Dont Blame the Eater - the Problem of Obesity

A global epidemic affects not just adults but bombards the little ones at home. According to the Partnership for a Healthier America, nearly one in three children and adolescents are obese., which is defined as the excess weight on a person's body that can cause health problems (Brazier). Obesity has become one of the biggest problems that the United States has confronted, an epidemic that is currently increasing and must stop. In “Don't blame the eater” essay we will discuss whether it's important or not to control what your child eats. 

When one considers this topic, one might immediately think of fast food companies are the ones who are responsible for the children's health issues, because they are the ones making unhealthy fried food. Fast food companies like McDonald's market food to children, for example, the Happy Meal and these companies also provide a fun environment like the small playground inside the stores. However, upon further research and consideration, I now understand that fast food companies cannot be responsible for the children's weight. It is known that the kind of food served in these restaurants is unhealthy, when regularly eaten, can cause even more problems than obesity but diabetes. However, restaurants do not gunpoint an individual to make the children eat their food. Moreover, parents are choosing their children meals, and they are the ones putting plates of food in front of them. Mostly the blame is on them.

Parents must start realizing that kids are dying from the food they are digesting. What can parents do? They can cook healthy meals, parents can learn more about physical health, and most importantly, they must stop buying food that is increasing their children's waist. All these changes can create a healthier and better nation, proving the right nutrients to children and avoiding future diseases like diabetes and heart diseases. Obesity is a big problem and who would not know better what the children are eating more than their parents.

Parents must carry the responsibility for the children's weight. While still, children are children, not teenagers, not adolescents, they can be able to learn anything; they are tiny canvases. Parents are able during young age to teach their children how to eat correctly, and children eat anything that their parents put in front of them. During this age, children are not able to drive to McDonald's, or order food from fast-food restaurants. Kids might know about Happy Meals because of the T.V. advertisement. Moreover, children are not able to taste the food unless parents buy it.

Food education is one step to decrease the obesity epidemic. Although, parents can regulate the portions their children are eating; they can cook healthy meals. The food environment is the parent's responsibility. According to Dr. Savage, the author of The Journal of law, medicine & ethics, children that grew up eating vegetable and fruits are more likely to eat the same products, on the other hand, children that grew up with the pantry shelf full of junk food might have the same full pantry shelf of sugary, and calorific products.

Parents must teach their children to eat healthily. Let them know the different tastes of vegetables and fruits. Teach them what is in each plate they eat; most kids do not like the ugly green color in their diet, I used to be one of them. Nevertheless, my mother taught me how to eat. I learn about each vegetable and different fruit; my mother did not just place the entire vegetable scoop in the plate; she made colorful dishes to attract me. Parents need to be creative with the kids' dishes, so they can eat everything; who would not want a dinosaur made from lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, and rice.

Parents should focus on their children eating habits and creating a healthy eating behavior. As a server at a restaurant, I have been looking to kids meals and options. In the restaurant where I work most of the kid's meal comes with a side, and they have the options to choose between: grapes, fries, mash potatoes, and broccoli. Most of the time children chose fries, and quite a few ask for broccoli or grapes. Nevertheless, I always ask their parents for their agreement over the kids' choice, and most of the time they still agreed with the kids. Meaning that parents have the authority to disagree with their kids' choice, but they do not. If parents want their children to eat tasty, crunchy, and calorific fries, they agree.

Some people might say that companies like McDonald's market their products to children with toys with bright and beautiful colors, although, these companies serve unhealthy food. Most people know that to get profit companies does everything in their position to increase their green paper. It is also understandable that this marketing is not right, yet, it is parents' choice on buying the mouthwatering Happy Meal, whom to blame more than the parents. They are the ones driving to the place; they are the ones paying for the shiny box; they are the ones buying their own children's smiles, but in reality, parents are buying their kids future health problems such as diabetes or heart disease. Children cannot afford to buy the $3.49 Happy Meal. Parents know that this kind of food is unhealthy not just for them, but for their children.

Other people might say those fast food companies are the only option for parents that have a rush work scheduled, and they do not have time to cook a healthy meal. David Zinczenko, the president of Galvanized Brands, the author of Don't Blame the Eater article, argues the same problem of whom to blame; in his essay, he writes a narrative story where he a teenage boy at the '... age of 15 was packed [weighing] 212 pounds'. While Zinczenko's parents were divorced, his father was 'trying to rebuild his life… [and his mother, was] working long hours to make the bills' meaning that he did not have not one to check on his diet. As he implies, 'Lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald's, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Pizza Hut'. Although he says that '… as now, these were only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal'. Options that I do not found the 'only' available options today.

Nowadays, teenagers and parents have many options to buy healthy food from restaurants. Like Jason's Dali restaurant, this restaurant provides healthy meals like the Organic Vegetable Soup (bowl), that contains 150 on calories, 7g fat, 0g on Saturated fat, and 730mg on Sodium. Even Jack in the Box provides healthier burger options like the Chicken Fajita Pita and Chiquita, both meals are low in calories and low on Saturated fat. The healthy choices are there the only problem is the time people use to find healthy meals.

Obesity does not just come from what the parent feed their children. Nowadays, people have screens everywhere — a T.V. in the living room, one in the kitchen, another in the bedroom, and even in the restroom. The amount of time that kids spend looking at the screens depends on the parents. Physical activities play a significant role in kids' weight. Nevertheless, if kids are sitting in just one place eating, and not moving their body, the amount of food they are consuming stays in the same position. Physical exercise is one way to prevent obesity, yet, depends on the parents to create healthy habits for the children. Parents can take their children to the park, play soccer, baseball, or even running with them. A practice that if it is created at a young age can be carried until adulthood.

Many parents will say that they do not have time to do all these outdoor activities because they have two jobs; they are tired from work or have something else to do. Parents that have two jobs find it difficult to check on what the kids are eating while they are not at home, but also, they are not able to do all these outdoor activities. However, it must be someone taking care of the children while he or she is not at home. The individual who is taking care of the children can take the kid to the park.

Nevertheless, there is someone responsible for the children. There are no excuses like - I am tired, I cannot, not right now. Remember the person who would be suffering from the problem like diabetes and heart disease is not just the children, but the parents making time to have a healthy kid once again. The time is now to take action.

In conclusion, obesity can drastically reduce if parents have the time to make healthy meals for their children and teach about vegetables and fruits (healthy food). Although, making them move from the screens. When it comes to the obesity issue, parents must take care of the children; parents do not want a sick kid in the future. Instead, they want their children to grow healthy and have a healthy life. Parents need to educate themselves and heritage a healthy lifestyle for their children. Everything starts at home.

Works Cited

• Brazier, Yvette. “Obesity: What Is It and What Causes It?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon
• “Facts About Childhood Obesity.” Partnership For A Healthier America,
• Savage, Jennifer S et al. “Parental influence on eating behavior: conception to adolescence.” The
• Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics vol. 35,1 (2007): 22-34. doi:10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00111.x
• “These Are the Healthiest Meal Choices at 35 Popular Chain Restaurants.” Cooking Light
• Zinczenko, David. “Don’t Blame the Eater.” The Bedford Reader, Kennedy X.J., Kennedy
• Dorothy, Aaron Jane, Repetto Ellen Kuhl, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 166-169.