What is Convenience Worth?

Everyone wants to be healthy, right?

Right?

The news that America is the "fattest" country on the planet may not be much of a shock to most. As we become more and more entangled in the stresses of daily life, we forget to take care of ourselves. Instead of planning a weekly dinner menu, many people "wing it" and opt for a more favorable option: fast food. Beth Hoffman of Forbes Magazine writes, "The former theory was that people eat badly because they are poor and cannot afford better food. However, we now know that it is the perception of "convenience" that is driving the trend to eat fattening food" (Hoffman, "It's Convenience, Not Cost, That Makes Us Fat"). Convenience eating succeeds even though it is said to cause an array of health issues, including: diabetes, heart attack, heart disease, high cholesterol, nutrient deficiency, stroke, and unhealthy weight gain. To combat this attitude, many Americans have turned to fitness and healthy diet alternatives, yet obesity still prevails. In a body-conscious country where healthy living is a constant trend, why does obesity prevail? What is our convenience worth? 

The American Heart Association lists America as the "fattest" nation in the world. Approximately thirty-one percent of American adults ages twenty and over have a BMI, or body mass index, of 25.0 kg/m2 and higher, resulting in bodies that are overweight, obese, or even morbid. The AHA goes on to break down obesity data by age, demographic, gender, and year, as well as providing healthcare costs attributable to obesity. To counter this rising epidemic, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention took action by publishing "Strategies to Combat Obesity". These strategies include being aware of your BMI, adding green and yellow fruits and vegetables into your daily diet, boosting your immune system with green tea, eating food packed with nutrients, exercising regularly, neglecting fatty and processed foods, opting for meat substitutes, and practicing portion control. 

In salute to the CDC's "Strategies to Combat Obesity," many articles, blogs, books, businesses, cookbooks, magazines, outreach programs, and websites have dedicated themselves to healthy living. Each of these mediums provides a unique spin on healthy lifestyles, whether it be through recipes or transformation stories, like Laura's, who chose to make a lifestyle change in favor of health, regardless of convenience. Some may blame the brain and some genetics, but you can only blame yourself for not pursuing a healthier lifestyle.