Fast Food and Obesity In a world with over 7 billion people and vastly increasing. Having enough food for all of these people is a worldwide concern. Especially when most people don’t have enough money to get the food that they absolutely need. This is when fast food becomes a huge problem. Fast food causes obesity because it 's unhealthy, pricing, convenience, and proportions Fast food is one of the most unhealthiest thing to eat. The reason why fast food is so bad for you is the amount of fat that is in each item on the menu. In the article Unfriendly and Unhealthy by Stender, he explains examples of the fat content in fast food places, “In these meals the total fat content varies from 41 to 65 g at McDonald’s and from 42 to 74 g at KFC”(pg In the article Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control by explains by Sperber, he explains, “McDonald 's is currently following growth leader Wendy 's with extensions of its EveryDay value menu, most recently testing 20 items under $1”( pg 1).this quote helps the understanding that fast food is cheap,because you can order over 20 items off the dollar menu. This is a lot cheaper than getting a salad because, there are no salads on the dollar menu. In the article Healthy Choices Can Make A Difference by Mariah Johnson, she states, “Lower-income families are more likely to eat unhealthy fast food because fresh fruits and vegetables are usually expensive, while refined grains and sugar products are cheaper”(pg 1). This quote shows that the prices of fast food causes obesity because fast food is cheap, and family that don 't have enough money are more likely to eat fast food. If fast food restaurants made healthier items, or salads at a lower price, the world 's obesity rate would decrease In the article Unfriendly and Unhealthy by Stender he states, “At least two important features of fast food could explain why fast food is fattening, namely, large portion sizes and high-energy density. It is well established that the bigger the portion size, the more we consume”(pg 2). This quote shows that fast food restaurants are giving larger portions than they should be, which increases the chances of becoming obese. Another quote that helps support the idea that fast food portions are larger than they should be is, “A major source of increased serve sizes in the US can be found at fast-food outlets. Names such as Monster Mac, Mega Mac, BK Big Fish, Big Foot, Dominator, Jumbo Combo, Big Bacon Classic and Big Beef Taco reflect the growing size of fast foods”(pg 1). This quote helps the understanding that fast food portions are way too large for one person. Portions of fast food restaurants are steadily increasing, hence why they 're starting to name them monster, mega, big, and jumbo. All of this prefixes conclude that those meals are giant. When going to a fast food restaurant, eat only half of your meal, because it 's dividing your calorie intake by half which is a lot considering meals at fast food restaurants are over 1000 calories. The proportions are way too big, and each meal has way too many calories, which isn 't helping obesity in the
When people consume supersized fast food meals, is the food to blame when they themselves become supersized? Morgan Spurlock takes on the challenge of eating only McDonald's every day, three times a day, for thirty days straight to see how these meals affect the physique and general health of the human body. The Film Supersize Me uses logos, pathos, and ethos to effectively persuade the audience that eating fast foods, namely McDonald's, has horrible side effects. McDonald's is one of the most popular fast food restaurants across the country with some of the most sugar and calorie packed foods. In America, that spells trouble since the smaller sized items tend to be the largest sizes in other countries across the globe.
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.
Fast food restaurants in America can be located on almost every street corner in almost every city. The enticing aroma of a burger and fries can be found at several locations in nearly every city, town, or suburb. According to Alaina Mcconnel, the 5 most popular fast food restaurants of 2011 are McDonalds, Subway, Starbucks, Wendy’s and Burger King (Mcconnell, A., & Bhasin, K., 2012). Fast food joints have a ruthless history of being fattening, greasy, and unhealthy with films like Super-Size me and Food Inc. giving the...
