Don T Blame The Eater Summary

Industry is about efficiency; ideally, turning the most profit from the least expense. Therefore, how can we trust an industry to make an ethical choice that will potentially hurt their business model? As exhumed by the articles “Escape The Western Diet” by Michael Pollan and “Don’t Blame The Eater” by David Zinczenko, the health care and food industries are not interested in suggesting we shift our diets towards a what they define as a “healthier”, more natural one, but rather they are set upon developing and distributing a variety of processed, nutritionally-overloaded supplements and cheap foods that conveniently further their return of profit.

In the article, Don’t Blame the Eater by David Zinczenko, he argues that the fast food industry is to blame for making kids sick and obese. Throughout the article, Zinczenko asks several questions to help relay his arguments. He starts the article with a pathos approach which helps introduce readers to the subject while sharing stories of how he relates to the topic. By sharing his own experiences, David shows his creditability to the readers. David’s early life was that of a typical 1980’s teen.

In his work, “Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zinczenko sheds light on the direct connection between the percentages of obesity in the growing population. In the beginning, Zinczenko defends the fast-food industry by stating that there are little alternatives to fast food for low income families. He supports his claim by stating that, “Lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut” (391). Later, Zinczenko shifts to his main argument, saying that fast food industries are to blame for the growing levels of obesity in the population, due to a lack of labeling and misinformation. He supports this by saying that, “There are no calorie information charts on fast-food packaging, the way

Zinczenko argues the belief that fast-food restaurants play a part in child obesity in the United States. In my opinion, he created a very persuasive and thought provoking article. He does, on the other hand, start to introduce the idea that maybe it is one’s own fault for their own obesity. He goes on to counteract this statement by noting that many children/teens do not have access to better/healthier food. Does one not think that if you wished to have "a grapefruit" instead of fried food that you could just as easily find a Walmart as a McDonald's?

After a long stress filled day, the sweet aroma of a double decker cheeseburger and perfectly seasoned fries fills the air with convenience. The fast food industry has engulfed today’s generation turning accessibility, advertisement, and affordability into addiction. The prevention of obesity is a rapid growing controversial topic in America. Some would argue this to be the fast food industries’ fault, as where David Zinczenko stands. On the other side of the spectrum, there are people, like Radley Balko, who believe it to be the consumer’s fault for lack of alternatives and self-responsibility. Is fast food the new tobacco? If so, who’s to point the chubby finger at?

People may say that they are obligated to do something that they may not want to do. An example of this can when someone may say that they don’t want to go to work but they have to go. People do not have to go to work if they do not wish to go otherwise people would not have any income to live on. This is similar to the obesity issue. People feel like they are obligated to eat out all the time because of various issues. Some issues are explained in the essay “Don’t Blame the Eater,” by David Zinczenko. The author asserts that children are suing big corporate companies such as McDonald 's because it is making them fat. He states that it is an issue worth sympathizing with. In this essay, he draws from his past experiences as he grew up stating that the only available options are those of a more affordable to his economic demographic. Such as the ones provided by fast food industries. He continues by stating that he was among the lucky people who were able to escape from obesity due to his decision of joining the navy. Even though he was able to avoid obesity as a life issue, he affirmed that it is very hard for people not to eat fast food when those are the only options a person can pick because there aren’t many healthy options. He adds to this by articulating that even the healthy choices is given by theses fast food industries such as a salad still contain an ample amount of calories. In conclusion, Zinczenko argues that choosing to dine-in at a fast food

In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” he focuses on the fast food industry and their role in the increasing health and obesity issues of our nation’s children, as well as these issues potentially becoming a serious problem that we will all have to deal with if we collectively don’t do something about it now. When it comes to the topic of fast food, most of us can agree that it is not the best source of nutrition. It is unhealthy and can be the cause of many serious health issues with our children such as obesity related Type 2 diabetes, stomach ulcers and even heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or even cancer. We can even agree that fast-food diets are a major contributing factor to

Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. It is also a major health issue affecting many adults and children in the US every year. In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko sympathizes with children who are suing McDonald’s making them fat. In his own experience as a “latchkey kid”, he knows how easily fast food makes teenagers put on weight with a steady diet of fast food meals. Zinczenko argues that both lack of fast food alternative companies and lack of providing nutrition information contribute to childhood obesity.

In his article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that today’s fast food chains fill the nutritional void in children’s lives left by their overtaxed working parents. With many parents working long hours and unable to supervise what their children eat, Zinczenko claims, children today regularly turn to low-cost, calorie-laden foods that the fast food chains are too eager to supply. When Zinczenko himself was a young boy, for example, and his single mother was away at work, he ate at Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and other chains on a regular basis, and ended up overweight. Zinzenko’s hope is that with the new spate of lawsuits against the food industry, other children with working

In the article “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home,” Daniel Weintraub argues that it is the parents, not anybody else, who are responsible for teaching kids healthy eating and exercise habits. He also states that, “It’s the fault of the parents who let their kids eat unhealthy foods and sit in front of the television or computer for hours at a time.” His argument that parents are to blame for childhood obesity is correct to a certain extent but he fails to realize that fast food company’s marketing and advertising to young children also plays a big part in the problem.

The author, Daniel Weintraub, in the article, The battle against fast foods begins in the home, suggests that “parents not fast food companies are to blame for kids being obese.” Weintraub supports his argument by explaining that “ the government is in a vast position to fight the epidemic of overweight children.” Weintraub informs the reader that parents need to take responsibility so that their children not only learn how to eat healthy but to take responsibility for their eating actions. This author wrote in an informal tone for adults with children at home.

The essay by Radley helps me to understand the article by Zinczenko in various ways. For instance, Zinczenko is extremely focused in admonishing the evils of the fast food industry, yet he forgets that there are other healthier options which most partakers of fast foods do not choose. Obesity is not an illness that just comes but rather it is a result of poor food choices made by the people. He forgets that people have a choice and they tend to choose the fast foods. It is not the responsibility of the fast food joints to inform the people about the dangers of the foods that they serve but rather it is the responsibility of the citizens to do their research and understand the risks that they put themselves in when they eat the fast foods.

The title of my comparative stories are, “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko written in 2002 and “Junking Junk Food” written by Judith Warner in 2010. Food provides us with nutrition, but when is the nutrition considered too much? We live in a world where fast food is accessible at almost every corner. Why cook tonight when you can grab a burger for just a few dollars. A lot of families have parents that both work full time jobs. Sometimes it is an easier solution to grab a fast food family meal than to come home, cook, and clean the kitchen. I can personally vouch for that statement. But, over time those calories add up and can cause medical issues. A lot of children are having medical complications due to fast food empty calories. Is fast food the new tobacco?

Main Point 1: According to Dr. Barry Popkin said, “Children who tend to eat fast foods have parents who do not have the time and means to purchase or prepare healthy foods at home. This is really what is causing obesity in children and need solutions to be addressed.”

After coming home from work, parents tend to like to relax on the couch and enjoy a fast meal instead of taking the time to cook essentially promoting that it is ok for their kids to do so as well. It's time parents learn their role in helping and fighting the problem of obesity. During this economic drought parents “need to protect their children from unhealthy foods and from sloth. It’s not easy, especially when both parents are working, or there is only one parent in the home” (p13). For example, it’s hard for my aunt, a single mother of six, to come home from a full days work, clean the house, take care of the children and prepare a dinner. Instead, McDonalds is a cheap and convenient alternative to keep the children satisfied and relieve some of the work load. The accessibility of fast food is one of the main causes parents allow their children to consume such foods.