Is the Economy Good for Fighting Obesity?

The invention of the dollar menu may seem like a revolutionary accomplishment by a group of suits sitting around the war room table, but the battle of the bulge has been dealt a giant blow with the desparation of businesses trying to earn our last dollar.

The percentage of Americans that are are obese has recently increased to 32%, which tops the percentage of americans that are simply overweight(30%). My personal belief is that a contributing factor for the number of obese citizens has a direct connection with the fast food restaurants making unhealthy food, more readily cheap and available.

In an attempt to woo customers back to their establishments fast food places, as well as casual dining has presented the population with an array of discounts and specials. These have ranged anywhere from Denny's offering a free breakfast in February, to Dairy Queen creating a value menu, even Applebee's offering steep discounts for bringing friends.

I recently went to a local food restaurants to see what the most affordable options on their menu were, and it went in an order like this.

Double Stack, Chicken Crisp Sandwich, Jr. Double Bacon Cheeseburger, and Value Fries. The price of the side salad and baked potato rose 29% and they added a new hamburger to the 99 cent menu in their stead.

Now I understand that this is a double edged sword because it does present a person with an affordable option, but it does nothing to help fight a problem that will end up costing the country more money in health care in the future. As a person with Diabetes Type 2 I have grown an in depth understanding of what you are doing to your body by saving 45 cents to order the cheeseburger in stead of the salad. I just wish that our current capitalist leaders would grow a heart and think less about the bottom line and more about the waist line.