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Composition of dangers of eating fast food
Does fast food cause obesity
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“Hello, may I take your order?” “Sure, let me get a cup of artificially flavored sugar, a bag of crunchy grease, and a heart stopper.” Everywhere you turn you see a McDonalds, Burger King or Wendy’s. Eric Scholosser There are more fast food places in America than actual grocery stores! In recent times fast food has become a craze. Everyone is eating it, even little babies, but do you really know what you are eating? There is a ninety five percent chance that you don’t. Everyone is guilty of buying fast food and many don’t even know the side effects that go along with the purchase. The food we consider “fast” and “easy” are the same foods that are killing people every day. Although the consumption of “Fast food” is convenient and can save money, it can also cause severe health issues which include high blood pressure, weight gain and an increased chance of heart disease. This paper will evaluate the effects of fast food on its consumers.
Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls as it circulates through your body. This can either be too high or too low. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), there are about one out of three U.S. adults—31.3%— with high blood pressure in America today. High Blood Pressure is caused from a variety of things from sodium and fat intake to smoking and alcohol consumption. Americans today receive too much sodium and fat intake from eating from fast food places on a regular basis. “High blood pressure can cause Atherosclerosis and Kidney and Heart failure just to name a few” (Aiden). Fast food can cause high blood pressure, but that is not the only effects it has on the human body.
With a fast food restaurant like McDonalds on every corner weight gain is a...
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...s because I, myself am guilty of purchasing and consuming these meals. Yes these meals are often greasy and loaded with salt or sugar, but please note that anything, if ate in moderation, is ok for the average human being In the way society is heading, moderation is the way to go. Take heed of my advice.
Works Cited
Aiden, Anton. “Effects of High Blood Pressure from Fast Foods.” Livestrong. Oct 19, 2010. 24-34.
Carey, Rita E. "The Obesity Epidemic Poses a Global Health Threat.” Green haven Press, October 2006
CDC.GOV. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
KFC.com
Linklater, Richard, dir. Fast Food Nation. Fox searchlight productions, 2006. DVD
Simon, Michele. "Even the 'Healthy' Choices at Fast-Food Restaurants Are Unhealthy.” Fast Food. Roman Espejo, Ed. At Issue Series. Green haven Press, 2009.
Spurlock, Morgan, dir. Super-Size Me. Warrior poets. 2004. DVD
Brody, Jane E. “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause.” New York Times. 12 September 2011. Print.
Common sense seems to dictate that fast food is bad for you, however, many Americans consume fast food on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis. In “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that fast-food companies and the food industry are to blame for America’s obesity epidemic, essentially that it is not the individuals fault for becoming obese, and that in essence, fast-food companies ought to take responsibility for the health issues induced by consuming the food. He explains how bombarded you are with unhealthy, greasy, and fattening food everywhere you look; whereas it is much more difficult to access healthy alternatives. He describes the vicious cycle of purchasing cheap ailing meals, rather
Goldstein, Hesh. Why There is an Obesity Epidemic. 16 Nov. 2009. 12 Nov. 2011 .
Tom Harkin, US congressman from Iowa, says that obesity now contributes to the death of more than 360,000 Americans a year. The incidence of childhood obesity is now at epidemic levels. Alarm bells are going off all over the place, but our government has basically done nothing. The obesity rate has risen to epidemic proportions in the United States. Communities across the country, recognizing obesity as an issue of serious public health concern, are looking for innovative ways to halt the increasing rate of obesity (Davis 260). The rising prevalence of childhood and adult obesity can be explained in part by changes in our environment over the last 30 years; in particular, the unlimited supply of convenient, highly palatable and energy-dense foods, coupled with a lifestyle typified by low physical activity (Farooqui 5-7). Childhood obesity in America is a growing epidemic--because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control--that has lasting psychological effects.
How does fast food affect the health of people in the United States? Fast food has definitely played its mind games and tricks on people in the Unites States, making people want more and more of the unhealthy and spurious food that fast food restaurants provide. Out of all of the horrible issues in the US, the biggest one affects the health of the people in the United States. This involves gaining massive amounts of weight, otherwise known as becoming obese. Fast food makes obesity happen.
