Prepared by Jon Nowakowski
Actions taken by students can come in many different ways. For my project on obesity, I choose to write a prayer. This prayer was written for those who are in need of strength and guidance from unnecessary, bad foods such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, etc. I also wrote in to pray for those people who are in control of these bad food companies. They need help making healthy decisions in the foods that they serve in their restaurants. Lastly, I asked for prayer for those who live in poor communities. They need help in choosing the best foods for their children so they do not become unhealthy. I choose to write this prayer because every physical action, taken by those who are in search for change, needs to be accompanied by some kind of mental or spiritual action. This prayer will help those in spiritual and mental help. I hope to achieve some sort of change that is not in our control. There are tons of things in the world that can be easily changed by spiritual phenomenon. Fast food companies would be hopefully affected positively from these spiritual happenings. I feel that this will hopefully be very successful if God listens to these prayers. If or when I encounter future injustice issues, I feel ready to handle these situations. Making posters, pamphlets, writing prayers, or even blogging about the topic will bring attention to future problems.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Interview with Charles Snyder
Prepared by Michael Wilkin
Jon Nowakowski and I interviewed Dr. Charles Snyder on April 14, 2010. Dr. Snyder was very excited when we told him about our social justice project on obesity, specifically focused on childhood obesity. He is well experienced in this area since he works with children on a daily basis and sees the effect of fast food and lack of physical activity. He explained to us the effects of obesity on the body on the short term and long term effects.
Dr. Snyder was very into the conversation providing us a lot of information about obesity. He was very open to our questions and was quite welcoming when we met. As we explained to him our motives he opened up and was very helpful. He explained to us that we had chosen a very good topic to do our project on since it has really begun to be reformed.
He told us about how fast food/ junk food and the lack of physical activity amongst the nation’s youth are causing more and more children to become obese. He continued to say that now a day more kids are sitting around playing video games and their parents are letting them sit around and do this for hours on end. He then compared this to how this was not the case some 20 to 30 years ago. Those who 50+ years of age are more active out enjoying life while the youth of this nation, who are just sitting around playing videogames. Most of this information we learned from our reading.
I was surprised to learn that obesity is genetic. Although genetics are a factor it’s not a key factor. I thought that it was a major contributor but he showed me that it isn’t as big as I thought. He told us that if the parents would kick their children out of the house and not let them to play videogames obesity would not be such a problem. He explained how some people are born to be bigger than others, but physical activity and nutrition are bigger contributors to obesity. He did say that genetics will make people more prone to diabetes and heart disease but obesity will greatly increase the chances of having these issues.
I felt that this interview went really well. Dr. Snyder was a very exciting and engaging person who seemed very eager to help us out as much as he could with our project. He gave us a lot of information to work with and most of it was more in depth than we were looking for.
Jon Nowakowski and I interviewed Dr. Charles Snyder on April 14, 2010. Dr. Snyder was very excited when we told him about our social justice project on obesity, specifically focused on childhood obesity. He is well experienced in this area since he works with children on a daily basis and sees the effect of fast food and lack of physical activity. He explained to us the effects of obesity on the body on the short term and long term effects.
Dr. Snyder was very into the conversation providing us a lot of information about obesity. He was very open to our questions and was quite welcoming when we met. As we explained to him our motives he opened up and was very helpful. He explained to us that we had chosen a very good topic to do our project on since it has really begun to be reformed.
He told us about how fast food/ junk food and the lack of physical activity amongst the nation’s youth are causing more and more children to become obese. He continued to say that now a day more kids are sitting around playing video games and their parents are letting them sit around and do this for hours on end. He then compared this to how this was not the case some 20 to 30 years ago. Those who 50+ years of age are more active out enjoying life while the youth of this nation, who are just sitting around playing videogames. Most of this information we learned from our reading.
I was surprised to learn that obesity is genetic. Although genetics are a factor it’s not a key factor. I thought that it was a major contributor but he showed me that it isn’t as big as I thought. He told us that if the parents would kick their children out of the house and not let them to play videogames obesity would not be such a problem. He explained how some people are born to be bigger than others, but physical activity and nutrition are bigger contributors to obesity. He did say that genetics will make people more prone to diabetes and heart disease but obesity will greatly increase the chances of having these issues.
