Descriptive Essay On Junk Food

Shifts in the “Food Marketplace” have greatly affected our food choices and habits in the last 40-50 years. As one woman stated in the film The Weight of the Nation, “It’s so hard to combat with what the tv is telling you to feed your kids”. Advertising has come to a whole new level in our generation; you can’t turn on the television without seeing an advertisement for fast food or something equally as unhealthy. As another woman put it, “you are taught that you can eat anywhere, anytime of day, and that eating is a glorious thing”. Another shift that has occurred is an economic one. If you go into a poor neighborhood corner store like they did in the film, you would see chips, sugar, sweets, etc. All of these unhealthy foods are cheap, incredibly cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables. Obesity rates in these poor areas are much higher than in areas with a higher average income. Culturally, our country is changing to one that is always moving; we don’t have time to prepare a meal for the whole family. It’s much quicker to buy unhealthy fast food that you know your family will enjoy than to prepare a healthy meal that they will grudgingly consume. The film mentioned that our bodies were originally built for scarcity. We are wired to react to things that are sweet and contain a lot of fat because when an animal was killed we had to be able to eat as much of it as possible. The signals telling us to stop eating had to be overridden. Now, we consume so much fat and sugar not

Junk food refers to cheap food containing high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little fiber, protein, vitamins or minerals. People in the United States consume massive amounts of these unhealthy products everyday that are produced by big industries like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. Investigative reporter Michael Moss argues that the food giants have hooked people with addictive foods that are harming our health. How do they do this? I strongly agree with Moss’s agreement because the food giants use schemes to advertise and market their unhealthy products to make them appear delectable. Thus, giving the viewer of the advertisement a high urgency to buy and eat the product that would eventually lead them to obesity.

This essay compares Michael Moss’ “Junk Food” to Virginia Heffernan’s “What If You Just Hate Making Dinner”. Both of these authors write about food, and they specifically discuss the topic of junk food. The key difference between these articles is that Heffernan looks at the topic from the point of view of a consumer, a busy mother seeking a convenience; and Moss focuses more on the food and beverage industry and its impact on the consumers. Many industry professionals, doctors and scientists alike are concerned about spreading obesity epidemic. The similarities between “Junk Food” and “What If You Just Hate Making Dinner” are pronounced, and they deserve thorough investigation.

Food is an essential part of our life, to stay alive. Food is necessary for our bodies to develop, replace, and repair cells and tissues; produce energy to keep warm, move, and work; carry out chemical processes such as digestion of food; and protect against resist, fight infection, and recover from sickness. Food is made up of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The body cannot function properly if one or more of the nutrients are missing. It has been common today to dismiss that, the earlier a person starts to eat healthy foods, the more he or she will stay healthy.

Junk food is one of the main causes of obesity in America.It contains things that have unhealthy ingredients that could lead to illnesses in the future if a person consumes a large amount of junk food.But there are ways to eat junk food and still be healthy while enjoying your favorite junk foods . Over the years there has been a lot of history behind junk food and the effects of it. Some of these historical findings have started leading people to understand that the amount of junk food that they consume is something that is very important for the health.Usually a person who is young that consumes a large amount of junk food may see an increase in obesity cholesterol and high blood pressure. For a person who is older such as in their 30s and 40s they may then see those things as well plus other illnesses that could lead to things such as high blood pressure and heart disease .To avoid an unhealthy lifestyle in the future something that might be questioned. Is it possible to live a healthy lifestyle while still enjoying junk foods?

Michael Moss, an investigative reporter who enjoys reporting on food, wrote: “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” (pages 471-494). This article reports on the ways that prepackaged food, especially junk food, is being designed to fit the customers’ needs and wants, as well as being something that the body craves. Moss provides multiple accounts throughout the reading in which people who have worked for or created corporate companies design foods just so they will sell. Moss expresses his thought in a clear manner to the reader so he or she will understand that Moss worries about the growing obesity in America and places the blame on junk food corporations. Though junk food corporations have a great part in the growing obesity,

“Although many health authorities insist that there is no such thing as junk food, consumers find it a useful term for distinguishing nourishing food from products whose chief appeal is fun, convenience, and addictive taste; ‘bet you can't eat just one’ ”(Junk Food). Americans are spending about $4.6 billion a year on potato chips, and 23.5 billion a year on candy and gum. 46 Percent of adult Americans eat out on a typical day, and one third of them choose fast food. That is because the fast food industry has slowly become one of the symbols of American culture and is spreading to other cultures as well: McDonalds has 26,000 locations in 119 countries, Pizza Hut has more than 10,000 in 86 countries, and Subway has 14,500 in 75 countries. Commercials, signs, and huge advertisements are pushing junk food at us every day; people cannot even go to the grocery store without candy bars being lined up right by the checkout. The junk food industry realizes how appealing it can be. When a person is in a rush, they can easily eat a large meal without having to make a lot of decisions, work, dress up, or get out of their car. The speed and convenience fit Americans’ pressured lifestyles. It does not fit, however, to our health and wellness. A fast food meal, such as a Burger King Double Whopper with cheese, contains 965 calories, more than double the amount of fat, and as much as 750 grams too much sodium

They consistently advertise products that are appealing to certain age groups because of their sweetness, tang or whatever, and evidence suggests that children exposed to junk food advertising express greater preference for these types of food (Khullar 127). It’s no wonder that people struggle to think for themselves when it comes to eating. They have no room left for thought when they are constantly exposed to what the media and food companies want them to buy. Plus, when the food tastes good as advertised, there’s no need to try and bite the hand that feeds them. Unfortunately, by killing the need to decide their own diets, they are contributing to a country overrun by obesity. The processed foods being marketed are filled with ingredients the body isn’t meant to digest and as such the body barely can. And it’s not just that, but the large volume of foodstuffs available has given people the opportunity to over-consume. They no longer eat to sate hunger, but to continue gratifying their taste

