restaurant to pick up dinner. Children do not go out and play anymore, and schools remove sports and physical education courses in budget cuts.

                

Diseases like obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart problems, asthma, etc. can be solved or reversed by a change in lifestyle. Consuming plant-based meals and exercising at least 60 minutes daily can significantly impact people’s lives and health. The government can help provide access to these healthy foods, but the actual change starts at home. The family’s choices will genuinely make a difference in their health.

To conclude, this issue can be government-regulated to a certain extent because people need accurate information and accessibility to the best options for their health. Still, personal responsibility remains in that person’s decision to improve their lives or continue making unhealthy choices.