Childhood obesity has gotten out of control in the United States. Children are consuming an outrageous amount of fast food, and to make matters worse, there is a huge lack of exercise. It is said that by 2050 there will be an astounding 2/3 of children obese. A lot of children have become couch potatoes. Remedios states, “We are living in a world which promotes a calorie-rich diet and an inactive lifestyle”. That statement could not be more true. Some kids aren't fortunate enough to live in a safe neighborhood to play outside, but parents should be there to supervise. Too much time is spent watching television and not enough is spent on our feet.
Fast food is a huge issue because the food is processed to the max. Everything is high in fats, saturated fats, and sugars, as well as full of oils and carbohydrates (Remedios). Parents find these drive-thru restaurants to be a quick fix to not having time to prepare a nutritional meal for dinner, but all of these foods are processed, therefore the original nutrients are no longer there and the quality of the food dramatically drops. In the Fast Food Nation, Schlosser stated “It seems wherever America's fast food chains go, waistlines start expanding” (242). This shows that obesity due to fast food is not just an issue in the United States anymore because the chains are expanding outside of the United States.
In the 1950's, a regular drink was eight ounces, whereas now that kids size is a whopping twelve ounces (Schlosser). Proportion sizes are significantly increasing over time which means an even higher caloric intake. Children learn to like the taste of fatty foods and these patterns will then continue on into adulthood. Why would parents purposely set their children up for future failure? Instead of being known as the wealthiest country, America has now gotten the reputation for being a “fat” country. The generations of children are continuing this title because they are simply not taught otherwise. A way to cut out fast food is to eat as a family because it is proven that eating meals as a family actually increases the amount of fruits and veggies that are consumed.
Overall, the fact that both exercise and fast food consumption are a huge contributing factor to childhood obesity is inarguable. Exercise needs to occur to burn off the fuel children are consuming, whether the food is good or bad. Fast food is full of grease, hydrogenated oils, fats and is processed to the max. All the nutrients are completely gone and the children of today are eating fast food on a regular basis. Parents are allowing it, simply because they are lazy, or because it seems there is not time for anything else, which consequently results in unhealthy children. What are you going to do? Save your children. Run while you still can.