Obesity : The Impact Of Fast Food And Junk Food

For many years fast food has made a huge impact on people's lives causing many serious problems. However, there are ways to make healthier decisions when choosing what to eat. In this paper, all of the problems that come along with eating fast food will be discussed, as well as the ways to help these problems.

Obesity within adults is a prevalent problem in the United States, with over 51% of all adults suffering from obesity by the year 2030 (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity, or the state of being excessively overweight, is sometimes a result from what is known as food addiction. Much like an addiction to a substance, to be addicted to food is to constantly crave a certain food item (Joyner et al. 217). Obesity and food addiction tend to coincide with each other. That coexistence is shown primarily in the documentary Super Size Me, in which director Morgan Spurlock focuses on the way fast food and food addiction affect the human body.

Fast food, in today’s society, has become a major part of individuals’ lives. For it’s easy, quick and cheap food. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically it is referred to as low quality, prepackaged foods that have little preparation time. Through further research of fast food restaurants and their role in the obesity epidemic in America, it lead to further conclusions on the need for changes that must be done in order to combat obesity. There are, however, multiple individuals who feel that the fast food industry is simply taking a toll on Americans and their health. For instance, the article “Don’t blame the Eater” explains the battle of fast food chains in America, and the major causes of this epidemic. Obesity in America, costs the United States about 147 billion dollars annually. In a recent article, Author Eric Finkelstein, a researcher for Triangle Park conducted a study in which explains the multiple causes and affects of fast food chains and its role in creating an unhealthy society. Considerably, “The Effect of Fast food Restaurants on Obesity”, an in depth article written by authors Janet Currie, Stefano DellaVigna, Enrico Moretti and Vikram Pathania, share their studies and findings on how fast food chains are indeed a major player in obesity across the country, as well as a leading player in the up rise in health related illnesses. There is a connection between neighborhood scarcity and fast food industries.

The topic of obesity in America is not a new one. In fact, the reality of obesity and its effects on America and its population has been mounting by the decade. Currently, more than 1/3 of adults in America are obese. This translates to 34.9% or 78.6 million people. Unfortunately, this number doesn’t even account for the youth of America (CDC, 2014). To call this an epidemic could almost be considered an understatement.

Within the last decade, the rate of obesity has been increasing. In 2012, at least one-third of U.S. adults were obese.1 It is expected by 2018 that the number of obese adults increases to half of U.S. adults.2 The rates for children and adolescents are increasing as well. In 2012, about seventeen percent of children and adolescents were obese.2 However, the number of obese individuals vary throughout the U.S. The South and Midwest have a higher prevalence of obesity while the West and Northeast have lower rates.3 America, on the other hand, is not the only country with increasing rates. Other European countries such as Europe, Ireland, and Sweden are on this trend.4 The increasing prevalence of obesity in the U.S. is due to numerous

Obesity is a very serious threat to the health of Americans and people all across the world. A plethora of studies have been done to confirm the adverse effects of obesity on an individual 's health. Obesity rates have been skyrocketing in the past 30 years. The year 2000 marked the first time in human history that the percentage of obesity in the human population rose over 50% (Obesity: A Cultural and Biocultural Perspective). Obesity, as well as childhood obesity, is more prevalent than ever. There has been little done by the American people and the U.S. government to reverse this trend. My research has shown that the problem of obesity is a much larger problem than most people believe it to be. Many Americans underestimate the

In his article “How Junk Food Can End Obesity” Freedman pointed out the junk food affected our health and caused obesity. In this regard, He stated his opinion by using his own experiences.at the beginning He started with his personal experience about purchasing a juice. He stated how a McDonald's smoothie cost half of the the amount compared to healthier and greener smoothie drink. He looked at the details about how the McDonald's contains only 300 calories and the healthier smoothie contains 700 calories. The healthier smoothie cost more and contains more calories. He supports his censure against Michael Pollan by comparing junk foods and wholesome foods. Freedman buy these wholesome foods and figured out the meat in McDonalds Big Mac has

There is an issue in America, if not across all nations, which begs discussion. The issue plaguing society is the fast food industry. It matters not if you are young, old, rich or poor; the fast food industry is almost impossible to ignore in this era. One may raise the question of what exactly is fast food. Merriam-Webster defines defines fast-food as food “designed for ready availability, use, or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance” (1). Diving deeper into this issue beyond the significant lack of nutritional value, lies not only the consumption of fast food but also the constant bombardment of advertising society as a whole is exposed to. Think about it: how long can a person watch a popular television channel without seeing a commercial for a popular fast food chain? How long can one listen to a favored radio station without hearing about the latest and greatest hamburger? In addition, a person cannot spend much time on the internet without seeing an advertisement for fried chicken. The concept of the fast food industry and the tremendous effects their advertising schemes can have on our subconscious will be the main focus of this essay.

Obesity is an epidemic in America, greatly impacting youth, the health care system, and economically vulnerable populations. Among all of the high-income countries in the world, obesity rates remain the highest in the US. According to Harvard, US obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980, although they have remained the same since 2003. (Harvard School of Public Health) Approximately 31.9% of children and adolescents from the ages of 2 to 19 are obese or overweight (NPLAN), while roughly 69% of adults fall into the category of overweight or obese. (Harvard School of Public Health) With obesity rates this high, America is facing a huge crisis that could become greater in the future. In order to understand the issue of Obesity in

With the continued growth of fast food restaurants, low priced food, and fast friendly service, these restaurants have become very appealing to the average consumer. With this increase in popularity, there has come many problems for these companies associated with the fast food industry. These stores are being blamed for the rise of obesity and other health issues in America; leading to many wanting a ban or probation on these fast food restaurants. The Government has stepped in on this issue and is trying to coming up with solutions for this so called “epidemic”. “One ordinance has passed by the Los Angeles City Council that bans the issuance of permits relating to the construction of any new fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles,

Obesity has become a major problem in America, therefore causing major health issues that are associated with overweight. Problems with overweight sometimes began during adolescence, and increase with age. Obesity, and overweight can possibly cause emotional, and social stigmatization additional to depression in adolescence, and adults. Obesity, and overweight is a rapidly growing problem in today's society, especially since so many fast food places are beginning to rapidly increase in numbers across the world. Although some may not take overweight as a serious matter, it leads to obesity and major health problems that are closely linked to many heart diseases. Health problems associated with Overweight, and obesity has been a major issue

In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Heart disease is the number one cause of death and cancer is the second, both causes of death are the effects of consuming junk food. Junk food is fast food, snacks, and sugary drinks that have little to no healthy nutrients, such as McDonald's burgers, Pepsi, and Twinkies. Since junk food is mainly sugar and fat, fat tends to accumulate and therefore can create health issues such as diabetes. Due to Junk food, the main source of obesity and other health risks, junk food taxes have been implemented to influence people to change to a healthier lifestyle. Junk food taxes should be increased to increase awareness of the health problems.

country alone, 17% of all children and adolescents are now obese, triple the rate from

Obesity refers to the condition of having an extra amount of body fat. Obesity is caused by eating too much and moving too little. When an individual’s amount of body fat becomes too high, they are at a greater risk of being affected with life changing diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, type II diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and others. This shows that people should become more physically active and attempt to make healthier choices because their life depends on the decisions, they make.

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