Junk food or wholefoods? Freedman convincingly argues that hitting the drive-thru may be a better choice for you and your pockets, rather than spending hours and all of your hard earned cash at a whole foods store. That may sound ridiculous to most people because they’re under the impression to not eat fast food because it is not good for you, while that may be true, neither is the advertised “healthy” foods. Many people assume that fast food is overall worse for you than say ‘WholeFoods’. Freedman on the other hand would like to prove that to be not so true. For example he states that McDonald’s smoothies are indeed actually good for you and have less sugar/calories than the fancy healthy food places. Not only are they surprisingly better …show more content…
He proves his theory by wanting a smoothie and going to 2 different ‘wholesome foods’ just to be unsatisfied with the overly priced, ($9.00 and $7.75) more calories (roughly about 300), and longer wait periods (about 10 minutes each smoothie) to just go to a local McDonald 's and satisfy his craving for just $3 and 225 calories, plus it only took seconds to make (Freedman 506-507). Most are quick to jump to the assumption that fast food is unhealthy for you, although it is not particularly great for you, neither is the wholesome foods. The media shows that all processed foods make us ill and overweight, so we really do not have a choice but to believe that if we eat fast foods, we will become sick and unhealthy (Freedman 508). For that he attended a stress management seminar where a wellness coach spoke to those who came. She said that “ it’s okay to eat anything as long as its plants or animals origins aren’t obscured by processing”. Furtherly explaining that it is okay to eat a potato chip since it comes from a potato, but it is not okay to eat a cheeto because “what plant or animal is a cheeto” even though cheetos and potato chips have about the same amount …show more content…
Yes, typically one who eats wholesome foods are basically healthier and more in shape than fast food eaters, but with these studies they do not include the lifestyle of these people, such as financial stability, more time to exercise, etc. A college student, like myself, does not have the time to go grocery shopping and take time to actually cook the food, so fast food is just the best option for people like me. It does not apply to just college students, there are grown people who find fast food to be the most convenient. Why would you spend hundreds of dollars at a grocery store and hours cooking when you could just stop at the local fast food place and it takes only a minute or two. Sometimes it is okay to want to take the time to do all of that, but when you’ve worked all day and you just want to eat, fast food is the best route to take. I think that if the idea of wholesome foods being not as healthy as portrayed would become more known than so many people would not shame eating processed foods. Freedman states that when he went to order a vegan salad he read the label which showed him that there was no processing in this food, but does not show the customer that this “healthy” salad contains m3 times more fat per ounce, two-thirds of the calories, and four time more sodium than a McDonald’s Big Mac. But since it has the words “vegan salad” on the
While shopping at a local Trader Joe’s, Freedman spots a bag of peas, which have been breaded, deep-fried and then sprinkled with salt. Upon seeing this snack, he is in shock to know that this same store, which is known for their wholesome food, would sell such a thing. With a tone of exasperation, he admits that, “I can’t recall ever seeing anything at any fast-food restaurant that represents as big an obesogenic crime against the vegetable kingdom.” It was such an unexpected situation for him to come across this small snack that represented the opposite of what the wholesome-food movement is for. To settle his own confusion, he clarifies that, “…many of the foods served up and even glorified by the wholesome-food movement are themselves chock full of fat and problem carbs.” This further proves that just because a certain food is promoted by a health fad, it does not validate that it is genuinely better than fast-food itself. A simple cheeseburger and fries from any fast-food restaurant would more than likely contain less calories than a fancy salad from the next hole-in-the-wall cafe. Not only that, but the burger and fries will be tastier and much cheaper
“The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared or fast food, confronts a platter covered with inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any creature that every lived (Berry 9).” This a great example that makes that makes us learn and think about when we eat a fast food product and also what it contains. This should a reason for us to be thinkful of the food products that we consume on a daily basis, and so do our
Fast food, while a quick alternative to cooking, has always been known to be less healthy than traditional preparations, but the extent of its health benefits or detriments was not known until a lawsuit came out which inspired documentarian Morgan Spurlock to engage in a 30 day experiment. The resultant documentary specifically targeted McDonald’s, the largest fast food chain in the world, which also happens to be a major recipient of lawsuits linking obesity and their food. Spurlock endeavored to spend a thirty day period eating nothing but food that came from the golden arches, with the rules that he would supersize only when asked, and every time he was asked, and that he would have everything from the menu at least once. In the 2004 film Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock explores the concept that McDonald’s contributes to the nation’s obesity problem through the utilization of statistics and scientific evidence as a logical appeal, comedy and repulsive qualities as an emotional appeal, and s...
He states that the alternatives to fast food don’t have to be grass-fed beef and organic veggies, but instead pretty much anything that’s healthier than junk. To help with his argument, Bittman refers to Marion Nestle, a professor of food studies at New York University and author of “What to Eat”, where he quotes her in paragraph 7 stating, “Anything that you do that’s not fast food is terrific; cooking once a week is far better than not cooking at all.” With this being said, she promotes the idea of easing into healthy eating even if it’s only once a week. This source is useful since it indicates that taking the initiative to eating healthier and following through takes time, but stands beneficial in the long
In this essay “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” published in 2013 issue of The Atlantic Daily, David Freedman explains how junk food is a better source of the organic food. Stressing the price and how many calories to natural/healthy smoothies and fast food /junk food. While most people believe junk food contributes to obesity, Freedman advocates eating junk food but making smart choices.
