Can You Be Addicted to Food?: A New Problem Faced by North Americans

Table of Contents

Setting
Protagonist
Antagonist
Resolutions
Work Cited

Can You Be Addicted to Food?

Food is any substance consumed by living organisms to provide nutritional support. Addiction is the condition of having a craving for a particular substance. The story Can You Be Addicted to Food? involves Matthew Mahon, a 46-year-old man. Mahon is worried about whether he will reach 50 years of age. The story affects people by providing many psychological and educational benefits, such as introspecting themselves and knowing whether they are addicted to food. The story takes place in the Northern Hemisphere, a continent called North America. The occurrence of the story is still ongoing, as Mahon says he is addicted to food. This story is newsworthy, and people from all parts of the world need to know about Mahons situation to make informed choices about the quantity of food they take. This topic emerged as a new problem faced by North Americans. The theory of Mahon being addicted to food explains why most people in North America are being struck by obesity.

Setting

The setting of this story is in North America, a continent located in the Northern hemisphere and almost completely within the Western Hemisphere. Recently, it has been realized that obesity rates among people in North America have increased. The markers for food addiction include intense cravings, loss of control, inability to stop despite knowing the negative impact, and a tendency to relapse. Using that scale, Gearhardt estimates that 15 per cent of people in North America have a physical addiction to food (Haines). Food addiction theory explains the cause of obesity to most people.

Protagonist

The protagonist of the story is Matthew Mahon, who says that he is addicted to food. He explains that the addiction is similar to that he had when he used to abuse drugs. Mahon had been a heroin addict for 14 years before he stopped abusing drugs. Mahons mother is more worried about him than when he was addicted to drugs. The last time I was in the hospital, all my organs were shutting down. My lungs, my heart, my kidneys, my liver. Everything was saying sayonara Slim, were out of here (Haines). Mahon got admitted several times because his weight stressed his organs.

Antagonist

In the story, food is the major antagonist that jeopardizes Matthew Mahon. Mahon is addicted to food, and this makes him overeat. Certain types of food cause addiction in eating to some people. For instance, pizza, potato crisps, fries, chocolate, cookies, and ice cream are stripped of nutrients and then highly processed, like other addictive substances like cigarettes. Critics argue that food should not be reviewed as an addictive substance because there is no clear risk of overdose.

Resolutions

Some resolutions have to be made among North Americans to reduce the increased obesity rates. They should avoid eating highly palatable foods or those with high carbohydrates, fat, salt, sugar, or artificial sweeteners foods for they act as triggers for addiction. Suppose the above is not put into action, there will be a double increase in the rate of obesity among North Americans because, with time, people access food that triggers addiction easily. It is a verity that one can be addicted to food, but people can also stop this addiction naturally by strictly eating three meals a day. If each individual takes control of their health by making sound food choices, obesity and related complications will decline.