The Supersizing of America's Kids

Another factor that aids in the building of obesity is increase in food consumption. Even many schools have started to conform to this popular craze. Many schools serve meals which are very high in fat. In fact, many schools serve about 58% of the “Recommended Dietary Calories” in one day, which only leaves 42% for snacks and dinner (O’Beirne 1). These same schools also provide vending machines or alternative snacks for their students, and they continue to serve the same of amount of food. Kate O’Beirne, author of the article entitled “poor and Fat”, concluded that schools should make meals “smaller and simpler” if they are going to provide vending machines and other alternative snacks for their students (2). Fast-food companies also contribute to this factor in the aspect of the famous word “supersize”. They have managed to supersize every thing from drinks to kid meals. One author states that “He assigns part of the blame to fast-food outlets, arguing that they have super-sized us by super-sizing their portions” (O’Beirne). Today’s kids no longer eat regular happy meals; instead they eat Mighty Kids meals and Big Kid meals. In these meals there is much more food, which also means more grease and more fat. “[According to the International Obesity Tack] Force, [t]wenty seven percent of 10 year-olds in the [U.S.] are overweight or obese—the third highest percentage in the world, behind Malta and Italy [….]”, yet parents continue to buy their children supersized meals (Villarosa 1). By supersizing their intake, these kids are increasing their chance of obesity, disease, and of establishing poor health.

A lack of exercise is another factor that feeds “the beast” that we call obesity. Children do not exercise or play as much as they use to, and some do not exercise at all. Instead of going outside and jumping rope, they sit in their homes and play video games or watch television. Villarosa complains that “In fact, fewer than 25 percent of kids do the recommended 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, and in the recent study of more than 1,000 Black girls, 56 percent of them reported engaging in no physical activity at all by the age 16 or 17” (2). Many children do not have the opportunity to exercise (play) anymore. They do not even get recess, and their parents work most of the day. In fact many schools have either cut back recess time

Some topics in this essay:
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