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Negative effects of eating fast food
Negative effects of eating fast food
Negative effects of eating fast food
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David Zinczenko, author of the article “Don’t Blame The Eater” heavily contends that fast-food chains are the leading problem of our nation’s childhood obesity population rise. Blaming these restaurants for failing to inform consumers of the nutritional facts and calories on the food items, as they are on grocery items. Falsely, there are in fact labels on food such as Mcdonalds wraps they just might be hard for consumers to see. He claims “But where, exactly, are consumers--particularly teenagers-- supposed to find alternatives?”. When in actuality, there are many healthier alternatives than just your local Mcdonalds or Taco Bell. For example, it is very convenient to drive (just as you would to your local Mcdonalds) to a nearby Subway and create a sub full of nutritional helpings. Even more so, it is also beneficial to walk into your local grocery store or Wal-mart and purchase a pre-made …show more content…
Sympathizing for those overweight, as Zinczenko also inserts a personal experience stating he too used to be a “typical mid-1980s, latchkey kid”. Bringing up a point that is still relevant in today’s society where children of divorced parents who work extensive hours, fast-food chains are their only source of food intake at convenience. As these children consume such high calories they are unaware of the substantial health problems they cause such as diabetes. “Today...Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes…” as stated by the National Institute of Health, the rise of diabetes in children comes from their obesity. Fast-food chains have no concern for their consumers' health when purchasing their food they only care about the profits they receive. In result, a lack of consumer knowledge on nutrition and eating out leads to the rise of potentially life-threatening health problems if not
Throughout the United States many American’s go through and eat at fast food places such as, McDonalds, Burger King, and Jack ‘n the Box. Mainly unaware of the amount of weight one can gain if consuming it on a daily bases or even two times week, can cause health issues, diabetes and possibly obesity. This was the main premise for writer Dave Zinczenko essay Don’t Blame the Eater, who makes an argument that many people are becoming obese and diabetic because of the fast food they eat. He asks a regarding his concern; Shouldn 't we know better than to eat two meals a day in fast-food restaurants?, As a way to engage the general public, like parents and teenagers, he expresses his argument through his own experience when he was a teenager eating at fast food places and information on the fast food industry in regards to how many calories are in the food.
Zinczenko explains, “Where are consumers supposed to find alternatives? Drive down any thoroughfare in America, and I guarantee you’ll see one of our country’s more than 13,000 McDonald’s restaurants.” He continues, “Now, drive back up the block and try to find someplace to buy a grapefruit.” (Zinczenko 463). What’s the chances of finding a fruit stand rather than a fast food restaurant? In addition, consumers are not being informed on what exactly they are taking in. There are no calorie charts posted on the food, nor are there warning labels connected to it. Thus, the purchaser is becoming unhealthy and eventually obese. Zinczenko stated fast food restaurants, “Would do well to protect themselves, and their consumers, by providing the nutrition information people need to make informed choices about their products.” Furthermore, without warnings, there will consequently be a higher number of ill and obese
“Don’t Blame the Eater” is an article by David Zinczenko that explains to Americans, specifically overweight young Americans, about the risks eating at fast food restaurants and its cause of affecting one’s health. In his article, he tries to address the issue about America’s food industries by using literal devices such as tone, logos, ethos, diction, and organization in order to spread his message. He begins his article by addressing the topic and as he continues writing, he supports his topic by writing about personal experience and moves onto the reasons why his topic in a serious issue. Although he shows an overall clear progress, he does tend to have a few problems with his writing that could be improved.
Zinczenko uses information from the National Institutes of Health stating that “Before 1994, diabetes in children was generally caused by a genetic disorder”. While reading this statement one must ask, what significance does 1994 have on the increase in Type 2 diabetes? As well as how does this date support Zinczenko’s theory that fast food influences Type 2 diabetes when McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants have been around since well before 1994. In addition, Zinczenko uses another statistic to support his claim that “Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country” (242). One reason Zinczenko’s argument is invalid is because he neglects to take into consideration the varying reasons that Type 2 diabetes rates could go up. For example, children may not be getting enough exercise or eating poor meals at home. In addition, only 30 percent of new childhood cases of diabetes in America are Type 2, which means that 70 percent of these childhood cases are genetically related. Although these statistics are unsettling, we cannot solely blame the fast food industry for the rise in Type 2 diabetes. In the final analysis, Zinczenko is ineffective in arguing fast food’s cause of childhood illness by using an argument with a missing claim and a cause and effect
In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” he explains the dangers of eating at fast food chains. Zinczenko starts off by talking about the popular news headline of parents suing fast food chains for making their children obese. Zinczenko then goes on to describe that he does have some empathy for these families because he, himself, used to be one of those obese children. He explained how busy his family used to be and how affordable it is to eat from these fast food chains. In his later life, he joined the Navy Reserves and lost all the weight he had gained and learned about the better food and the better nutrition to put into his body. Zinczenko, however, did know that not all kids were this lucky to fall out of this eating pattern. Following the story of his life, Zinczenko stated statistics of type 2 diabetes in children from before 1994 until now. Most of these stats are quite shocking to realize. After that Zinczenko then went on to explain how fast food chains do not display the nutrition facts on their food. They do provide them on their websites, or will provide them at the fast food chain if requested. Nevertheless, Zinczenko explains that the information is falsely given. These places will hide facts, and make it seem like their food is not bad when the calories are twice as much as the preconceived notions that commonplace consumers believe.
