Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Effects of fast foods
Fast food responsible for obesity
Fast food responsible for obesity
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Effects of fast foods
Fast Food Obesity Fast food has become a major health concern in today’s society. Extra calories found in fast food can lead to weight gain, and weight gain can lead to obesity. Obesity is a serious epidemic in the United States. The levels of obesity have skyrocketed over the years as well as the population of fast food chains. No one knows who to point the finger to when it comes to obesity. Fast food could be the prime reason for obesity. Unhealthy ingredients, rising portion sizes, misleading advertising, and widespread availability are all reasons why fast food should be to blame. The convenience of fast food makes it almost impossible for people to pass it up. Fast food plays a major role in the increasing rate of obesity in all ages. …show more content…
These ingredients include saturated fats, sugars, and large amounts of chemical additives (Freeman2225). Consuming fast food results in serious health risks that many are unaware of. The ingredients found in fast food can lead to obesity, high cholesterol, heart attacks, and diabetes (Coestier2). Fast food contains a significantly greater amount of these harmful ingredients than healthier foods. High amounts of sugar are found in fast foods, and it has been said that these high amounts of sugar are the main reason for the obesity epidemic (Bariatric1). Healthy foods contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals that help one to feel full; fast food lacks these vitamins and minerals which causes people to remain hungry after consuming a fast food meal (Bariatric1). Not feeling full leads to overeating, and overeating leads to obesity. Fast food contains a great number of calories; ingesting these fast food meals exceeds the amount of calories one should eat in a day …show more content…
Fast food companies are held liable for obesity because of their misleading advertising and lack of health risk information (Coestier2). Fast food restaurants tend to advertise their food in a way to make individuals crave it more. When fast food first became a health concern, companies changed the name of their foods to induce customers into believing that they were eating smaller amounts of foods (Young245). Changing the names of these foods put individuals at a higher risk of obesity. Fast food often lacks inaccurate nutrition labels (Freeman2226). Inaccurate nutrition labels can lead one to believe that what he or she is eating is healthier than it might actually be. Providing individuals with inaccurate health information can put their lives in serious danger. The New York City Health Department now requires all fast-food chains to provide the calorie counts of foods on the menu board (Young245). Presenting the amount of calories in menu items allows individuals to know how many calories they will be consuming. Knowing the amount of calories in one’s meal may help those who are obese or at risk of being obese. Research shows that fast food advertising shows a positive effect on the probability of being obese (Chou616). Banning fast food advertising would decrease the outrageous rates of obesity. Fast food companies lure children in by supplying them with toys if they purchase a meal.
Obesity is an epidemic in America. Fast food can be compared to the same type of mindless addiction as cigarettes, and can be equally as dangerous. Not only is there a problem with fast food restaurants, but the food industry as a whole. Slaughterhouses that control 80% of the market produce meat in such a way that is not healthy for consumption, in turn the products are doused in harmful chemicals and still served to the public. No wonder the obesity rate in America is 69% and rising. Obesity is a true problem in our country- people are neglecting their health and quite literally eating themselves to death.
People sometimes don't even know what they eat and what the possible outcome, obesity, is. According to Carla Power's article, fast food is food “…high in fat, sugar and salt" ("Big Trouble"). One meal of fast food alone has almost enough calories you need for the day. Paul Schwartzman’s article claims that fast food is “…ready-to-consume food," and "customer queing" (“Defining 'Fast Food' Is Slow Work”). People are either just clueless about what is in that food or they just don’t think that one meal will affect their body that much. Jenni Laidman's article defines obesity as being at "a body mass index of 30 or above (about 198 pounds for someone 5'8)" or just being "overweight" ("Fat City"). For you, this should be a special indicator of what really goes into your body and what obesity is classified as being.
Fast-food. When you hear this term, you probably think of restaurants such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, or Popeyes, right? These are popular food chains that influence the American diet on a daily basis. It’s probably unsurprising to hear that these fast foods lack nutrition but are abundant in calories and fats. The constant intake of such food, as well as the modern American lifestyle, have increased obesity rates over the years.
Obesity among Americans has been a growing issue in the United States predominantly over the past decade. Many may argue American’s are obese because of poor food choices, over-eating, genetic disposition, lack of exercise, or the environment which one lives, while others blame it all on fast-food chains and restaurants. Throughout my research I have come to find a lot of facts and statistics about fast food consumption causing obesity. Statistics show that without a doubt the United States is the most obese country in the world.
