Goliath Casket, a company in Lynn, Ind., has produced caskets up to 7 square feet in diamater. Footstools are being manufactured to hold up to 500 pounds. At Freedom Paradise vacation resort, a secluded beach on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, reinforced king-sized beds and armless chairs are all available to accommodate a certain demographic.
The demographic in question is rapidly growing in the U.S. in population and waistline. And while new diet crazes and weight-loss programs and products are popping up constantly, obesity remains an issue growing in severity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than 71 percent of men are overweight, along with 61 percent of women and 33 percent of children.
Public concern about obesity seems to be increasingly prevalent, yet it’s still as significant a problem as ever. Recent studies on obesity have shown almost every fourth person weighs too much, and obesity is quickly approaching tobacco as the number one preventable cause of death. Three hundred thousand deaths each year are attributed to obesity, as being overweight increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension and some cancers.
It makes one wonder: what’s it going to take? Statistics show the more a person weighs, the shorter their life expectancy becomes. An overweight person could live as many as five years less than a person in his healthy weight range, with no factors taken into consideration other than weight.
It seems almost nothing will convince people that they need to lose weight if their own lives aren’t collateral enough. It’s the same sentiment I have toward smoking. Neglecting one’s health in any way, whether it’s blackening your lungs by smoking or regularly ingesting the food equivalent of cigarettes (Big Macs or any other calorie-laden treat), is inexcusable. It’s surprising how many people feel differently, though, and find it justifiable to place blame on the things they have every right and ability to stay away from.
Some food companies have actually been sued in obesity lawsuits. The most shocking to me is the case of Caesar Barber, who in 2002 filed a suit against four fast food restaurant chains, including McDonald’s. He claimed these companies were to blame for his obesity, heart disease, diabetes and two heart attacks. His argument was that the companies didn’t give sufficient warning that their foods were unhealthy. For decades he didn’t realize fried food was unhealthy.
I don’t think it needs reiterating how unjustified the case was. It’s not a recent revelation that fast food isn’t healthy, and I wouldn’t mind asking Barber why he felt McDonald’s was his only option. Sure, fast food is convenient and an OK indulgence once in a while, but claiming not to be aware of the health risks is hardly an excuse for downing it day after day.
Although almost all fast food restaurants offer more health-conscious options, the efforts of many companies-with their furniture, household products and aforementioned vacation resorts-are canceling out the efforts of the fast food industry to curb the ever more serious weight problem of the United States. This is surely encouraging obese people to stay obese, assuring them that there is nothing wrong with their state.
I’m not attempting to pass judgment on anyone, but it’s not a prejudiced remark to say that people who are overweight, if they have any concern for their health, should make adjustments to their lifestyles. These adjustments are not as hard as many people make them out to be.
An estimated $33 billion each year is spent by Americans trying to lose weight using weight-loss products and services. Obviously these dollars are going nowhere because the problem is only getting worse. Gimmicks like pills and expensive diet plans are unnecessary, as are fad diets like Atkins and South Beach, which are already on the way out.
All of these new “innovations” will prove to be fads because the only tried and true practice to stay healthy is to eat right and exercise. Not only is this not very difficult to do, unhealthy foods are much more enjoyable when eaten sparingly than daily.
The duty to stay slim and eat healthy is in the hands of the person alone, with the exception of a few medical conditions that keep people from being able to maintain a healthy weight. Similarly, it’s the duty of parents to ensure that their children grow up eating balanced diets.
This is the subject of TLC’s new show, “Honey, We’re Killing the Kids!” I’ve caught a few episodes and often found them shocking. The parents highlighted on the show have been stuffing their children with sugar, soda, candy and fried food since they were born, and yet somehow they are flabbergasted when a nutrition specialist informs them that their children will grow up with numerous health problems and shorter life spans.
Education is, first and foremost, necessary before anyone can make a conscious decision to better their lives and their health. Although it’s always been said, eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly is all one needs to do to stay healthy. So rather than rushing out to buy seat belt extenders, larger car seats for “husky” children or a larger casket for, as Batesville Casket Co. calls it, “a little extra room for life’s final journey,” make the healthy choice rather than the convenient one.