I felt that this interview went really well. Dr. Snyder was a very exciting and engaging person who seemed very eager to help us out as much as he could with our project. He gave us a lot of information to work with and most of it was more in depth than we were looking for.
CST Handouts: Obesity in America
The Catholic Church contains a great deal of information about the themes of Catholic social thought. There are many challenges we face in the world and the Church has most of the answers to them. Through these seven overlying themes, can people see how to properly treat people and handle different situations. Obesity is a big problem in the world. This paper will specifically talk about how the Church would interpret these Catholic social teaching themes and apply them to this social injustice we call obesity.
CST #1 – Life and the Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church believes that every life is precious and sacred. The preservation of human life and their dignity are the foundation of Catholic social teachings. All humans should be healthy. The body is sacred therefore we must protect it by making sure everyone is eating or has access to the proper foods.
CST #2 – Call to Family, Community, and Participation
We are called to not only love each other individually, but we must love each other as a community. By working to promote and protect the good of society will we be able to reach our full potential. There are many people fighting obesity alone. We must help those individuals become healthier and fight off obesity by watching out for our neightbors
CST #3 – Rights and Responsibilities
All humans have the absolute right to food, housing, medical care, education, and work. Humans must protect human rights and meet their responsibilities. Everyone has the right to food, but only the good and healthy foods. It is the responsibility of everyone to make sure that healthy foods are being served.
CST #4 – Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Humans are called to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first since society is only as strong as its weakest members. The poor and vulnerable are the ones most affected by obesity. It is our duty to make sure that these people are getting properly nourished because we already have the proper tools to live a healthy life.
CST #5 – The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
Humans work to fulfill God’s creation. Basic workers rights protected in order to ensure the dignity of workers. Because there are many poor people who cannot afford healthy foods, these people must make a decent wage/salary in order to be able to get these healthy foods.
CST #6 – Solidarity
All humans, no matter what race, gender, or age, are a part of one family. We need to learn to love our neighbors in order to achieve solidarity. Obesity does not target a specific race, gender, or age group; it targets anyone and everyone. Humans need to show that they care for everyone equally in order to show solidarity.
CST #7 – Care for God’s Creation
We are required to respect and protect the Earth. We cannot ignore the Earth because there are many moral and ethical problems. Humans and the Earth are all a part of God’s creations. Obesity affects the way we treat our animals and our environment. We must learn to respect God’s creations in order to fulfill God’s plans.
This is only a brief view at what the Church stands for in this particular subject. For more information, read the papal, conciliar, and Episcopal documents that make up the Catholic tradition.
CST #1 – Life and the Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church believes that every life is precious and sacred. The preservation of human life and their dignity are the foundation of Catholic social teachings. All humans should be healthy. The body is sacred therefore we must protect it by making sure everyone is eating or has access to the proper foods.
CST #2 – Call to Family, Community, and Participation
We are called to not only love each other individually, but we must love each other as a community. By working to promote and protect the good of society will we be able to reach our full potential. There are many people fighting obesity alone. We must help those individuals become healthier and fight off obesity by watching out for our neightbors
CST #3 – Rights and Responsibilities
All humans have the absolute right to food, housing, medical care, education, and work. Humans must protect human rights and meet their responsibilities. Everyone has the right to food, but only the good and healthy foods. It is the responsibility of everyone to make sure that healthy foods are being served.
CST #4 – Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Humans are called to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first since society is only as strong as its weakest members. The poor and vulnerable are the ones most affected by obesity. It is our duty to make sure that these people are getting properly nourished because we already have the proper tools to live a healthy life.
CST #5 – The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
Humans work to fulfill God’s creation. Basic workers rights protected in order to ensure the dignity of workers. Because there are many poor people who cannot afford healthy foods, these people must make a decent wage/salary in order to be able to get these healthy foods.
CST #6 – Solidarity
All humans, no matter what race, gender, or age, are a part of one family. We need to learn to love our neighbors in order to achieve solidarity. Obesity does not target a specific race, gender, or age group; it targets anyone and everyone. Humans need to show that they care for everyone equally in order to show solidarity.