The United States is currently under attack by a commanding disease that is seeking to bring this great nation to an early demise. This disease sucks the energy out of many individuals and takes control of the body by sparking heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. With the help of major junk food companies, this outbreak continues to claim thousands of lives each year. In our country today, this epidemic trails tobacco use in the second leading cause of preventable death. Many researchers have studied this horrible plague, and the only cure is the motivation to live a healthier lifestyle. Although the profits from major junk-food companies contribute significantly to America 's economy, the nation is blind to the

The United States is mindful of this deadly disease and the lives it has taken, yet little has been done to spread awareness and decrease the amount of sugar, carbohydrates, and fat in foods sold. In fact, America encourages unhealthy eating by displaying advertisements which convince the audience that the food will not have a negative effect on their health. A majority of these advertisements are directed towards children due to the fact that they are easy to convince. And this is a huge reason behind the increasing obesity rate in the United States because the decisions made as a child reflect those made in adulthood. If a child is constantly eating unhealthy food, rarely exercises, and is unaware of the consequences that come from the lack of living a healthy life, he or she will grow up continuing this lifestyle. O’Connor explains that, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, seventeen percent of American children and teenagers between the ages twelve and nineteen years old are overweight (39). Unless the child is taught about the harsh reality of eating so unhealthy, it may be too late before he or she becomes obese. Similar to tobacco and alcohol, food has addictive qualities which are hard to change. Another factor to consider involving the obesity epidemic in the United States is the expense of healthy foods. This high price hinders U.S. citizen’s ability to pay for a healthy diet. One of the many low income mothers in the United States, Maria Gonzalez, comments, “When you only have a dollar to spend and you have two kids to feed, either you go to the market and try to find something that’s cheap or just go straight through a drive thru and get two hamburgers for them and say, ‘Okay, here. Eat this.’ This is what’s going to fill her up, not that one single item at the market”

The food industry is devouring us. Big food corporations fixate on profits rather than the quality of their products, and humans have become victim to them. Humans are constantly looking for the most effortless way to obtain their next meal, whether it’d be from a fast food establishment or a frozen precooked dinner. Simultaneously, the big food corporations mass produce low-quality products and manipulate their prices to appeal to consumers. These eating habits yield negative effects to their health, paving a pathway to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and other diseases. Humans no longer have an eye for the quality of the food they consume. For instance, in Wendell Berry’s “The Pleasures of Eating”, Berry discusses how humans are passive consumers of the food industry; meaning they lack insight regarding where their food is from or how it is produced. Additionally, Michael Pollan writes about the surplus of corn in America and how Americans unknowingly consume immense amounts of it in his article entitled “When a Crop Becomes King”. Furthermore, “If You Pitch It, They Will Eat” by David Barboza is about how the food industry’s propaganda negatively affects today’s youth by advertising unhealthy eating habits tied into their favorite television shows, movies, video games, et cetera. Essentially, humans are ignorant because of their passiveness in purchasing products from the food industry.

If one continually eats unhealthy foods, they can quickly become overweight. Moreover, this has become such a recurring problem in America that according to the National Institutes of Health, compulsive eating has led to obesity for approximately 35.7% of Americans. This number represents over one-third of the entire U.S population and will continue to grow unless it is addressed. In addition, it is critical that Americans learn to moderate their junk food intake to prevent the contraction of serious health issues. Sweenie states that, “Food high in salt, sugar, fat or calories and low nutrient content...provide suboptimal nutrition with excessive fat, sugar, or sodium per kcal. Such poor diets can slow growth, promote obesity; sow the seeds of diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiac problems, and osteoporosis.” These are exceptionally serious diseases that can often result in a severely hindered lifestyle or even death. In order to avoid these exceptionally undesirable outcomes, one must always remain aware of their daily junk food consumption. In Kirkey’s article, Paul Kenny, an associate professor at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida, states that, "It's incumbent upon people to make sure that they're more respectful and aware of what they're eating. Just be aware that there are dangers and risks associated. Enjoy (high-fat) food, but make sure it's occasionally and

Since fast food first emerged in the United States it has become a large and successful industry, netting billions of dollars every year. This rapid expansion of fast food has put a fast food establishment within reach of almost every American. In Adam Chandler’s “What if Consumers Just Want to Buy Junk Food” he claims that although a majority of Americans believe they eat healthier today than in the 1970’s, but in fact studies show the very opposite. Chandler associates this to the consumers preference of unhealthy foods, but there is strong evidence that this rise in unhealthy consumption in American society can be attributed to the marketing and business tactics of fast food corporations, the availability and ease of access to fast food, and their socioeconomic status.

The population of America is becoming more aware of the importance of good nutrition. Ironically the people are becoming increasingly less healthy. In the 1960's the nation ate healthier but knew less about nutrition. The foods that the teenagers consume today contributes to the increasing weight and decreasing health of the nation. Many outside factors determine the eating habits of teenagers today.

The food items that the customers are buying are junk foods, which are unhealthy. An article said, “Customers said they typically buy milk (87%) and snacks (such as chips, candy, ice cream) (83%)” (Martin, et al., 2012). To decrease customers buying junk food, the corner stores need to display more healthy food items on their shelves. The more distribution of vegetables and fruits will catch the customers’ eyes to buy these items compare to unhealthy junk foods. Another study shows stores that have vegetable available to customer increases the purchase of vegetables by 15% (Martin, et al., 2012). This is a start for customers to buying healthy food items.