Fast Food Is Helpful Essay

Fast Food: Harmful or Helpful?

A life filled with longevity is among the top wants of the people of today, however, with the current dietary habits people are exhibiting, it would be nearly impossible to tell. Nutrition plays a significant role in the way the body functions both mentally and physically. Today, fast food is an everyday part of life for many people of the world. For example, a study conducted by Ohio State University found seventy-nine percent of participants in the study ate fast food at least once a week, while twenty-three expressed how they consumed fast food three or more times per week (Dallas). Though being part of life today, fast food tends to cause more harm than good. Fast food, full of preservatives, poor nutritional

Fast food offers foods with poor nutritional value. For example, many of the grains eaten in fast food come from enriched (white) flour. Through the process of enriching and breaking down the flour, fiber, an important nutrient for humans, is lost. Fiber aids in digestion, healthy bowel movements, as well as managing cholesterol through removal of waste (Twyman). The importance of fiber can be seen through the nutrients role in promoting healthy bowel movements and absorbing and getting rid of cholesterol, which is crucial for heart health. Saturated fats are commonly found in bulk within fast foods. One big mac contains ten grams of saturated fat, which is about fifty percent of a person's daily allowance (McDonalds). Saturated fats are hard to digest and therefore stay with the body. This can lead to weight gain as well as cardiovascular problems (Twyman). Weight gain is not only bad for an individual physically due to its effect on many chronic diseases, but, it also is harmful mentally because of its role in lowering self-esteem, confidence, and overall happiness about oneself. Sodium, another nutrient found in great abundance within fast food has poor effects on health as well. Sodium is a basic electrolyte, which means it permits electric activity in the body. While electrolytes may be important at times, having to many can be detrimental to human health. Sodium causes the

Testing on more than 400 samples from restaurants nationwide revealed that nearly half of fast-food wrappers and one out of five paperboard food boxes contained detectable levels of fluorine, said lead researcher Laurel Schaider. She’s an environmental chemist at the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass. Previous studies have linked some fluorinated chemicals such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) to kidney and testicular cancer, low birth weight, thyroid disease, decreased sperm quality, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, and immune system problems in children. (Thompson “Toxins