Fast Food and Obesity in Adults

The inherent problem with fast food restaurants is food quality, enhancing taste by adding increased calories, fasts, sodium and sugar. Wendy’s menu is no exception. “Wendy’s Dave’s Hot N Juicy ¾ Ib Triple Cheeseburger, the calories in it are 1,090, 66 grams of fat and sodium is 1,990” (America’s Best and Worst Food). “Soft drinks can lead to obesity, research found out that for every can or glass of sugar- sweetened beverage a child drank during that time, the child’s body mass index inched up and the chances of becoming obese increased to 60%” (Eric Schlosser pg. 56).

Fast food has quickly managed to imprint itself on American culture. The greasy, unhealthy form of empty calories has infiltrated into the homes of many, including my own. In my younger days, my parents often took me out and treated me to french fries and chicken nuggets. It had become a tradition to go to McDonald’s every week. This poor eating pattern has now led to my family having a special fondness for the fast food chain, just as McDonald’s strives for.

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).

“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 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 restaurants are said to be full of fattening foods that lead to health problems for all of the people that eat at these restaurants on a continually bases. “The fact is, there is simply no clear, credible evidence that any aspect of food processing or storage makes a food uniquely unhealthy” (Freedman, 2013, p. 13). People just believe that processed food is bad for you just because it is different from traditional food, they are just afraid of this new concept. The biggest fast food chain “McDonald's has quietly been making healthy changes for years, shrinking portion sizes, reducing some fats, trimming average salt content by more than 10 percent in the past couple of years alone, and adding fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and oatmeal to its menu” (Freedman, 2013, p. 13). This company is giving the consumer many healthy choices to choice from,

Fast food might be easy and cheap but people do not realize how harmful the food is for their bodies. The problem is the food that is served at these types of restaurants, especially McDonalds, are high in fat, salt, processed, and can have harmful ingredients included in the food. While home cooked food takes time to plan and make people know what they are eating, that isn’t the case at McDonalds: “McDonald’s burgers retain its fresh appearance for a very long time. This can easily fool customers who do not have a hint of this alteration in their burgers. The use of excessive preservatives is harmful for your health which McDonalds seems to overlook for gaining more and more

Several studies have shown that the increase in fast food restaurants over the past few decades has resulted in a negative impact on the already outrageous obesity rate.According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number of fast food restaurants over the past thirty years has tripled, which equates to about three hundred thousand establishments in the United States alone. During this time the number of children, ages six to nineteen classified as obese, has risen from five percent to seventeen percent. The percentage of adults classified as obese has risen from half to two-thirds the population. Although fast food restaurants may be a contributing factor to the increasing obesity rate in the United States, people are

The second way fast food contributes to our obesity epidemic is the unhealthy contents it is comprised of. There is no doubt that fast food is unhealthy. Even the ‘healthy’ options always have some unhealthy aspect to it. But we can’t deny that it is delicious and sometimes even better than if we were to make a similar burger or salad at home. However, this delicious taste comes with some costs-costs that negatively affect your health. As I’ve said before, fast food is high in calories and contains a lot of ingredients that we’ve never heard of before. But we’re not alarmed by because we are distracted by the food’s yummy flavor. Pollan and his wife and son went to McDonald’s for a lunch outing. After eating their entire meal, he was astonished

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

As the fast food world spread across the nation, obesity was shortly following in its footsteps. According to, “The History of the Fast Food Industry,” Since 1970 the amount of fast food restaurants have doubled, which equates to roughly 300,000 establishments in the United States. Ironically, 33.8% of the U.S. population is affected by obesity and 19% of children and young adults are also affected.

Every day while sitting on the couch eat a burger, and soon many people learn what the obesity hype is all about. Fast food companies are advertising more food for less money with fast service. The media tends to change images for their target customers, to make the food more appealing to those that are watching. Laziness is one of the main causes of obesity in our country. Obesity in the United States is at a high due to the increasing fast food chains, media influence, and a lack of exercise. The idea of having a meal made for them in less than five minutes is somewhat exciting to the view of many individuals.” fast food firms introduced these alternative meals in response to changing consumer tastes”(Buchholz). Many fast food stores offer the customer fast service, and a great tasting meal. They provide their service with a smile and a meal that can cost less than 10 dollars. When people mix poor diet with poor

Everyone knows about Mcdonalds and chances are they eat there multiple times in a short amount of time due to the cheap prices that they offer. The dollar menu attracts many people as well as the fact that you can get a complete meal for around six dollars. It’s cheap, fast, and you don’t have to cook. It’s even more convenient because they also offer a fast and easy pickup with drive thru. It’s laziness at it’s finest. There are many things that their ads fail to show everyone including how unhealthy their products really are. Ads focus on the appeal of the meal with it’s catchy slogans and food that looks absolutely perfect in the picture. What they don’t show is the nutrition facts of the meal. Big Macs are the

More than 14, 350 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States alone, and over 18, 875 KFC’s worldwide, only goes to reflect the popularity of fast food all over the world. Fast food can be defined as food that is easily and quickly prepared and is sold in restaurants and snack bars as a quick meal or to be taken out. Such food fits perfectly into the fast-paced life of a modern, working individual. Although nothing appeals more to a hard-working professional than ready-made food, it comes along with many health-related disadvantages that simply cannot be ignored. Despite all the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of fast food, the industry is flourishing. So the question remains, is fast

Fast food is a very delicious meal sometimes. It 's fast, it 's cheap, and you don 't have to clean pots and pans after you eat. Although, fast food might not be your best choice. These meals can be very unhealthy for you. I think fast food fast food can take a tool on your body when you eat it very often, large amounts, and unhealthy choices. A Big Mac from McDonalds contains 540 calories and 28 grams of total fat. ("Calories in McDonalds Big Mac Burger"). That is not even close to being a healthy meal. There are some choices that can be healthier for the human body. We only get one chance to keep our body strong and healthy, might as well treat your body the right way.