A Brief Summary Of Unhealthy Fast Food

Did you know that “every day 1 in 4 Americans visit a fast food restaurant? If that’s not alarming to you, then consider this, left unabated, obesity will surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in America.” (Clark, Charles) Fast food has become a part of American culture. With the way the world is today who wouldn’t want to eat somewhere that can have you in and out in five minutes for fewer than five dollars? It has been made very clear that Americans love to eat as we rank number one most years as the world’s most obese nation, but it’s not just America. In his documentary, Morgan Spurlock notes that, “Popular fast food chains like McDonalds, now operate in more than 126 countries in six continents having more than 31,000 restaurants globally.” (Spurlock 2004) The most alarming part about all of these statistics is the groups they most affect. The catchy advertisements and addictive qualities of the food is what has everyone coming back for more. Fast food companies advertisements targeting the young and lower classes are the cause for the obesity epidemic in America.

In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” he focuses on the fast food industry and their role in the increasing health and obesity issues of our nation’s children, as well as these issues potentially becoming a serious problem that we will all have to deal with if we collectively don’t do something about it now. When it comes to the topic of fast food, most of us can agree that it is not the best source of nutrition. It is unhealthy and can be the cause of many serious health issues with our children such as obesity related Type 2 diabetes, stomach ulcers and even heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or even cancer. We can even agree that fast-food diets are a major contributing factor to

Obesity has become increasingly more prominent in American society. It is also a major health issue affecting many adults and children in the US every year. In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko sympathizes with children who are suing McDonald’s making them fat. In his own experience as a “latchkey kid”, he knows how easily fast food makes teenagers put on weight with a steady diet of fast food meals. Zinczenko argues that both lack of fast food alternative companies and lack of providing nutrition information contribute to childhood obesity.

In the article “Don’t Blame the Eater,” by David Zinczenko he argues that it is not always the consumer's fault that they consume food that is bad for them. Zinczenko tells a story of how when he was growing up he practically lived off of fast food. His parents were divorced. His father was always trying to get his life together and his mother worked very long hours. Due to this he didn't have many other options besides McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell or Pizza Hut. Zinczenko shows how fast food restaurants are more available than healthier options. He writes “Drive down any thoroughfare in America, and I guarantee 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 to buy a grapefruit.” Today Type 2 diabetes makes up at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in the United States. This is a shocking increase

Obesity has grown into a rampant issue all over the United States, over the past few decades. Fast foods also have increased their outlets in the nation, in turn, depicting a success in the business venture. It is clear that fast foods have become quite cheap in comparison to healthy, homemade meals. Subsequently, people have turned to eat fast foods for economic reasons. Convenience is yet another reason behind people’s high indulgence in eating fast foods other than healthy, homemade meals. One does not need to prepare meals when dealing with fast foods; it is just a matter of walking into a fast food restaurant. However, the rampant feeding on fast foods in America has adverse effects that seem to affect even

When someone thinks of various fast food restaurants, they often think of quick and easy way to obtain food. However they do not stop to think about how it is affecting their health. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser exposes to the public that various fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds, are detrimental for your health. He does this by showing the reader how unhealthy the food is to the public, as well as showing us how they make their food more desirable to buy to the general population. The one problem that arisen from fast food restaurants is the increase of childhood obesity since the beginning of fast food.

David Zinczenko was one of the lucky ones. He used to be one of the kids whose only option was fast food, but had the opportunity to turn his life around and join the Navy Reserves. As the type 2 diabetes rate keeps increasing the amount of money spent to help the kids with type 2 diabetes keeps increasing. Kids are getting more and more angry at all these companies claiming that they are the ones responsible for their health problems. Even though in a way these kids are passing the buck, these companies need to realize that they advertise for people to eat their products. David Zinczenko points out that, “Fast-food companies are marketing to children a product with proven health hazards and no warning labels. They would do well to protect

The food economy in America has gone through numerous and substantial changes during the past couple decades. The changes, although economically beneficial for America as a whole, are becoming a detriment to the health of our society. Perhaps the biggest innovation is the rise of fast food culture. The mass fast food monopoly is growing more and more every day, and with the aid of the government in forms of subsidies, the food culture of the United States is being run by big business. “Corporate enterprises” are “moving in to take advantage of” the American food market (Campbell). This shift in the food economy has come to be accepted as the norm, and so the average American consumer is being exposed to the dangers of fast food. Americans are finding it harder and harder to eat healthy. Fast food is causing diseases and deaths to skyrocket, and the happiness level of America is plummeting, all because of ignorance and the greed of big business.