Due to the fact that they want a cheap meal that will fill them up, they will go with the fast food restaurant. In a video titled "The Dollar Menu," a family shows that a piece of fruit can and will cost more than a burger from the dollar menu, candies, or even sodas and they blame their busy schedule for their lack of healthy choices. The father in the video has diabetes and their concerned that their youngest daughter may get it as well since they mostly eat fast food meals. The family says not only are the healthy foods more expensive, but they don’t fill them or their kids up. The family struggles on income and finds that fast food is the cheapest way to feed their family. Fast food affects your energy levels, liver, heart, and can lead to diabetes. These fast food restaurants make it incredibly easy for this family to get food and not spend a great amount of money. The reason fast food is so cheap is because it’s unhealthy, and they don’t care what they are doing to people’s health; they just want the money. Fast food restaurants are killing the
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.
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...
America has always been about being the biggest nation: the biggest houses, the biggest cars, biggest cities and unfortunately the biggest bodies. There is no doubt that fast food is causing major health problems for many Americans today. In his documentary, Super Size Me, released in 2004 Morgan Spurlock decides to eat only food from McDonald’s for thirty days to see how it would affect his health. Spurlock starts out healthier than the average man for his age. Throughout the film, we can see that his health gradually degenerates and reaches a critical point, before his thirty days are over. Super Size Me is very persuasive in showing the negative effect in fast food restaurants by using logos, pathos, and ethos.
First, looking at high calorie, high fat content, and hidden sugar meals, have you ever took into consideration how fast food meals are prepared or for that matter what is the difference in how you would cook your own meals at home. Fast food restaurants, their meals are high calorie dense foods with added ingredients we would not knowingly truly put into our bodies. For instance, “fast foods from most major chains contain unacceptably high levels of industrially produced trans-fatty acids” (Stender S). The International Journal of Obesity did chemical analyses of 74 samples of fast food menus in 35 countries from 2005-2006, not all fast foods are created equal their findings revealed that “fat content of 41-65g at McDonalds and 42-74g at KFC” (Stender S). Preparing meals at home could cut the fat and sugar content in half. Sugar
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...
Millions of American people buy fast food every day without thinking about where, how and why. The ramifications of fast food is impacting the American people both around the waist line and the community where they live at. “As the old saying goes: you are what you eat.” (Schlosser) The customer have made the choices to eat fast food or not. The industry doesn’t care about the customers; studies have shown that the fast food industry is the reason for the rise of American obesity. “Live fast and die young” (Moore); this could not be more true when looking at the impact of the fast food industry.
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.
The connection it has with the obesity is that the epidemic is caused by high consumption of fat, sugar, and salt (Hogan). Fast food is literally contributing to obesity by providing unhealthy food restricted to people at risk for obesity and even with those with obesity. In the article Fast Food, David Hogan found out the most fast food restaurants’ menus offer burgers, fries, soda, and desserts. Those types of food are unhealthy where burgers contain the high amounts of fat, fries contain a lot of salt, while sodas and desserts contain excess amounts of sugar. These types of food are considered as junk food that the body does not necessarily need to consume, but they are often eaten for the delicious taste from the high amounts of fat and sugar they contain (Wolin and Petrelli). Fast food is also providing quick service by frying a lot of the foods to provide a quick service and hot food (Hogan). Fried food is considered unhealthy from the high amount of fat needed to cook the fried foods which is restricted to those with obesity (Wolin and Perelli). Hogan also noted that McDonalds and Burger King are fast food restaurants that regularly compete in the fast food industry. Since unhealthy delicious food has been on demand in the food industry for many years, these fast food restaurants compete by serving those foods to stay in business (Hogan). Obesity is therefore
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).
Many people don 't realize how unhealthy stopping at the drive-thru is. Fast food can negatively affect you physically and emotionally. A average woman should have 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day. An average man should have 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. When eating fast food regularly increases your chances of type 2 diabetes. In a 15 year study, people who ate at least 3 days a week fast food gained 9.9 pounds of body weight, compared to a person who ate once a week. Most fast food meals are high and low in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables help to balance a high fat meal, helping to reduce the harmful effects on the blood vessels. According to studies within 3-5 hours of eating a high fat meal, your blood vessels function usual. For some people this can cause a heart attack or a stroke. Fast food may lead some people to depression compared to people who have little to no fast food. According to studies the more fast food you eat the greater risk you are of