Obesity Vs Fast Food Essay

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

Indeed, Obesity in America is a huge problem that continues to escalate due to fast food chains. Fast food places are everywhere and close range from one another. I don’t even have to walk more than a mile to get to a fast food place. According to Mandal, “Fast foods reduce the quality of diet and provide

“I’m Lovin’ It.” This slogan has become one of the most recognized in both the United States and in the world. Our nation has slowly gravitated towards fast food, allowing for a new industry to explode and expand over the past few decades. This monumental fast food industry has become a symbol of America and our diets. Fast food is convenient, quick, and cheap, requiring hardly any effort. It is the perfect formula for our fast-paced nation and suffering economy. The problem is shown through our sky-high rate of obesity. Though fast food has some short-term benefits like saving time and a few dollars, it has severe physical, mental and financial consequences for children, showing that the negatives of consuming fast food outweigh the

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 main point of fast food is to be fast, easy, and convenient- but sometimes we humans abuse of that option that was given to us. Yes, its true fast food is everywhere in every corner 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 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 at risk. A survey made by the college of agriculture, consumer and environmental science assures that 94 percent of people believed individuals are primarily or somewhat

When someone is hungry and on the run, the first choice that comes on this someone’s mind is to go and have a fast food meal. Having a fast food meal is way easier than cooking your own meal and waiting for it to be ready. Fast food is so popular all over the world. Today, fast food restaurants are everywhere. Many people depend on these fast food restaurants twice or thrice a week. This confirms why most of children today suffer from obesity and most of them are over weight. Dr. Ananya Andel (n.d.) writes, “Studies have shown that over the past four decades, consumption of food eaten away from home has also risen alarmingly. It is well known that eating out may lead to excess calorie intake and increases the risk of obesity because of large portion sizes and increased energy density of

Eating at restaurants is also a large contributing factor to our nation’s health crisis. According to an article written for Fox News, for the first time ever people spent more on dining out in restaurants and bars than they did on buying groceries. Most people probably think that sitting down in a restaurant is better for you than grabbing something from a fast food chain, but that is often not the case. A study done by the University of Toronto found that the average restaurant meal “contained a whopping 1,128 calories -- 56 percent of the average daily 2,000-calorie intake recommended by the Food and Drug Administration for a healthy adult” (Neporent). The issue with this is that people do not alter the rest of their daily food intake to smaller amounts of calories, which leads to eating more calories than the body requires as well as weight

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

Now days, you can find a fast food restaurant every time you turn a corner. According to, Sarah Muntel, the Author of “Fast Food- Is It the Enemy,” you can choose from a variety of things to eat. You can get a greasy burger, crunchy tacos, or a drink that is filled with sugar. Why should we take the time go buy and prepare a meal when there are a variety of foods all around you? That is the problem that we are facing. Fast food is extremely cheap. You can order dollar cheeseburgers, dollar sodas, and you can even make those orders supersized just with pennies. People even claim that it is cheaper to eat at a restaurant than it is to prepare a meal in your own kitchen. Most Americans now days are having overscheduled and overcommitted jobs, which means that there is no free time in their daily lives to prepare their own meals. There is not anything easier than just going through the drive thru at your favorite fast food restaurant on your way home from work, or taking your child out for a milkshake if they do well in their baseball game. The problem is, people don’t look

Fast food was created for the taste buds; the food is delicious, greasy, and unfortunately is calorie high. The human body cannot handle eating unhealthy types of food and if the body does not get the required vitamins to remain healthy issues will arise. One of the most common fast food related health issues is obesity. Obesity can also lead to diabetes, high blood pressure/sugar, cardiovascular diseases, and even sleep disorders. This can be avoided by exercising after eating high-calorie foods. However, Americans have very busy schedules that exercise cannot be a part of a daily routine. Currently, the fast food industry has tried to add healthier menu options, but with that means higher prices of items. Therefore, many food chains have not created healthier options because the company is afraid to lose customers due to higher food prices. The other effect of continually eating out is the added up of money. Even though the prices are affordable, the amount of money for a regular customer will begin to increase. Money does not grow on trees, and the majority of people work to make money to survive in their daily lives. A college student can survive on continuously buying fast food for oneself, but when compared to a family of three or four surviving on take out will put a hole in the bank

There are drive thrus, delivery services, and smart phone apps that make it very convenient to order these foods while staying home and being lazy. Fast food is also an inexpensive alternative to cooking a healthy meal in the control our own home. This moneysaving convenience has caused fast food chains in America to grow at an alarming rate. These fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King, are serving millions of people per day. Fast food chains conventionally serve food that is frozen and precooked, which causes the food to lose some vital nutrients. We are exposed to a constant barrage of advertising from the fast food companies; Burger King’s, “Have it your way,” Wendy’s “It’s way better than fast food,” and McDonald’s, “I ‘m lovin’ it” are all geared toward seducing the consumer to buy their products. Another thing to consider about all of this is the portions that are served. The food industry has taken advantage of people eating out more nowadays and they use marketing tactics to make their particular product more attractive to the consumer. Bigger portions are a way to do it because the consumer gets “more bang for their buck.” Who wouldn’t like to feel like their saving or making their dollar stretch? Some examples are the larger portions of the “supersizing” menu items of fast food restaurants, the larger soft drinks sizes, and the bigger portion sizes in restaurants. Sometimes people need a quick and easy meal, and that’s when fast food

In recent years there has been a growing epidemic of obesity, especially in America. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey posted on the Center for Disease Control website there are 12.5 million children from ages 2 through 19 that are obese. Many people are starting to complain that the commercials and ads for these restaurants are the result of such an incline in obesity. Although there have been current ad campaigns aiming at children to live a healthy life style there are still hundreds of advertisements that are putting restaurants in a sort of ultimatum position. Either restaurants change their advertisements or they improve their menus. In 1979 McDonalds debuted their world famous Happy Meals to the

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

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 population of America is becoming more aware of the importance of good nutrition. Ironically the people are becoming increasingly less healthy. In the 1960's the nation ate healthier but knew less about nutrition. The foods that the teenagers consume today contributes to the increasing weight and decreasing health of the nation. Many outside factors determine the eating habits of teenagers today.