Eating habits have become a cause of obesity because most people in America decide to take the fast route. Fast food has become so prevalent in the day to day lives of so many families and individuals. The cost and convenience of fast food has led to an increase in consumption, which does not help our cause. According to Carey Polis’ article in The Huffington Post, fast food is about $550 cheaper per year than choosing the healthy option. That means people are more likely to choose a cheeseburger from McDonald’s over fresh fruit and vegetables from the produce section at the grocery store. Along with how cheap it is to get our hands on fast food, the convenience makes it even more difficult to resist. With a fast food restaurant on every corner of every block in town, it makes it much easier for someone to pick up on a meal on their daily commute rather than actually trying to cook something healthy. Choosing fast food is not the most nutritious way to go either. Fast food is filled with sugar, fats, salts, and calories. It is usually low in nutrition and high in what are considered to be “empty” calories. By definition obesity is caused by the excess in...
Is fast food to blame? Fast food restaurants advertise all their ingredients in plain sight. They provide healthy options to their more popular foods such as grilled items, skinless options, low calorie/no calorie beverages, and small portion orders. Most obese Americans are overweight because they are uneducated about the dangers of the fast food. Once they learn about eating healthy, managing overweight issues becomes more elementary. Fast food restaurants should not be the blame of American obesity because there are healthier options, self-discipline, and self responsibility for each individual.
In the United States, there are many people who believe that if it wasn’t for fast food restaurants, they would be eating healthier and wouldn’t be overweight. People have even tried to sue fast food restaurants for their own self esteem issues. It’s ironic that people actually blame fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, for being obese. While fast food may be one of the contributors to the obesity outbreak, it certainly doesn’t stand alone. There are loads of reasons why people living in the United States are overweight. Some of these reasons involve dilemmas within the school arrangements, peer pressure, family genetics, educational issues, and even where a person lives. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion said that “Some illnesses may lead to obesity or weight gain. These may include Cushing's disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Drugs such as steroids and some antidepressants may also cause weight gain” (Overweight and Obesity, www.cdc.gov). Even though obesity has become a major problem in the United States today, the percentage in general, of obese human beings would definitely decrease if people would exercise more, eat healthier, and change their diets.
The rise and success of the fast food industry has a positive correlation with the rising levels of obesity. Although correlation does not necessarily mean causation, it is hard to believe the fast food industry is not a source of the problem. With its affordable meals and cunning advertisements, the fast food industry appeals to all ages, saving mom and dad money...
Nowadays, fast food become more and more popular for people, especially for kids and teenagers. As a result, many of them get obese. Then, some people start to blame on them, and say it is all their fault to get obese because they choose to eat fast food instead of healthy food. However, other people might think it is not their fault. There are also many problems in fast food company.
One out of every three Americans is obese, and the majority of these obese people in the United States have eaten regularly at fast food restaurants. As the obesity rate increases, the number of fast food restaurants goes up as well. Although it is not certain, many believe that obesity in the United States is correlated to eating fast food. Since the United States has the highest obesity rate out of any country, it is important for Americans to monitor the fast food industry that may be causing obesity. With the pressure to get things done in a timely manner, fast food has become a big necessity.
Obesity can be caused by a combination of fast food and the environment people live in today. Fast food contains foods that are high in fats, sugars, and starches. These ingredients have rarely any nutritional value to the human body. Most of the foods available at fast food restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC contain concentrated salt and preservatives to enhance the flavor in them. Obesity has become the defining aspect of our nation by surrounding the people with fast food products. The freedom to choose what one wants, gives the fast food companies the right to give one unhealthy food. The consumption of fast food products regularly greatly increases one’s chance of having health disparities such as Coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers, stroke, Hypertension, and Osteoarthritis. These negative effects are present with the daily eating of fast foods.
Scientists claim that the consumption of fast food leads to rapid weight gain, heart attacks, diabetes, reduced immunity, irreversible changes in the liver, raising the level of cholesterol in the blood. The fat contained in fast food, mainly consists of saturated fatty acids, which are deposited on the walls of blood vessels.
One way that fast food effects obesity is by advertising their products to children (Miller). In her article Food Advertising Contributes to Obesity, Patti Miller explains that the fast food companies are targeting kids and teenagers by advertising on television. The fast food advertisements are promoting unhealthy products as acceptable food which influences children to choose those meals. The American Psychological Association, an organization focused on improving the lives of individuals, expressed that with the exposure of different fast food commercials, children request to purchase these unhealthy products and cause the parents to be influenced by these requests. This concludes the idea that once children are encouraged by the commercials, they opt to consume the fast food advertised on television. Today, fast food companies are even advertising through schools by offering pizzas and burgers as school lunches, which consequently becomes a daily meal for children and teenagers to consume (Wadden, Brownell,
Obesity is a big social issue in America. Due to the popularity of fast food and other unhealthy foods, more and more Americans are developing health diseases and disorders. We should be getting the correct daily nutrition amount, but because of our fast paced lifestyles we sometimes do not have enough time. Fast food restaurants make it possible to grab a meal and go. We often do not pay attention to the nutrition amount, but are simply looking for a quick bite to eat that will fulfill our hunger. Fast food is assisting in the increase of obesity in America (“Phrase” par.2).