Obesity has become a widespread problem in most parts of the world. Although some think that it is possible to tackle this issue by making the cost of greasy foods and sugar-based products higher, I firmly believe that this is not the most viable solution because people have enough money to afford what they want and other measures are needed for people to stay in good shape.
First and foremost, making unhealthy food prices will not necessarily stop individuals from consuming it as most people’s incomes have grown significantly, allowing them to buy a variety of products regardless of how much they cost. Therefore, willing to indulge in sweets or French fries, people tend to spare no expense since they can afford it these days. In addition, fatty and sugary products have proven to be really addictive, which aggravates the problem even further. Psychologists claim that, for instance, chocolate can be compared to cigarettes because for many people it is as hard to exclude it from their diets as to give up smoking.
Yet another reason why high prices for unhealthy high-calorie foods are unlikely to prevent people from gaining extra weight is that just reducing the amount of fattening products in people’s diets is not enough to maintain a healthy weight. Even though it may encourage people to lay off junk food, they will still be highly prone to obesity if they lead a sedentary lifestyle, tend to overeat even healthy food and are constantly stressed. Hence, it is the control of the size of portions, regular physical activity and proper work-life balance that is more essential for not putting on weight.
To sum up, I think higher prices on fattening food may help to avoid obesity only to a small extent because people earn more decent salaries nowadays and are able to buy any food they prefer. Instead, in order to address this problem, other factors should be taken into consideration, such as the stress levels, overeating and a lack of physical exercise.