What do you think is the main cause of obesity today in America?

Question

And keep in mind it is not only diet or excersise, because it takes a combination of both to loose weight.

Answer 1

Well.. one good reason is that it starts in childhood with TV advertisements. I can't remember the exact number, but your average child in the US watches several hours of tv per day. For each hour, 15-16 minutes of commercials are allowed. It amounts to thousands of commercials in a year that tell kids to eat all kinds of garbage.
The average working parent has how much time with the child to talk about nutrition? 10 minutes a day?
Parents who want to teach their kids about nutrition are fighting a losing battle if they let their kids watch TV.

Another reason is that school food, candy and soda machines in schools aren't properly regulated. What goes into the cafeteria is based on price, not health.

Another one are traditional american feasts (i.e. Thanksgiving isn't TG unless everyone rolls away from the table) and the peer pressure to eat. Ditto with Superbowl, pizza and beer.

In the US, the infrastructure is such that people have to drive everywhere, so even routine or normal walking is impossible unless you live in NYC.

Then you have the whole comsumer psych thing going on - instant gratification is king. Self discipline is frowned upon... sort of: hey.. I don't need to cut back, I'm "entitled" (have the right) to do as I please attitude.

Then there's the food manufacturing lobby that influences legislation as to what can and cannot be contained in food, what things can be labled (i.e. "light" means absolutely nothing). So you may want to eat light, but you're actually not.

bla bla bla... point is... it's not one, but many factors that work together and it's very hard to escape if you're an active participant in a society.

Answer 2

Food is a big thing. Like look at how much the stuff costs. People would rather pay 99 cents for a double cheeseburger at Mc Ds or a big bag of chips when healthy alternatives like salads and stuff are more expensie. Look at a fast food menu, the low priced high fat options outrank the healthier, more expensive alternatives.

Also, todays high paced lifestyle doesnt allow Americans to obtain the diet and exercise they need, so they get stuff on the go.

Answer 3

One thing that everyone is forgetting is that it costs a lot of money to eat right. Not everyone can afford good, healthy food. My mom raised me on food stamps, and I tell you, the government doesn't give you enough to eat right. We had to buy the "junk food" because that's all we could afford to buy if we wanted to have food all month.

Also, we Americans have machinery to do everything for us now. We don't even have to stand up to change the channel. We are conveniencing ourselves to death.

Answer 4

it is the junk food. nobody is eating a good balanced food because there is no time for it.no time to exercise. even the kids prefer play station game to playground. the present day's life style is spoiling the health of the new generation. unless the present parent (young )generation realizes this there is no way of improvement.

Answer 5

A mix of laziness with lack of personal responsibilty when it comes to things like burgers, do-nuts & pizza's..... having them practically daily rather than as an occasional treat.

That and "food fascists" over-hyping things a bit

Answer 6

Fast Food and lackadaisical, irresponsible parental control; where TV or PS2 are the baby sitter and BKs for dinner.

Answer 7

Food stamps!!!

Plus Laziness!!!

Answer 8

A 'combo' of junk food, carbonated beverages, plus irregular eating habits !

Answer 9

Mc Donald's

Answer 10

the course of obesity in America is the intake of too much fatty foods and lack of exercise. that is what makes them grow fat.