Julie Guthman, author of "Can't Stomach It," gives her opinion on the obesity crisis. She states that the evidence for the obesity "epidemic" is ambiguous, because it is based on the average Body Mass Index (BMI). It is often difficult to determine the causes of the increase in the average BMI. For example, "it is unclear whether a relatively small number of people have become extremely fat, or whether many people have put on a few pounds" (77). Guthman continues by stating that this can significantly alter the groups into which people are categorized, causing an illusion of an epidemic. She acknowledges Pollan's effective writing style in convincing people to eat healthier foods, but she disagrees with the way he and others like him portray obese people. She points out that in the documentary "SuperSize Me", fat people are seen from the back and without showing their heads whereas skinny people are shown their heads. She believes that this evokes a sense of shamefulness for those portrayed without heads and pride for those with heads. Also, overweight people are demonstrated "at best...as victims of food, bad genetic codes, or bad metabolism; at worst...slovenly, stupid, or without resolve" (78). Finally, she claims that just because one is skinny does not mean that he/she has healthy eating habits.
I thought Guthman's opinion on the obesity crisis was very interesting, and it made me think about the issue in a different perspective. Even though Guthman states that the obesity problem is not necessarily an "epidemic," I still believe that it is an important issue that needs to be addressed. She states that the increase in BMI can have a false impression due to the way it is measured; however, I feel that it shouldn't matter whether a small group of people are become extremely overweight or whether it is a large group gaining a couple pounds. Weight gain is weight gain, and excessive weight gain causes health issues. What can we do to encourage others to eat healthier foods instead of junk food? If junk food were to increase in price, do you think people would stop buying those foods? Or would they continue to eat them anyway?
Guthman, Julie. "Can't Stomach It: Why Michael Pollan et al. Made Me Want to Eat Cheetos". Gastronomica. 2007.
To answer your second question, I believe that if the prices of junk food rose, America would be healthier. This is especially the case for poor families. I believe this is true because they just have no other choice but to buy the cheaper foods because of their money situation.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that her argument about BMI is a relatively empty one. American’s have gain weight and you can’t deny that. I think that increasing prices would not completely eliminate junk food consumption, but it would definitely decrease it.
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