Persuasive Essay About Obesity

I. Introduction

Because of the omnipotence of fast food chains in America, when we feel the urge for an easy meal, Americans, in general, immediately look to the fast food nation for a quick suppression to their hunger. Because we live in a time-is-money society the most efficient means of hunger satisfaction is the almighty drive-through. Corporations spend billions of dollars advertising to enhance sales of their products. With American catching on to the lack of healthy food options in the fast food nation, fast food chains began campaigning healthier food such as their salads and fruit cups. However salads may sound healthy but a Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken from McDonalds has 320 calories and 90 grams of fat. Where's the "healthy" in that. Now that Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. we need to re-evaluate the importance of healthy eating. By increasing awareness of the obesity epidemic in America we can begin to reverse the trend in weight gain among Americans.

A. PREVIEW OF MAIN POINTS:

1. Americans continue to gain weight, increasing the number of obesity related deaths each year.

2. The availability and advertisement of fast food restaurants prevents Americans from slimming down.

3. We'll discuss the solution to weight loss through personal motivation.

TRANSITION: In order to understand the impact obesity has on America we should all be aware of the facts.

II. Body

A. SIGNIFICANCE: In 1966 four out of every 10 Americans needed to lose weight. "Today, two out of every three Americans need to lose weight" (Obesity in America, 2006, p.1).

1. A person is considered obese when they have a Body Mass Index of 30 or more (Schroeder, 2006).

a) "Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height" (CDC, 2006, p. 1). DEFINITION

(i) "To calculate BMI divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and multiply by a conversion factor of 703" (CDC, 2006, p. 2).

2. The earlier someone becomes obese, the greater the impact on their life.

a) For example, "a very obese 25-year-old man can expect to lose 13 years of his life", which turns out to be nearly a quarter of his life expectancy (Obesity in America, 2006, p. 1).

(i) "Obesity and lack of exercise are responsible for about 1,000 deaths in the United States every day" (Obesity in America, 2006, p. 1). FACT

(ii) Government researchers say that "obesity is associated with 100,000 to 300,000 deaths a year" (Tumulty, 2006, p. 1). STATISTIC

3. "The rates of obesity among children and teens have tripled in the past 25 years" (Tumulty, 2006, p. 1).

a) Children as young as 10 and 11 are being diagnosed with potentially lethal Type 2 diabetes, which used to be the adult-onset version of the disease (Tumulty, 2006, p, 1).

b) "One survey found that 96% of American schoolchildren recognized Ronald McDonald, placing him just behind Santa Claus among fictional icons" (Obesity in America, 2006, p. 2). QUOTATION

4. The average number of daily snacks has risen 60% since the late 1970s (Koretz,