Don’t blame fast food for super-sized society

It’s no secret that many Americans are larger than ever before. The oft-quoted statistics that 60 percent of U.S. adults are overweight and that an estimated 300,000 die each year from obesity-related diseases is hardly a revelation to thousands of people working very hard to lose weight across the country. But apparently these facts didn’t occur to a 56-year-old New York man who is now suing fast-food chains for making him obese.

According to the attorney of Bronx resident Caesar Barber, restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC deceived his client into believing that the fast food he has been consuming since the 1950s was healthy. Barber has had two heart attacks, for which he blames the restaurants.

No one can deny the troubling impact our fast-food culture is having on national health. In ten years, the obesity rate in Washington has doubled. Perhaps one of the saddest results of America’s struggle with fat is the growing number of children being hospitalized for obesity-related diseases like diabetes and sleep apnea. But while it is true that the aggressive advertising and ubiquitous presence of the fast food industry encourages Americans to make poor decisions about their diets, this does not absolve us of our responsibility to make the right choices about what we eat.

Or does it? Barber’s lawyer says that his client’s case against fast-food chains is comparable to cancer patients’ lawsuits against the tobacco industry. In the words of Barber himself: "I thought when they said 100 percent beef they meant it." But last time we checked, beef wasn’t exactly fat-free. Fast-food restaurants have never denied the dangers associated with the excessive consumption of fat. Furthermore, fat is not an addictive substance, like nicotine, nor is it a carcinogen that will poison the human body — in moderation, all humans need to consume fat to live. Therefore, Barber’s claim that he was an unwitting victim of the fast-food industry is absurd.

As it turns out, there are lots of things a restaurant patron can do to make healthier fast food choices. By avoiding "super-sized" meals, opting for roasted, grilled, or broiled menu items rather than fried or breaded, ordering low-fat side dishes like salads and baked potatoes, eating out on a budget doesn’t have to be an artery-clogging affair. Even the most familiar chains like McDonalds make at least a cursory effort to provide lower-fat alternatives to their calorie-loaded staples, and they certainly don’t lie about the risks of consuming a 590-calorie Big Mac.

Most importantly, the majority of customers know that eating a quarter-pounder with cheese is an indulgence, not something that should be done every day. After two heart attacks and, presumably, plenty of warnings from his doctors, Barber should have been able to take the hint — all by himself.

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