However, when creating fast food restaurants, the industries were not thinking about the negative effects such as obesity. Other than obesity, other harmful effects exist as well. Fast food restaurants serve unhealthy products such as greasy foods and artificial meat that lead to dietary health issues in many adults and children. A recent study showed that “Young children who are fed processed, nutrient-poor foods are likely to become unhealthy teenagers, and eventually unhealthy adults. Now twenty-three percent of teens in the U.S. are pre-diabetic or diabetic, 22% have high or borderline high LDL cholesterol levels, and 14% have hypertension or prehypertension”
Brody, Jane. E. "Attacking Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Causes." New York Times 12 Sept. 2011: D7(L). Print
Whether people are willing to admit it or not, the desire for convenience is one of the main factors that leads to obesity. In today’s fast-food industry, it’s extremely hard to find food that isn’t “highly processed, full of fat, calories and sodium” (Muntel). While people are recommended to eat an average of 1,500-1,800 calories and around 50-60 grams of fat per day, one can easily take in a whole day’s worth of calories and fat in one fast-food meal. However, people don’t think about this fact while driving past countless fast-food restaurants on their way home from work. One can find anything from a crunchy taco to deep fried chicken all at the same intersection. This abundance of fast-food restaurants makes it no longer necessary to spend hours at the grocery store or even preparing a meal when food for the whole family can be ready in a matter of minutes. Sarah Muntel shares her insight as to why people are so drawn to fast-food:
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.
Many people all around the world and especially in the United States are paying money to poison their own bodies. Fast food is a major problem in the United States. Many people are attracted to fast food restaurants because of their low prices, but fast food is the cause of many health issues and is the main reason for the growing population of obese individuals in America. Although fast food can be a good option for a quick and cheap meal, fast food is very bad for the human body because it is full of questionable ingredients and can cause obesity, heart disease and raise cholesterol.
Subway has just become the biggest fast food franchise in the United States. They advertise a healthy menu full of all natural ingredients. However a recent experiment by the Journal of Adolescent Health found people consume almost the same amount of calories at Subway as McDonalds (Lesser). Subway is not the only fast food advertising healthy options however. Despite the unhealthiness of fast food, these chains do offer some benefits. Natalie Stein,a writer for the live strong foundation, who focuses on weight loss and sports nutrition points out some crucial benefits of fast food. Stein acknowledges the convince of fast food in her article “What Are the Benefits of Fast Food?” She believes that having fast food restaurants on almost every corner is a good thing. This might be a good thing to some people, but what is too much? The conveyance of fast food chains has driven out grocery stores and ruined a chance at a healthy diet. With obesity growing in the United States maybe it’s time to rethink the actual conveyance of fast
Many people in America love to get greasy, high calorie fast food from many places such as McDonalds and its competitors, but in the article “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko, he reveals the health problems associated with these fatty, salty meals. His articles are affective with its well organized layout, rhetorical appeals and tone which give it a very convincing argument. As you read through the article the author reveals the underlying problems with eating fast food and how there are no warnings of such problems posted. As a former obese child who grew up to diet and watch what he ate he sets a credible stance for the argument.
Take a second to understand why fast food firms choose to sell products that are unhealthy. Their unhealthy products are in a high demand in the food market; in fact, they are simply giving us what we demand for. Most firms have started putting food labels on their menus so there is no room for excuse when making the right food choices. Nobody is forcing us to eat a whole box of Krispy crème donuts or a super-size meal at McDonalds. I believe that we are always looking for shortcuts in life and now we can anticipate there is a shortcut in what we put into our bodies. So we are consistently after things that are cheap, fast and affordable. Who better to attend to our needs than the fast food industry?
Nevertheless, some people insist that fast foods, such as chips, hamburgers and fizzy drinks, that are so cheap and tasty, are not a consequence of the health problems. However, I strongly disagree that fast food has no bad impact on people’s health. I believe that fast food has a negative impact on society and, therefore, people must take care of themselves and lead a healthy lifestyle if they do not want to face serious problems with their
Fast food is popular in America. In fact, one of America’s nicknames is “fast food nation,” (“Healthy” par. 1). It is quick and only takes a short amount of time to get the food. There are so many fast food restaurants in the world. Every corner people turn, there is another McDonald’s or a popular fast food restaurant. What people do not know about this easy way of eating is how unhealthy fast food really is. Quick food does not mean nutritious food. However, many Americans debate whether fast food restaurants should be required to show the nutrition in their food.