CST #7 – Care for God’s Creation
We are required to respect and protect the Earth. We cannot ignore the Earth because there are many moral and ethical problems. Humans and the Earth are all a part of God’s creations. Obesity affects the way we treat our animals and our environment. We must learn to respect God’s creations in order to fulfill God’s plans.
This is only a brief view at what the Church stands for in this particular subject. For more information, read the papal, conciliar, and Episcopal documents that make up the Catholic tradition.
Background: Childhood Obesity
Like Jared, many people around the world are suffering from obesity. Year after year the number of obese children increases which is a serious problem. Not only are they obese, they are also at a high risk for many health complications that go along with obesity such as heart attack, stroke, impaired breathing, and diabetes.
Kids are and have been the focus on many fast food restaurants advertisements for many of years. The restaurants pair up with movies such as Shrek or How to Train Your Dragon to lure children in to eat their product and promote the movie. They use catchy advertisements to lure the children to want to get this amazing toy because the kids in the commercial are having a blast with it. So after seeing this commercial, the children go after the toy that goes with their “Kids Meal” which is the bait that gets them hooked.
Another group that is being oppressed is the poor neighborhoods. Take a look at the number of McDonalds in Compton, CA, then look at how many there are in Beverly Hills. We can see a great number of golden arches in Compton and very few if any in Beverly Hills. Morgan Spurlock explains in his book Don’t Eat This Book that the reason behind this that there isn’t any grocery stores in these neighborhoods so the fast food restaurants to banking on this fact. They also provide food at a cheap price which makes it more accessible for the people living here since on average their salaries are very low compared to other areas.
In these hard economic times, many schools are looking to save money where they can. Unfortunately a few of the first things to have cuts are the physical education classes and cafeteria services. Children are losing needed exercise since many schools are eliminating their physical education classes all together. To add to it, schools are outsourcing their cafeteria services to whom else but fast food companies because they can either save money by selling cheaper food or the school will be paid for the company to work out of their facilities. It is a double whammy for the children and we can see this in full effect amongst them.
The one oppressor that has been getting heat for years is McDonalds. They have created some of the most affordable but least healthy food one could ever think of. From the Big Mac to their “Fit” meals, there food contains high amounts of sodium, calories and cholesterol according to the nutritional table on their website. Their catchy advertisements draw children and adults into their restaurants and hook them on their so called food. To give u perspective on how bad fast food is for us Morgan Spurlock tells a story of a guy who bought a cheeseburger from McDonalds one night and forgot about it in his jacket. A year later he cleans out his closet and finds the burger. “It looked like I bought it yesterday” is how this gentleman described this year old burger he found in his jacket pocket.
Cafeteria service at most schools is presumed to serve healthy food since it is at the school and they would be looking out for their children. Unfortunately this is not the case as cafeteria services are one the first services to have cuts in it. The catering companies that are used to serve food to our youth do not sell that healthy food. Pizza, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, soda, and chips are just a few of the items they sell. We all know that these foods are very high in saturated fats, cholesterol and calories. The public does not see this as part of the problem since they are in delusion that the school looks out for the best for their students but unfortunately cash talks and that’s a key factor in our children’s health.
After the release of Fast Food Nation, a great amount of attention was brought upon the fast food industry. This prompted the creation of the documentary Supersize Me by Mr. Spurlock which showed the effects of eating nothing but fast food for a month. After the release of this movie, the supersized option was removed from the menu at every fast food eatery. According to Mary Jalonick of the San Mateo Times, 9 million adults or 27 percent from age 17-24 are too fat to join the military. Military leaders are strongly urging Congress to take hold of this by the reins by regulating cafeteria food and funding physical education. Another positive step forward according the KTVU News was in Santa Clara County where they outlawed fast food companies from putting toys with unhealthy food.
As we can see, fast food companies our hurt our country. Their catchy advertisement and little gifts are causing more and more people to become obese and suffer the consequences of obesity. Because of this each year the percent of obese children in the US continues to climb. Not only does this hurt the individual but it hurts the country as a whole. These obese children will suffer from diabetes and are at high risk for heart problems. Since more and more people are becoming obese, less people are able to be recruited into the military due to this which a problem for national security. If we do not start now to stop this epidemic our nation will continue to be the heaviest and most unhealthy nation in the world.
