Editor Insight
Bravo for the “Cheeseburger Bill”

March 19, 2004
by Autumn Dodge
Editor-in-Chief

I found myself doing a little dance of joy over break when I found out that the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill on March 10 that bans people from filing lawsuits against fast-food companies for causing their obesity.

From the case earlier last year in which a family tried to sue McDonald’s for causing the obesity of their son to the recent fast-food bashing documentary “Super Size Me,” the recent trend to blame our country’s obesity epidemic on fast-food restaurants makes my blood boil hotter than the oil in a McDonald’s fryer.

It is not only food choices but more importantly, lifestyle choices, that determine a person’s weight over an extended period of time. I would venture to say that it is a steady decline in the amount of energy expended daily by Americans in combination with poor food choices that is contributing to a growing (no pun intended) obesity problem. Making fast-food the villain is an obvious scapegoat tactic.

After all, one of the things most of us love about our country is our freedom of choice—however, with this freedom comes the responsibility attached to our decisions. We choose to go to the drive-thru instead of making a healthy meal; we fight to get the closest parking space in lieu of walking those extra couple yards; we choose to drive to the post office or bank instead of walking a couple extra blocks. Such choices, if combined with continual poor meal choices and little physical activity throughout the day, easily explain our country’s growing problem of obesity.

Even at the drive-thru window, it is the aspect of choice, not the restaurant itself, that packs on the pounds. Let’s just say, for example, that I did decide to eat at McDonald’s for every meal, everyday (and who would do this?!), and didn’t always go for the healthy options. What would my average calorie intake actually be?

Here are some example of unhealthy choices: for breakfast, a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, hash brown, coffee; for lunch, a Big Mac, medium fries, medium Coke; for dinner, a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, large fries, medium Coke. This adds up to 3300 calories and 164 grams of fat. Obviously, with choices like these, I would be quite a bit over my healthy caloric intake of 2000-2500 calories a day. (The U.S. recommended daily allowance is 2300-3000 calories for men and 1900-2200 calories for women, and this, of course, varies with height). Even with that staggering intake of 3300 calories, a bit of healthy activity could lessen the impact of those fries. A half hour of jogging could burn up to 300 calories and would boost a person’s metabolism for the rest of the day.

At the same drive-thru I could have just as easily made the following more healthy selection: for breakfast an Egg McMuffin, hash brown, small orange juice; for lunch a California Cobb salad, dressing, milk; for dinner a Chicken McGrill, small fries, diet Coke. This adds up to 1670 calories and 68.5 grams of fat. With this slightly healthier menu choice, I’m actually under the normal 2000-2500 daily calorie intake for the average person—even with the slightly high fat total, I might actually lose weight.

A simple example like this shows that it is personal choices, not fast-food restaurants, that make people fat. Add to any menu 30 minutes of daily exercise (at the gym, walking the dog, walking to the mail box, stairs instead of elevator, etc.) and you’re several steps closer to a healthier you.

The so dubbed “Cheeseburger Bill” passed by the House is a great step forward in putting out a message to the public about personal responsibility (or lack thereof). From smoking to weight gain, there has to be a certain point where personal responsibility, not corporations, takes the heat (caloric or otherwise).