According to David Zinczenko in his essay “Don’t Blame the Eater”, he sympathizes with a group of children who are suing McDonalds for being the main contributing factor of making them fat. He takes the reader back to his own personal experiences as a 15 year old boy who had packed on 212 pounds due to having a very steady diet of fast food meals. He argues that part of the main problem is that there are no nutritional labels, or very little information regarding any nutritional information to be provided at these fast food restaurants. In his opinion, a person may order a salad and believe that they are being healthy by doing so, when in all reality, due to all of the processed added ingredients and high calorie salad dressings, this could be one of the most unhealthy foods to eat on the menu. Zinczenko also argues that this is due to the number of fast food restaurants around since when you “drive down any thoroughfare in America, …. you’ll see one of our country’s more than 13,000 McDonald’s restaurants. Now drive back up the block and try to find someplace
In “Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zinczenko urges fast-food companies to guard themselves against future lawsuits and their customers from their own hazardous products by providing the information needed to make informed choices. He demonstrates the industry is exposed because it markets young ones and foresees more plaintiffs with obese victims.
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 ...
In the essay, “Don’t blame the eater,” David Zinczenko editor and chief of “Men’s Health magazine” and author of the bestselling book “Eat This Not That,” Believes that kids should be suing the fast food companies for making them fat. “Once people cross under the golden arches, Zinczenko puts it, they are doomed to a lifetime of obesity.”(392) He also goes on to sympathize with these kids” [because as a teenager] he had the choice of McDonalds, Taco bell, Kentucky fried chicken or Pizza hut [and due to this] he was an overweight kid himself. [At the age of] “15 he had packed on 212 pounds of torpid teenage tallow.” (392) this is why he blames the fast food companies for the $6.2Billion in health care cost that goes towards diabetes.
He begins his argument by commenting about kids suing McDonald’s for “making them fat” (Zinczenko 462). Zinczenko ponders the absurdity of this claim considering how food choices are based on personal responsibility. However, he then considers the overwhelming availability ratio of fast food to fresh food while sympathizing he was once obese himself (Zinczenko 462). Zinczenko uses the primary argument that fast food companies are deceiving consumers with misleading advertisement, hidden nutrition facts, and calorie risks. He believes companies are encouraging the public to eat their unhealthy foods by omitting alarming information and levying “good” deals. In consequence, fast food companies are increasing the chances of obesity and diabetes in consumers by stimulating poor eating
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”
Since the fast food industry is targeting America’s youth, providing healthier options on children’s menus will reduce the rate of childhood obesity and allow for a healthy future.
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...
When researching McDonald’s through online sources, it is clear that nutrition is a major concern of the public visiting the fast-food chain. Secondary research conducted shows that there are several case studies and other secondary source searches around the same topic. McDonald’s has often been the center of nutritional attention within the fast-food industry. Secondary research shows that the restaurant has recently made changes to the American Happy Meal to reduce the amount of French fries offered and replace the portion with fruit (Strom, 2011). In a study conducted by McDonald’s a secondary source reports the meal cuts calories by 20% for the children’s meal (Strom, 2011). This is a critical move by the organization on children’s obesity is currently a hot topic within food chains and attention is driven by the Obama administration. Secondary research also shows that although the public has major health concerns with the food chain, profits are increasing during a high point of an economic recession (Dahan & Gittens, 2008). Acco...
In recent discussions of America's obesity dilemma, David Zinczenko's article "Don't Blame the Eater," argues that the fast-food places is at fault for the today's obesity problem because their low product prices are what started the American obesity problem. Zinczenko claims parents' with children are easily deceived by the low-cost prices of the fast-food industry. His logic for this was when he was a young boy, for example, his mother was always working long hours and never had time to get him a healthier meal; so he ate at a lot of fast-food places on a daily basis, and ended up becoming overweight. Zinczenko hopes that the latest lawsuits against the fast-food industry will lead to a healthier and better life for working families.