Kids are and have been the focus on many fast food restaurants advertisements for many of years. The restaurants pair up with movies such as Shrek or How to Train Your Dragon to lure children in to eat their product and promote the movie. They use catchy advertisements to lure the children to want to get this amazing toy because the kids in the commercial are having a blast with it. So after seeing this commercial, the children go after the toy that goes with their “Kids Meal” which is the bait that gets them hooked.
Another group that is being oppressed is the poor neighborhoods. Take a look at the number of McDonalds in Compton, CA, then look at how many there are in Beverly Hills. We can see a great number of golden arches in Compton and very few if any in Beverly Hills. Morgan Spurlock explains in his book Don’t Eat This Book that the reason behind this that there isn’t any grocery stores in these neighborhoods so the fast food restaurants to banking on this fact. They also provide food at a cheap price which makes it more accessible for the people living here since on average their salaries are very low compared to other areas.
In these hard economic times, many schools are looking to save money where they can. Unfortunately a few of the first things to have cuts are the physical education classes and cafeteria services. Children are losing needed exercise since many schools are eliminating their physical education classes all together. To add to it, schools are outsourcing their cafeteria services to whom else but fast food companies because they can either save money by selling cheaper food or the school will be paid for the company to work out of their facilities. It is a double whammy for the children and we can see this in full effect amongst them.
The one oppressor that has been getting heat for years is McDonalds. They have created some of the most affordable but least healthy food one could ever think of. From the Big Mac to their “Fit” meals, there food contains high amounts of sodium, calories and cholesterol according to the nutritional table on their website. Their catchy advertisements draw children and adults into their restaurants and hook them on their so called food. To give u perspective on how bad fast food is for us Morgan Spurlock tells a story of a guy who bought a cheeseburger from McDonalds one night and forgot about it in his jacket. A year later he cleans out his closet and finds the burger. “It looked like I bought it yesterday” is how this gentleman described this year old burger he found in his jacket pocket.
Cafeteria service at most schools is presumed to serve healthy food since it is at the school and they would be looking out for their children. Unfortunately this is not the case as cafeteria services are one the first services to have cuts in it. The catering companies that are used to serve food to our youth do not sell that healthy food. Pizza, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, soda, and chips are just a few of the items they sell. We all know that these foods are very high in saturated fats, cholesterol and calories. The public does not see this as part of the problem since they are in delusion that the school looks out for the best for their students but unfortunately cash talks and that’s a key factor in our children’s health.
After the release of Fast Food Nation, a great amount of attention was brought upon the fast food industry. This prompted the creation of the documentary Supersize Me by Mr. Spurlock which showed the effects of eating nothing but fast food for a month. After the release of this movie, the supersized option was removed from the menu at every fast food eatery. According to Mary Jalonick of the San Mateo Times, 9 million adults or 27 percent from age 17-24 are too fat to join the military. Military leaders are strongly urging Congress to take hold of this by the reins by regulating cafeteria food and funding physical education. Another positive step forward according the KTVU News was in Santa Clara County where they outlawed fast food companies from putting toys with unhealthy food.
As we can see, fast food companies our hurt our country. Their catchy advertisement and little gifts are causing more and more people to become obese and suffer the consequences of obesity. Because of this each year the percent of obese children in the US continues to climb. Not only does this hurt the individual but it hurts the country as a whole. These obese children will suffer from diabetes and are at high risk for heart problems. Since more and more people are becoming obese, less people are able to be recruited into the military due to this which a problem for national security. If we do not start now to stop this epidemic our nation will continue to be the heaviest and most unhealthy nation in the world.
Narrative: The Life of Jared Fogle
A man known on T.V. as the “Subway Guy,” is most remembered for dropping from 425 pounds to 245 pounds by just eating Subway sandwiches. Jared Fogle, now at the age of 32, is a man who has taken obesity seriously and completely turned his life around. Jared had just been a normal kid in school with a normal family. He had attended Indiana University in 1998 and on. The reason why Jared had become obese was that he was eating huge portions of junk food and not exercising. This contributed greatly to his former 60 inch waistline. Losing those 245 pounds was not very easy, but Jared Fogle has shown the world that anyone can lose weight if they set their mind to it.
