Who Should We Blame for Obesity?

             It’s very easy to point fingers at someone when its time to assign blame; especially when that finger can be pointed at you. The same thing goes for the question: who should we blame for obesity? People are always ready to blame anyone but themselves. They’ll shift the blame to family, friends, classmates, etc. However, the number one person people blame is the government, and they are actually correct.

            The government, for the most part, is responsible for what is presented and provided to the public. Whether it’s on television and especially on billboards covering each highway, there are fast food restaurant advertisements and barely even one poster board about eating healthy. This constant promoting becomes embedded in people’s mind and therefore leaves no space for them to think of new healthy options. I know that if I did not educate myself, I would have fallen into the same trap as any other little kid in this generation who believes that fast food is the way to go. Commercials nowadays target children because they know that parents will not be able to resist their children asking and begging for something they want.

            Okay okay I know what you’re thinking. So what if there are so many advertisements for unhealthy foods? People already know what harmful ingredients are used to make these meals and the horrific effects it has on people. That’s where you're wrong. Families are not educated about the fats and sugars in the fast food meals they consume. It is the government’s job to take care of its people and educate them about the food on their plate. There are no nutritional labels on fast foods and even when someone is curious about these facts, they are given inaccurate information. There should be a proper label on these foods in order for people to know what they are consuming and only the government can implement something as such.

            Also, something to take into consideration is how many supermarkets are even available in the local area. There are McDonalds and Burger Kings on every other street yet barely a supermarket in sight. A total of 35,000 supermarkets are scattered throughout the United States while there are 40,250 fast food chain restaurants. Those are scary numbers because there are more than 5,000 restaurants than there are healthy food outlets. There is more access to junk foods than there is access to healthier and safer options and the government CAN make a difference by establishing more supermarkets.

            On the flip side, one cannot only blame the government. Obesity is a team effort and there is no “I” in team. Although the government can be held accountable for not educating people and not giving enough access to healthy options, at the end of the day what goes into a person’s body goes in by their choice. Granted there is scarce information regarding potential programs that could help people control their diet, these organizations do exist and are willing to guide people to live a healthy lifestyle. However, it is the person’s job to reach out to such institutions to help them.

            It is a person’s responsibility to go out and find healthy food options for themselves. It is also their job to instill a healthy lifestyle for their kids. Excuses such as the baby crying, or whining should not be accepted when it comes to food intake. Parents need to take control and make sure that their children are not falling into bad eating habits because once they get addicted to fats and sugars, it will (1) affect them negatively and cause many diseases and (2) it will follow them into their adult life. This can be potentially avoided if parents take initiative and present their kids with healthy food options.

            Next time you hear someone say that the rate of obesity is raising simply because people are not taking care of themselves or because the government is not efficient enough in providing for its people, stop them and tell them that it's a two-way street. The government has to meet the people halfway in order to solve this issue. The blame cannot fall on only one side because both sides are responsible for this epidemic. If we use the resources the government provides us with and be cautious with our food intake, we can maintain a healthy diet.