Eating : A Responsibility For Life

How many of you have eaten fast food this month? I bet it tasted good, but what you didn't know is that you're promoting the production of low-quality food, feeding the obesity epidemic in America. According to recent statistics, of the 16 in this room, 7 will become obese in their lifetime. It's the Bojangles on the way home from school or the McDonalds on when you don't have much time for lunch, but does it really save you time when you die of obesity or cardiovascular disease at a young age.

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

“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

In the article “don’t blame the eater”, David Zinczenko focuses on the reason behind the obesity problem that the modern young generations are facing. According to him, the large chains of fast-food restaurants given their availability around the country and low prices are the ones causing this problem. He brings in his own life experience and tells the story of becoming a 212 pound teenager highlighting that he had to rely on these fast food chains for everyday meal. With a single mother, who worked long hours he had no other alternatives to this like many other American teens. The lack of information about the calorie content of the dishes on these restaurants was one other main concern. Most of these restaurants do not provide enough data about the calorie content of their dishes, and even if they do so its mostly vague and deceiving. To show the gravity of the problem he pulls out a statistics of an increase of 30% in type 2 diabetes resulting in an expense of hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare. Zinczenko implies that this impact is as serious as smoking. Hence, fast food should have a warning label to raise awareness among the consumers. He addresses these food chains as vulnerable and warns these restaurants that they will find themselves in trouble unless they look out for their consumers. He also adds the further effects these food habits can have in our society.

Obesity has been framed as a topic of personal responsibly for a long time. For many, the fundamental notion has always been that if you stop eating junk food and eat “healthy”, you will maintain a healthy weight. According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control’s 2007-2008 Health and Nutrition Examination survey, it was found that 73.7% of all Americans 20 years old or older were overweight, obese, or extremely obese. That is a lot of fat people and it is hard to believe that fast food alone is responsible for 70% of adult Americans being overweight.

Dr. William Osler once said, “We are all dietetic sinners; only a small percent of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy.” (Osler, as cited by Bryan, 1997). Nowadays fast food and junk food consumption has become increasingly popular because it is quicker, more convenient, and generally cheaper than purchasing healthy foods. However, the more we eat, the more it is taking a toll on our health nationwide. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (2010), an unhealthy diet contributes to approximately 678,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Today I would like to talk about the contents of the food that we consume, the health issues that result from their consumption, and discuss

The main point of fast food is to be fats, easy and convenient, but sometimes we humans abuse of that option that was given to us. Yes, its true fast food are everywhere in every corner and in every place we turn to, but we cannot blame the food chains for our decisions. Obesity is like a monster and we are feeding it, we stop on every school or work break that we have to snack on some McDonalds, wing stop, and other fast restaurants that are in our path, the only issue with is that we consume it on a daily basis making it our routine and we end up putting our health in risk. A survey made by the college of agriculture, consumer and

The fast food industry provides quick, cheap, and easy access to foods that in the customers opinion, is very delicious, and affordable, however this food which millions of people around the world are constantly consuming, could actually cause major health problems, and weight gain in the long run. Major fast food companies throughout the world know what they are doing when it comes to marketing towards all types of people. Some people will find numerous different things to blame for the epidemic of fast food making individuals overweight. In recent research on, or discussions of the fast food industry having an effect on people's health, a controversial issue has been raised, and that is the fact that this problem affects not only

Food is not as simple as it seems. Once Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are”. We, as human been should pay attention to what we eat because it will be reflected in the future. A lot of times we know if someone eats healthy by just seeing them, because physically they do not have a good body, healthy skin, or something like that. As we already said more than 50% of USA’s population eats fast food for many reasons: economy, quick service, etc., but the real problem come when we consider health. If People should care more about what they eat and try to avoid fast food, then they will have less possibility of diseases like high cholesterol, obesity, or cardiovascular issues and heart diseases.

There are a lot of health-conscious people in the current generation and the fad of eating healthy has over time turned into a regular diet for many. In contrast, there is a much larger part of the population that lives regularly on fast food and junk food. In the event of the growth of the fast-food industry has been revolutionary due to its responsiveness to the growing diversity in consumer tastes. The easy accessibility and low costs of fast food were what made them attractive at first, furthermore the food itself satiated the ever-hungry population. However, now it is common knowledge to many that junk food and fast food is the main cause for obesity in Americans. It has been a long-discussed issue and agreed upon that processed food and junk food had obesogenic elements. Consequently, many food organizations have set shop to make profits out of their “good will” to enable people to consume healthier foods.

As humans we eat for survival, however, food is also a vital form of societal communication and interaction. Food is a necessity to living that can be used in many ways not just for eating. Yes, it’s true that we eat so that we can live and live healthy, but most importantly we use food and eating as a basis for social acts and events. Many of us eat to manage and control relationships with others. There are so many different occasions that involves consuming food with others that has allowed us to make bonds that we consider are ones that has helped shaped the people we are today and how we interact with others using the proper values, morals and manners so that we do not offend.

First, fast foods contribute to obesity and increase its rates. The food served in fast food restaurant catches our attention with good smell and taste. Unfortunately, the food offered at such places contains a lot of fat, calories and very often chemical components that adversely affect our bodies. Frequent consumption of hamburgers, French fries, hot dogs, etc. causes bad eating habits in children and leads to slow weight gain, which over time becomes a serious problem. Fast foods contain big amounts of salt and sugar that contribute to obesity, which leads to other diseases such as diabetes, high-pressure or circulation’s problem. Most of them change our lives and make them more complicated and less satisfying because we need bigger control of our food, diet and we need to take medications. In Causes of Obesity and Overweight, Dr. Ananya Mandal writes: “Recent estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that in 2014, about

Food is an essential part of everyone’s lives. Food is defined as “any nourishing substance that is eaten and taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, and promote growth” (“Dictionary”). It gives us the nutrients and energy in order to grow and develop into healthy people. Although food gives us lots of energy to move, walk, play, work, think and learn; fast food isn't included. There are healthy food and unhealthy food (fast food). Did you know that at least “one in four people eat some type of fast food every day?” (“11 Facts About American Eating Habits”). How many times have you eaten fast food this month? Although fast food is affordable and convenient when on the run, regularly eating it can cause serious problems. Fast food negatively impacts health because it leads to lethargy, obesity, and major medical problems, which causes significant damage to one's health due to its marketing strategies.

Fast food is one of the most popular and most reliable foods in the U.S. Some people consume it once a week and some consume it once a day. It is important to know what they are consuming before they even consume it, and the chances are people don’t even know what they’re really eating. Fast-food may taste delicious but the truth of the matter, it is terrible for your health if abused. It is so popular world-wide, even if you know it is harmful to your body, you become blinded by the acceptance of it. Americans should have limitations on fast-food consumption, or at least be aware of what can happen when eating fast food, due to diseases that require expensive health care such as, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Nowadays, we are so busy that we don’t have time for anything, not even for ourselves. Whether it is travelling or food, we want it to be done quickly. Food is the basic need of every human; we need to eat at least twice a day. In this busy life we often neglect the necessary measures we should take before selecting what to eat. We always try to save time and get more quantity, neglecting the quality. The food we eat has a great impact on our health. Fast food is viewed as a quick way to get good food. It might taste good but the health risks outweigh the satisfactions it brings. Fast food does have its own perks but it’s never the right thing to eat. If you make fast food your favorite food, there are high chances of you getting a lot of diseases, becoming obese and wasting money.