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
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
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.
In the essay David Zinczenko wrote about how fast food chains are making it easy for people to become obese especially in children. Zinczenko makes some very good points throughout his essay. At the beginning of his paper Zinczenko stated “I tend to sympathize with these portly, fast-food patrons, though. Maybe that’s because I use to be one of them.”
David Zinczenko’s article “Don’t Blame the Eater” states how he was obese as a child and that it was not his fault. He then goes into detail about diabetes and how teens are the main consumers of fast food. The title of the article “Don’t Blame the Eater” summarizes Zinczenko’s attitude of the article. Throughout the article he is blaming fast food joints for obesity and type two diabetes. Zinczenko also makes another point about fast food restaurants lacking on nutritional information on their food products.
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
David Zinczenko’s essay, “Don’t Blame the Eater,” explains the similarities between obese children and fast-food restaurants. In Zinczenko’s childhood, he had certain foods he could eat also as seen as limited food choices, both at home and in public or other such places. By consuming food, twice a day, at fast-food places, David was now obese. He knows that by participating in the health and fitness corporation, his life was starting to turn around.
Fast food has without a doubt changed the way people eat in America, and is partly to blame for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. According to Murray (40) more than 300, 000 every year are related to obesity. Individuals should know what they are consuming and how it is prepared or made; they should spend their hard earned money on restaurants that make healthy food. So why is fast food unhealthy? Fast food may look tasty and appealing, however, they contain a myriad of hidden health hazards that are dangerous if consumed in large quantities and are a primary cause of obesity, particularly in children. The effects of eating fast food on a person’s health are: increase in blood pressure, a delay in the metabolic rate, increase in the levels of bad cholesterol, destabilization of blood sugar levels, and weakening of the immune system. Furthermore, the effects of fast food include obesity, nutritional deficiencies, and cardiac problems among other health hazards. No one is forcing individuals to eat fast food, but the fact is that fast food restaurants will change when consumers demand changes. Even if three percent of Americans complained about fast food, it would make a substantial drop in
Over 45 million people have gone to eat at various Fast Food restaurants such as Burger King and McDonalds. Americans have depended on Fast Food restaurants for around 6 decades, whenever they want something quick and delicious to eat. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “one in five American adults [are] obese or classified as obese; while thirty percent of children in the U.S. are suffering from obesity”. This is astounding due to the fact that many ingredients in fast food such as Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Nitrate, and High Fructose Corn Syrup have been shown by studies to cause diabetes, cancer, and many other diseases. The Fast Food Industry, because of the aforementioned problems with obesity and diseases along with how the Fast
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
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
The dependence on fast food by Americans has developed into a major predicament. In 2013 about eighty percent of Americans report eating at fast food restaurants at least once a month; more than half of them (about forty-seven percent of Americans) report that they eat at a fast food restaurant at least once a week (Richmond 2). Compared to the year 2006 the percentage of Americans who ate at least once a month have dropped only one percent from eighty-one percent to eighty percent (Richmond 2). Since a large percentage of Americans still eat at fast food restaurants it has become a problem. The problem is caused from a majority of fast food being unhealthy and convenient (Muntel 8). There are an excess amount of fast food restaurants and
It is so convenient to run through the drive thru window of McDonalds or Taco Bell; to grab that cheap food and be done eating in 30 minutes. The United States has seen an increase in the popularity of fast food. According to Web MD some of the top reasons for eating fast food meals include - they are quick, easy to get to, inexpensive, and to busy to cook. Each year; our culture seems to get busier and busier and in turn so many important things get pushed aside; such as each home cooked meals. Yet, we need to look at the affects that all this fast food is causing. Fast food is very unhealthy and we are seeing an increase in obesity, multiple medical deceases, and addiction
One of the reasons fast food restaurants are not positive for the American society is Americans rely too much on the fast food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “In 1970, 25.9 percent of all food spending was on food away from home; by
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food filled with fats, carbohydrates, sugar, and high sodium, which is not healthy or efficient for the health of the population. Fast food is popular amongst people in almost all countries around the world, but in the United States, it is more popular than any country in the world. “A generation ago, three-quarters of the money used to buy food in the United States was spent to prepare meals at home. Today about half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants-mainly fast food restaurants”. (Schlosser 4). Fast foods popularity heavily relies on the fact that it is served and prepared quickly and is so delicious. Fast food restaurants are extremely convenient and saves time on those lazy and busy days. Although fast food is quick, it is not the healthiest option and is ultimately harming the bodies of its consumers and decreasing the population. Consumers are putting their health at risk, causing long lasting effects for a “fast” meal.