“As Americans add pounds, critics are increasingly blaming the fast-food industry. Teenagers have filed lawsuits against McDonald’s, saying that the fast-food chain caused their weight gain and loss of health. A public health group in California has asked the governor to declare childhood obesity a state of emergency. But parents—not the fast food companies, not the government—are in the best position to fight the epidemic of overweight children.”. They are the consumer who chooses to get the quick, and easy fix. They do not realize they are compromising their own health, and their children’s health.

Although individuals can make their own decisions on what food to eat, people are surrounded by thousands of quick and easy fast-food locations that make it difficult to be healthy. When a person wants to eat healthy, they should be allowed to concentrate solely on good foods without any temptations. Instead, fast-food culture is everywhere, even in schools, advertising “high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sugar meals” (“Obesity in America”). Schools should get more nutritious food options that would actually excite children to eat better and encourage at least one healthy meal a day. Kelly Brownell, PhD confirms a definite association between obesity and “the ubiquity of bad food” (Murray), but it is difficult for the majority of people to quit eating unhealthy foods because they are ridiculously cheaper than foods such as fruits and vegetables. People of higher

It is undeniable that obesity has become somewhat of an epidemic in America, an epidemic that has had a notably poignant effect on much of today’s youth. In addressing the problem of overweight people, especially children, one must acknowledge that “fast-food chains and food manufacturers must bear some of the blame for the country’s weight problem” (Goode 427). Though some accountability lies on parents, children and consumers, the fast-food industry integrates several components that encourage and perpetuate corpulence. For example, portion sizes have grown substantially over the years. Not only that, but the manipulation of prices makes fast food easily accessible by al social classes. Additionally, the heavy bombardment of advertisements

Fast food restaurants are the only option for many teenagers today because their parents often work during the day. The problem is that fast food companies are easy to eat and has a fast service. If people were truly thinking about their meal, it might influence consumers to look for healthier options. At home, parents are the ones who feed their children. If they continue to feed their children hamburgers and french-fries, their children will continuously want more and more. It is set out their healthy pattern as opposed to obesity. David Zinczenko states “Before 1994, diabetes in children was generally caused by a genetic disorder -- only about 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity related, or Type 2, diabetes. Today, according to the National Institute of Health, Type 2 diabetes account for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country”(463). There are so many other meal options, but the parents are not taking that extra steps. When children grow up, they are going to be unhappy with their weight because it is not their fault to be served with the fast food from their teenage years. Even with other options, the parents are the ones who buy their kids the meal. A little kids can’t drive through a fast food restaurant and order foods, the parents are the ones who give it to them. All parents want their children to be healthy, and fast food is making them

Have you ever wondered what makes a Big Mac so delicious in such a short amount of time? McDonald’s can make your meal in the time it takes you to swerve around the corner of the drive-thru. This is why millions of Americans have stopped taking the time to make a home cooked meal when there is a fast food chain up the block that has dinner in five minutes for half the cost. With Americans so invested in technology, work, and school, many turn to these unhealthy choices to save time. This fast food epidemic has led to child obesity, adult obesity, and much more cases of diabetes. Now, children and even adults don’t know the normal food portions to eat or the correct diet to follow. This paper will go over three major fast food chains, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell, the statistics of child obesity, and the effect of unknown ingredients.

As a child I grew up all around food, my family always had problems with eating healthy. My diet would mainly consist of fast food, twice a week we would eat Mcdonalds and growing up this was my favorite place to eat. They have everything a little kid wants; from the Ronald Mcdonald clown, to the Big ball pit outside, it was a child’s heaven. As I began to eat more and more i began to gain weight extremely fast, so much that my parents had to stop eating fast food and start cooking healthy. This was happening all around the United States more and more people are eating fast food, and thus obesity is on an uprise. Mcdonald’s has become famous off of it’s slogan ‘“I'm lovin it” but people actually aren’t “lovin it”, Mcdonald's is constantly being

The development of fast food was revolutionary; however this revolution was corrupted by big business and their desire to maximize profit. With fast food being a staple for society, due to its convenience, the consumers fail to realize what is inside that burger they are eating. These cost effective additives may be justifiable in a businessman’s perspective but what about the consumer?