the obesity epidemic

Is it the food or the portion size?

Obesity is a major problem in today´s world and is the cause of sickness (SICKNESS) and
sometimes death. Large amounts of food, and little or no exercise, have caused many people to
again too much weight (WEIGHT.)

How many French fries did you eat yesterday? How much chocolate did you have? But the
problem isn´t just the sugar and fat we eat, but the amount.

Restaurants in the US often serve large portions (LARGE PORTIONS) of food to make it seem like
you get a lot for your money. Children are often told to eat everything on their plates. There is a
lot of starch and oil because it´s cheap to add and it usually makes food tastier. There isn´t any
reason for companies to promote fresh vegetables when processed food (PROCESSED FOOD) sells.

This means that about 60% of Americans eat too much processed food and are extremely
overweight. Some healthcare experts call this an obesity epidemic (OBESITY EPIDEMIC).

What is the advice (ADVICE) of experts? Cut down on portion size. You can eat carbohydrates, fats,
and sugars. But eat less of all of it!

Read the article above. What do the words and phrases in bold mean?
Read the article again and answer the
questions.
1. What is the main cause of illness today?
The main cause of disease today is obesity.
2. What do restaurants in the United States
do often?
They serve large portions of food.
3. What do starch and oil do to our food?
It makes food generally taste better.
4. Why do companies promote processed
foods?
Because it is cheaper to sell processed foods
than fresh vegetables.
5. How many Americans are overweight?
About 60% of Americans.
6. What can you do to prevent obesity?
Reduce the size of the food portion and eat
less processed foods.
Lee el artículo de nuevo y responde las
preguntas.
1. ¿Cuál es la principal causa de
enfermedad hoy en día?
La principal causa de enfermedad hoy en día
es la obesidad.
2. ¿Qué hacen los restaurantes en los
Estados Unidos a menudo?
Sirven porciones grandes de comida.
3. ¿Qué hacen el almidón y el aceite a
nuestra comida?
Hace que generalmente la comida tenga
un mejor sabor.
4. ¿Por qué las empresas promueven
alimentos procesados?
Porque es más barato vender alimentos
procesados que vegetales frescos.
5. ¿Cuántos estadounidenses tienen
sobrepeso?
Alrededor del 60% de los estadounidenses.
6. ¿Qué puedes hacer para prevenir la
obesidad?
Reducir el tamaño de la porción de alimentos
y comer menos alimentos procesados.