Obesity is Killing UsMany will agree that whenever they have the opportunity to indulge in foods that are unhealthy for them, they will take them, but unhealthy weight gain and Are potential health risks really worth it? Adult obesity has doubled since 1980, while childhood obesity has more than tripled (Levi and Lavizzo-Mourey 5-6). Unhealthy foods consumed daily affect many Americans physically, emotionally, and mentally. This is a major and growing problem in the United States. More than twenty-three million Americans have diabetes. 90% of people with diabetes are type 2 diabetics, linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle (Rice). Acceptance and willingness to change are essential to a healthier lifestyle. Once you do, it will be easy to eat healthier and exercise more. The United States hasn't always had an obesity problem. Before we had all these processed foods, everything people ate was made from scratch and didn't contain all the preservatives found in foods today. Severe food shortages and malnutrition were very common in the 1929s. They may not have had much food, but they were much more active than many people today. Before World War II, many concerns were focused on health problems caused by nutrient deficiency. As the United States grew stronger and wealthier, attention from nutritional deficiencies shifted to conditions associated with overconsumption. Yet in the 1970s, food insecurity was still a significant concern in the United States. In the 1980s and 1990s, attention shifted to nutrition and its impact on chronic disease. It is only in the last decade that overweight and...... middle of paper ....../Detail.aspx?topic=Background_on_Overweight_Obesity_and_Weight_Management>.Nelson, Jennifer K., RD, LD , and Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD “What will it take to reverse the obesity epidemic?” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, October 3, 2012. Web. April 3, 2014.expert-blog/obesity-epidemic/bgp-20056139>.Paul, Maya W., Robert Segal, MA, and Melinda Smith, MA “Eat well on the cheap.” Helpguide.org. Helpguide.org, May 2013. Web. April 4, 2014..Rice, Deborah. “Your weight and your diabetes.” Ed. Martica Heaner. Obesity Society. The Obesity Society, July 2010. Web. April 2. 2014..