Addictive Junk Food, Diabetes, Obesity, and Hypertension Assignment | Obesity

According to Tanya Albert Henry, a contributing news writer for the American Medical Association, “The nation’s obesity rate is approaching 40 percent.”

Clearly, the United States is suffering from a serious health problem.

According to Michael Moss in his article in They Say/I Say “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” (656-680),

The public and the food companies have known for decades now . . . that sugary, salty, fatty foods are not good for us in the quantities that we consume them. So why are the diabetes and obesity and hypertension numbers spiraling out of control? . . . What I found, over four years of research and reporting, was a conscious effort–taking place in labs and marketing meetings and grocery-store aisles–to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive. (662).

Write a research paper on the eating habits in America and the effect of those habits on American health.

Michael Moss suggests that major food companies are actively working to get Americans “hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive” though they are aware that these foods are not healthy. He blames them for the health problems that are “spiraling out of control” such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Is he right?

You will either agree, disagree, or partially agree with Michael Moss’s article using one of the following templates for your thesis:

Michael Moss is mistaken because he overlooks ________________________________.
Michael Moss’s claim that __________________________ rests upon the questionable assumption that ______________________________.
Michael Moss is surely right about ____________________ because recent studies have shown that ________________________________.
Michael Moss is right that ________________________, but he seems on more dubious ground when he claims that ____________________________.
While Michael Moss is wrong when he claims that __________________________, he is right that ______________________________.
The paper should be a minimum of 2,000 words long, not counting the Works Cited page.

The paper should cite at least five sources. You can have more sources if you need them.

You must cite the article “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” by Michael Moss in They Say/I Say (656-679). You will be using Moss as the “they say” in your introduction; however, you should NOT use Moss as a source to support your argument. This is a research paper and you need to do research to find credible sources to support your argument.
At least two sources must be from the library databases.
Two sources may be from more popular credible sources (such as the magazine Psychology Today)
The paper must be in MLA format (double-spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins) responding to the prompt.
The essay must follow the Basic Essay Outline:
Introductory Paragraph:
Begin with a hook to get the reader interested in the topic
After the summary, you should include your thesis.
Body Paragraphs:
You should have several body paragraphs that support your thesis statement
Use Quote Sandwiches:
Before adding in a quote or paraphrase introduce it with a signal phrase and a reporting verb.
Conclusion Paragraph:
Do not discuss the source article.
Restate your thesis and summarize the main points you made in your essay.
Then tell the reader why what you are talking about is important.

After you have introduced your quote with a signal phrase or reporting verb add in your quote!
In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses