It is obvious that Americans' poor eating habits have this country in an epidemic, and this can mainly be credited to the huge increase in fast food sales. Fast food is very appealing because it is cheap, tasty, fast, and requires no effort to make. I am not the first person to point out this problem, but people view it the wrong way. The fast food companies are not the ones to blame. Yes the government can force them to post nutrition facts and get rid of the "super size" option, but more and more people continue to buy fast food every year.
The way to end the stronghold fast food companies have on America is simple; make cooking a mandatory class from 6th grade up until high school graduation. Yes I know this is a radical idea and may not make much sense to you at first, but hear me out. Many Americans, especially teens and younger adults, eat out a lot due to the fact they cannot cook. Once it is decided for a person to eat out the choice of spending two dollars and 14 cents at McDonalds or 10 dollars plus tip at a diner is clear.
We can educate people all we want about the dangers of fast food, but at the end of the day, it is usually the only choice people can afford when eating out. It is impossible for quality eating establishments to compete with fast food prices, and it is un-American to tax fast food.
The way to drastically lower the consumption of fast food is to have people go from dining out, and have them eat in. Mandatory cooking classes will provide students with an actual life skill, unlike most other classes taught in schools. Once students get educated on how to prepare meals at home, they can start making healthier choices without having to spend more money.
As many people know, when trying to lose weight diet and exercise go hand in hand. A way to increase physical activity in America is to increase physical education and sports programs in America. Many politicians may feel there is not adequate funding to make this a feasible goal, but these narrow-minded simpletons are either lying or they actually are idiots. There are many ways this debt stricken country can find funding for physical education and athletics; off the top of my head I will say that all America has to do is pull its troops out of other countries which will give us more than enough funding for gym class.
Once gym class is made into an everyday class with longer time, exercise in America will go up rapidly. You may be thinking, "How does gym class make kids want to join a gym when they are older?" Too many people associate exercise with weights or a treadmill. The best kind of exercise comes when you are having fun and do not realize calories are being burned. An increase in physical education from elementary school up until 12th grade will not only have kids perform physical activity once a day, but it will also provide them with a basic set of skills so that these kids can join recreational sports teams, or just want to play sports with their friends outside of school.
This is only a brief explanation on my philosophy to expunge obesity in America, but it should enlighten people on why an increase in cooking class and physical education is the best method to fight the disease that is obesity.
My name is Thomas Barrett. I have a degree in exercise science physical education. email: tbarrett027@gmail.com
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