Summary #4

Summary #4

The fourth article I am blogging a summary for in ENG 1520 at OCC this semester is “Don’t Blame the Eater”. Composed by David Zinczenko, “Don’t Blame the Eater” first appeared in the New York Times on November 23^rd, 2002. At the beginning of his article, lending creditability to his argument, is the fact that he used to be one of the many American’s that faced health related problems, which he contributed to poor nutritional choices and lack of nutritionally related information as a child. As a latchkey kid in the mid eighties it was easier for him to obtain lunch or dinner from the ever growing food fast myriad, causative to his obesity at the time.

The article “Don’t Blame the Eater” is really about the choices that we make every day in relationship to health-related choices. Sometimes fast food, or other bad choices are easier perhaps mainly because, fast food is, well, fast. In actuality, the amount of fat contained in most fast foods is nothing less than appalling, and the inevitable obesity that can follow causes health problems: diabetes, obesity, limb and joint problems, and even emotional disturbances – just to name a few.

Zinczenko makes the argument that we should know better and that it is our responsibility for making better nutritional choices; choices like limiting fast food intake and maintaining healthy levels of physical activity will combat such issues. After all when one travels to McDonald’s for fast, easily obtainable food, salads and less fattening grilled chicken sandwiches are also available as healthy alternatives.

The author of this article, exposed to healthy life in the Navy, now works for Men’s Health the magazine as editor-in-chief. He notes that before 1994, obesity related type 2 on-set diabetes was virtually nonexistent at only 5% of childhood cases being classified as obesity related. That statistic has now been estimated at 30%. In 1969, 2.6 billion dollars were spent in annual health care costs for diabetes, an amount that has skyrocketed to 100 billion dollars annually at present (They Say, I Say, pg. 154). In conclusion, however expeindiently simple it may to eat fast food it is important to limit one’s in-take of such towards the ideation healthy choices that will lead to both a healthier physically and financial futures for everyone.

Randy Johnson

ENG 1520 Sa 12-2:55

OCC Highland Lakes