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We Are Taught to Be Fat

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Submitted By rush2rn
Words 670
Pages 3
Debra Walker
Professor Contreras
ENGL 1301
24 March 2012 We are Taught to be Fat
The Friday before spring break began I went grocery shopping. I decided that, in lieu of taking a family vacation during spring break, I’d treat my children with some fun, kid-friendly food to enjoy at home. When I returned from the store and started unpacking, I was shocked by what I had purchased: macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, soda, and ice cream. These items normally find their way into our pantry in smaller quantities and in the company of more healthy foods like vegetables, lean meats, and whole grain breads and pastas.
I consider myself a good mother. I provide my family with good, healthy food. Or do I? I found myself wondering. Do I select nutritious food for my children to feed their growing bodies, or do I buy food to make them happy, and temporarily satiated? Am I buying items that will aide in their development or am I making purchases based on marketing?
Food has become the most popular and commonly abused legal drug. As a result, the American diet is riddled with disproportionate levels of sugar, salt, dyes, and unhealthy fillers. It is dependent on super refined grains and fat. Consumption of these unhealthy ingredients is growing exponentially. Childhood obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are among the top afflictions resulting from the overindulgence of unhealthy foods.
How can this happen? What are the factors that lead us to pollute not only our bodies, but the developing bodies of our children? One of the main reasons is time. American mothers and fathers have a very limited time with their children. Studies show that the average mother spends one hour and 35 minutes with her children, and fathers spend even less time, on the average of 45 minutes per day. If parents have only a

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