Fast food restaurants have emerged to be a major issue for people in the United States, they have been around since the late 18th century and the fast food industry have only increased parallel to obesity rates in America. Fast food restaurants contribute to the drastic rise in obesity rate in the past 3 decades. “More than 9 million US children and adolescents are obese, and just as many are at risk of becoming obese"(Davis 505). At first fast food impacted people in a positive way, for example because it was convenient and it was a sporadic option for a meal. Currently, the American society has relied more on fast food restaurants than they did years ago. Serious health problems have surfaced from the increased consumption of fast foods in children and adults. Fast food has lead obesity to become a major issue in the United States. Obesity has highly increased over the years, “Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years” (CDC). In the past three decades fast food has contributed to obesity because of its convenience, cost, ingredients, portion sizes, and advertisements. One of the main factors of fast food is convenience. Fast food’s convenient virtue has contributed in the increase of obesity. Ever since fast food restaurants have been around, many people have resorted to these restaurants for a quick meal. For those who work and do not have time to even prepare themselves a meal, these types of restaurants
Around 160,000 fast food franchises have been opened all over America. America is the most obese country in this world. Healthy food is supplement rich, yet fast food has a tendency to be poor in nutrients and high in calories. Know that fast food can satisfy our day by day calories requirements; not only it gives us calories, but it also harms our health with other ingredients. For instance, fast food is high in soaked fats and trans fats. In addition, it has additives, chemicals, and artificial flavors. Fast food impacts our health and causes infections, for example, heart disease, diabetes, high blood sugar and high blood pressure. On the other hand, healthy food provides the best nutrients and protects our body from sickness, since it contains vitamins, proteins, and minerals. Fast food is addictive and unhealthy. (Obesity in America) (Chronic
With the increase of fast food consumption and the growing rate of obesity, Americans are arguing if those who consume fast food products have only themselves to blame or the fast food companies for the growing rate of obesity and its health problems. The health of Americans has changed for the worse since the 70’s. The size of the food portions has increased and Americans are exercising less. This is evident in Americans 18-26 years old. These are the college kids who are away from home, working on their higher education and possibly a job at the same time, these college kids are too busy with all the work that needs to get done that these young adults don’t have time to cook themselves a home-cooked meal so they end up eating fast food meals. These
Obesity related diseases and illnesses began to become more common in the 1990s because of the booming of fast food restaurants and the increase in food quantities that restaurants began to offer. Eateries such as McDonald’s became even more of a hit with the production of food options laden with ingredients such as meat and cheese. Consequently, obesity related problems began to occur as more people turned to fast food and packaged processed meals instead of home cooked meals as their staple foods. In the 2000s attention was brought to the increasing obesity epidemic. For instance, in his 2002 article, The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home, David Weintraub assures his audience, “A public health group called last week for Governor Gray Davis to declare childhood obesity a state emergency and take immediate steps to reduce it”(1).
Knowledge on fast food restaurants and a healthy nutrition has significantly increased over the years. Still obesity rates increase. Government regulations is the solution to combating the obesity epidemic. One concern impacting the United States is how for people in low income communities, fast food is appealing. According to recent studies, there are 71 fast food restaurants within five miles of a person’s home.
In America almost two thirds of the nation is overweight. That is about 79.6 million people who are obese. Fast food is without a doubt the problem why these statistics are so high. According to Shannon Brownlee, a journalist for the Sacramento Bee “ It’s Portion Distortion That Makes America Fat” she mentions how fast food corporations are luring buyers into their offers . In another article by David Weintraub “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home” he focus more on self responsibility rather than fast food restaurants being convenient everywhere you go. In America, the obesity epidemic is caused by the lack of parent not taking full responsibility for their childrens health, as well as fast food industries distorting portion sizes in order to make more
Fast food has a harmful effect on society because it can cause obesity. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry believes obesity “Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise.” (parag. 1).The causing and treating of obesity is complex but it is the most recognizable disease. Consistently eating fast food and a poor can lead to obesity in anyone. The risks of obesity include an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, fast food “Studies have shown that over the past four decades, consumption of food eaten away from home has also risen alarmingly” (parag. 8). This means that fast food is high in fat, sugar, salt, carbs, calories, saturated and trans fats. This type of eating leads to a higher body mass index or gained weight. Children and adolescents are at a
One out of every three Americans is obese while the majority of these obese people in the 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 became a big necessity. However, when creating fast food restaurants, the industries were not thinking about the negative effects like obesity. Other than obesity, other harmful effects
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
Fast food restaurants are commonly associated with the topic of obesity. It is not uncommon for these restaurants to be blamed for the growing obesity rate in America, but how exactly do they contribute? Simply, obesity occurs when a
The rapid growth of obesity rates in the United States continues to affect Americans on a daily basis. Obesity caused by fast food industries remains to be a controversial issue, especially in America. The big debate about the continuous rise of obesity rates revolves around who is at fault. Do we blame the consumers or the fast food industries? Although fast food companies persuade us with cheap prices and convenience, we should be able to take full responsibility for our food choices and our health.
High calorie diet-induced obesity in children is a serious public health concern while considering short term and long term health risks of morbidity and mortality associated. A fast food diet is mostly energy dense in which one consumes higher amount of calorie and fat in one meal. It is clear that fast food chains are increasing across United States and in many other countries in the world because it is convenient, inexpensive, and it is appealing to young children and adolescents who do not know better about health. . “The United States now has approximately 250,000 fast food restaurants, and total fast food consumption has risen from 2% to 10% of total energy intake per person over a 20-year period (Hurt,
Obesity has become an epidemic in today’s society. Today around 50% of America is now considered to be over weight. Fast-food consumption has been a major contributor to the debate of the twenty-first century. Chapter thirteen, titled “Is Fast-Food the New Tobacco,” in the They Say I Say book, consists of authors discussing the debate of fast-food’s link to obesity. Authors debate the government’s effects on the fast-food industry, along with whether or not the fast-food industry is to blame for the rise in obesity throughout America. While some people blame the fast food industry for the rise in obesity, others believe it is a matter of personal responsibility to watch what someone eats and make sure they get the proper exercise.
Fast food restaurants raise a number of important issues related to health. In this paper it will be argued that fast food restaurants negatively impact the health of customers. The consumption contributes to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. However, the growing popularity of fast causal restaurants has made healthier options more popular. In the near future fast causal restaurants will either dominant the restaurant industry or the fast food restaurants will become more like fast casual restaurants.
The fast food industry promotes childhood obesity by manipulating the young mind, putting them at risk for health complications such as hypertension and diabetes. The super-sizing of America is been a frequently talked about subject lately. Especially since it is seem to have negative effects on the health of children and adults alike through massive consumption of fast food. Health providers and other authority figures are now concerned about children’s obesity rates shown during the past 3-4 decades. They have now drawn a close connection between fast food and obesity and identified a childhood obesity epidemic with increased negative health factors. According to the American journal of public health, 2005 September issue, fast food
In today's society, fast food has become a large part of many American's lives. With the rising numbers of obese people, it is hard not to draw a correlation between the increase in fast food and obesity. Most obese people don’t want to be obese and wish they could lose weight, yet they continue to struggle with their fast food intake and obesity. This is due to the advertising done on the consumers, the highly addictive food itself, and most importantly, how advertising and addiction combine with children to form habits that are kept once they become adults. These factors are the reasons that fast food restaurants are to blame for the rising obesity and health risks across America. The government needs to step in and place regulations on