He begins by saying that while it may seem easy to avoid fast food and eat relatively balanced meals, it is easier to fall victim to than you may assume, based on life circumstances. His mother, for example, had custody of him after his parent’s divorce and was too busy working to provide for him to have time to shop for and prepare healthy meals. “Advertisements don 't carry warning labels the way tobacco ads do. Prepared foods aren 't covered under Food and Drug Administration labeling laws. Some fast-food purveyors will provide calorie information on request, but even that can be hard to understand.” is an example Zinczenko gives that even though consumers often times know fast food is bad for your body, but not to the full magnitude. These companies find loopholes to justify projecting calorie/content information that is either insufficient or perplexing enough that you would be forced to go to great lengths to uncover exactly how many calories are actually in your meal. Another one of his main points is the lack of alternative options. With a McDonalds on every corner and a busy schedule, it is almost inevitable to choose a drive thru burger rather than going into a grocery store to buy something you then later have to go through the trouble of preparing, especially for
He tells an experience he had when he went to a healthy food place on a trip once, he got a smoothie that was good, but had a lot of calories and cost a lot more than what was reasonable. David then brings up his second try with eating healthy foods and specific healthy places. He tried a different flavor, which he could barely handle to consume, and the price was barely lower than the first experience with a longer producing time period. Finally, he finds the perfect smoothie, low in calories as well in price, thanks to McDonalds. After telling his readers about these experiences he brings up Pollan, another author in They Say/I Say, who is very against processed foods, who expresses that organic and whole foods is the way Americans should eat to become healthier. He states “The fact is, there is simply no clear, credible evidence that any aspect of food processing or storage makes a food uniquely unhealthy” (518). This leads into his last main point, about how changing diets should not be the huge change of completely eliminating fast food and going strictly organic/whole foods, but making small, unnoticeable changes in the processed food industries, fast
Freedman then says “it cost $3 and took only seconds to make.” (932) Here he is talking about a smoothie from McDonald’s. He brings up time and money into the article to show that it is cheaper and takes less time to get a smoothie from McDonald’s than it is to buy a so-called healthy smoothie from a wholefoods restaurant. He is trying to get the Pollanites to realize that the majority of people will spend three dollars before they spend
Both articles have similar tones but the purpose of both these articles are completely different. Freedman expressed, “Still, given the food industry's power to tinker with and market food, we should not dismiss its ability to get unhealthy eaters--slowly, incrementally--to buy better food” (Freedman 523). This quote shows that Freedman strongly agrees that the fast food companies could have an influence on people wanting to eat healthier, if they slowly change what they offer or even how they prepare the food they serve. He makes it clear that fast food companies are just as responsible as the people who choose to eat at these places. He even asked himself, “Just how much healthier could fast-food joints and processed-food companies make their best-selling products without turning off customers?” (Freedman
As consumers, we like to believe that the information we are told is truthful and unbiased however, this is not always the case in relation to the fast food industry. In his essay “Don’t Blame the Eater,” David Zinczenko builds a convincing argument by using logical reasoning that fast food companies should be more truthful with their caloric content. Zinczenko also uses this logical reasoning to show how ease of access and family structure can affect fast food consumption. However, Zinczenko’s use of hasty generalizations and cause and effect fallacies render his argument unconvincing overall.
For example, a bundle at McDonald’s can feed up to four people at one time, and it only costs about fifteen dollars! So, in the long run, it is just easier to go pick up some fast food rather than wasting your time cooking an actual meal. Lastly, even though fast food is very cheap and in every corner, it is not healthy at all. Studies have proven that a person that ate McDonald’s for his meals for a full month ended up having some serious health problems. In conclusion, even though it is very easy to access and very cheap, fast food has some serious health issues and is very harmful.
Best selling author of Eat This, Not That, David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” blames the fast food industry for the growing rate of obesity in the United States. Zinczenko’s main idea is that fast food companies should have warning labels on all the food they supply. Zinczenko believes that since health labels are put on tobacco and preserved food product, fast food industries should put labels on today’s fast food. Discussions about the availability of fast food compared to healthier alternative were brought up as well. Zinczenko states that when looked at, a salad from a fast food restaurant could add up to half of someone’s daily calories (155). He believes that because of fast food, Americans are having more health risks, which includes an insane rise in diabetes. Some agree with Zinczenko saying fast food companies should be the ones responsible to show people the truth about their foods. On the other hand Radley Balko, a columnist for FoxNews.com, states that fast-food consumption ...
David Zinczenko states numbers and facts that open the eyes of his reader along with state his position of how fast food states no warnings that it could make someone obese or develop type 2 diabetes. His first statement is telling his readers a little background about how fast food affected his life and how he was once obese because he consumed such meals. Zinczenko explains how the increase in diabetes (specially type 2) were linked to the high consumption of fast food meals. He then goes on to address how much money is being spent to help take care of the mass amount of children with type 2 diabetes, showing how the price has gone up substantially over the past couple decades. The author then claims how the restaurants don’t give any healthy alternative and how its easier to find a McDonalds in American than an healthy alternative such as fruit. To wrap up the article he shares how he feels that obese kids who sue these fast food restaurants have good ground to do so since these places don’t put warnings on their foods; From Zinczenko himself “I say, let the deep fried chips fa...
Customers who buy healthy food products usually provide healthy lifestyle. There are few small shops in Kinsale where healthy food can be bought. Healthy food products are also available to varying degrees in local supermarkets such as Supervalu, Centra and EuroSpar. In addition every Wednesday in Kinsale takes place farmers market where fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh squeezed smoothie, bread, cheese and meats can be bought directly from local producers.
My overall Kcal average for the three days I recorded was 4,318, while my Daily recommended intake was 3,484. In terms of Kcal, I am eating more calories per day than recommended. Breaking it down a bit farther to percent of carbohydrates, I ate 110 percent of my Daily Required Intake for Carbohydrates, specifically 39.1 g more than recommended. The daily recommendation for protein is ten to thirty-five percent,