Is the Government Responsible for Our Food Choices?

In case you haven't heard, Americans are getting fatter. The city of Los Angeles, particularly South Los Angeles, has decided to take matter into their own hands regarding food choices of residents in this area of the city.

MSNBC.com reported that Los Angeles City Council will vote today on a ban of fast food restaurants in the South Los Angeles neighborhood, putting a moratorium on additional fast food eateries in the area for one year.

Citing limited food choices in the form of fresh produce markets and "healthier" restaurants, the City Council would like the moratorium to entice more "sit down" restaurants and health food oriented grocery stores to enter the neighborhood.

While I agree that Americans are getting fatter, and I agree that a proliferation of bad food choices does not help this issue, I'm not sure I agree that it's time to start legislating ways to make Americans healthy.

The freedom of choice is what America is based on. Our founding fathers wanted freedom of choice for religion, and had the foresight to build in a bunch of other guaranteed freedoms. Freedom from obesity was not on that list, however.

As one of many Americans who could stand to drop some weight, I find it insulting that the government feels the need to step in and legislate ways to change my choices. This is something I need to do for myself. Reducing the number of fast food restaurants I have access to would not keep me from going to a fast food restaurant, if that is what I wanted to do. Not even high gas prices would keep me from McDonald's French fries, if that is what I wanted to eat.

What may keep me from fast food is knowledge. There is a plethora of nutritional and dietary information available to people in this information age. Some may claim confusion from information overload, but common sense still applies to food choices and overall health. Lots of fat equals bad. Fresh fruits and vegetables equals good.

An overabundance of fast food restaurants in one area cannot be solely blamed for overweight people in that neighborhood. Few Americans can't get to a decent grocery store, and I have yet to hear of a grocery store that doesn't offer fruits, vegetables, and other healthy alternatives to fast food. And don't start ranting about grocery prices either, because restaurants are passing those costs on as well, so you won't save money eating out.

Yes, I need to lose weight. Yes, I need to reduce the fat and other unhealthy components in my diet. No, I don't need the government to take away fast food restaurants, or remove them from my immediate neighborhood, in order for those things to happen.