Jared had found that he could turn to food as a source of satisfaction. He even says, “Food was a comfort to me. It replaced personal relationships. It replaced extra-curricular activities. It replaced everything in my life. (Leung)” This tells people that problems in someone’s personal life can affect the amount of food people eat. The systems involved in this injustice would be Jared’s family because they did not take the steps to preventing Jared from eating so much as well as not educating him in the right foods to eat, especially since his dad was a doctor. Fast food companies are also to blame for making all of these fatty foods accessible to anyone at any time. Jared was eating close to 10,000 calories a day because he had access to food at anytime.
Realizing that he needed to get healthier, Jared decided to try some diets. The first few diets he had tried failed to do anything, so he thought about eating healthy at one his favorite fast food restaurants – Subway. Jared started “skipping breakfast, and ate just two subs a day, a small turkey and a large veggie, along with some baked potato chips, and diet soda. (Leung)” This diet along with exercising helped Jared drop 245 pounds in a year. Although Subway might be an injustice to some people, considering it is a fast food chain, it helped Jared become a healthier man. Other fast food chains, however, are the injustices that attack the nation’s youth.
Fogle now tours the country speaking on behalf of Subways diet and about his new eating lifestyle. Subway has hired Jared to speak to people about his story and participate in promotional commercials for the company. Along with speaking about his story does Jared speak about childhood obesity and how that is the root of obesity. “This is the age that they start to make their lifelong habits, in elementary school,” Jared says (Leung). What Jared is saying about how children in elementary school develop lifelong eating habits is true. Kids who start eating bad foods when they are younger usually have a harder time breaking away from that pattern when they are older.
Jared Fogle is now being supported by the millions of people across the United States as well as Subway. Jared Fogle is a leader and a role model for those people who are looking to become healthier. Back when Jared was heavier was a scary problem that some Americans face. We, as caring people, should be looking out for those who have weight problems by educating and guiding those who need help.
Jared had found that he could turn to food as a source of satisfaction. He even says, “Food was a comfort to me. It replaced personal relationships. It replaced extra-curricular activities. It replaced everything in my life. (Leung)” This tells people that problems in someone’s personal life can affect the amount of food people eat. The systems involved in this injustice would be Jared’s family because they did not take the steps to preventing Jared from eating so much as well as not educating him in the right foods to eat, especially since his dad was a doctor. Fast food companies are also to blame for making all of these fatty foods accessible to anyone at any time. Jared was eating close to 10,000 calories a day because he had access to food at anytime.
Realizing that he needed to get healthier, Jared decided to try some diets. The first few diets he had tried failed to do anything, so he thought about eating healthy at one his favorite fast food restaurants – Subway. Jared started “skipping breakfast, and ate just two subs a day, a small turkey and a large veggie, along with some baked potato chips, and diet soda. (Leung)” This diet along with exercising helped Jared drop 245 pounds in a year. Although Subway might be an injustice to some people, considering it is a fast food chain, it helped Jared become a healthier man. Other fast food chains, however, are the injustices that attack the nation’s youth.
Fogle now tours the country speaking on behalf of Subways diet and about his new eating lifestyle. Subway has hired Jared to speak to people about his story and participate in promotional commercials for the company. Along with speaking about his story does Jared speak about childhood obesity and how that is the root of obesity. “This is the age that they start to make their lifelong habits, in elementary school,” Jared says (Leung). What Jared is saying about how children in elementary school develop lifelong eating habits is true. Kids who start eating bad foods when they are younger usually have a harder time breaking away from that pattern when they are older.
Jared Fogle is now being supported by the millions of people across the United States as well as Subway. Jared Fogle is a leader and a role model for those people who are looking to become healthier. Back when Jared was heavier was a scary problem that some Americans face. We, as caring people, should be looking out for those who have weight problems by educating and guiding those who need help.
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