Since the early twentieth century, fast food establishments have been making headway in the American culture, so much so that they have taken over our modern lifestyles. Fast food is more accessible than any other food store, is cheaper than healthy or organic food and is advertised tremendously with the use of sexualised ads. There have been countless actions made to reverse the effects of our fast food culture but none have taken root due to unhealthy food becoming a fad that Americans never grew out of. Today’s glorification of the fast food industry has made it hard to enjoy and afford healthier food options in America thus we need to make investing in the health of our youth the highest priority and revert back to the much healthier lifestyle of growing our own food.
The accessibility of fast and unhealthy food has skyrocketed in the past century.“Today, more than 160,000 fast- food restaurants feed more than 50 million Americans each and every day, generating sales of more than $110 billion dollars annually… It is no coincidence that the decline of our health has moved in direct proportion to the rise in the consumption of fast food (Pirello). The negative correlation is definitely no coincidence; it’s easier to find a McDonald’s than an average health food store, given
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Multiple chain corporations likes Hardy’s, Burger King and Arby’s have used sexualization of an unrealistic body image of women to promote their food, that obviously doesn’t result in that thin, glowing body. These advertisements show predominantly skinny, able bodied, and attractive individuals that seem to embody a glow given to them by this unhealthy fast food. Unrealistically, the body most women are told to have has been used to sell the opposite of what makes that desired body. doctors and the media tell us to eat healthy but its expensive and advertisers push unhealthy
When the subject of fast food comes up, most people can agree that it is not the most efficient source of nutrition. Fast food is unhealthy and can be the cause of many serious health issues found in today's teens and adolescents. In the article “Don’t Blame the Eater” written by David Zinczenko, he argues that fast food chains fill the void in children's lives left by their exhausted, overworking parents. Many teens choose unhealthy eating choices because they are left alone for meals, fast food restaurants are easily accessible, and many teens are unaware of what they are consuming.
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 21 century, people are suffering from all kinds of diseases and over 85% of them are caused by, an unhealthy, diet. In the United States, 25% of Americans eat fast food every day, which can cause heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, starting with overweight. McDonalds, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and Burger King are very popular, fast food restaurant selling their burgers and fries in the airport, street shop, next to Wal-Mart and college.
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
Childhood and teenage obesity has been an issue in America for more than twenty years now. The percentage of obese children has nearly doubled in this time, according to the article “Is Your Kid Failing Lunch?”. Today’s generation of kids is recorded as the fattest generation in history. One of the main causes of this is believed to be fast food kids are exposed to every day in school lunches. Schools are now starting to serve fast food in their lunches as more kids demand it, causing an increase in the schools profit. Outside of that, Americans are currently spending more than $100 billion a year on fast food. Each day one in four Americans will eat at a fast food chain (Beaver). This is easy to believe as the global fast food industry spent
When someone thinks of various fast food restaurants, they often think of quick and easy way to obtain food. However they do not stop to think about how it is affecting their health. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser exposes to the public that various fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds, are detrimental for your health. He does this by showing the reader how unhealthy the food is to the public, as well as showing us how they make their food more desirable to buy to the general population. The one problem that arisen from fast food restaurants is the increase of childhood obesity since the beginning of fast food.
Fast-food industries may try to “target children in their ads”, but it ultimately comes down to the adults-the parents- choosing to dine at these places and pork up their kids on the high-sugar sodas, salty French fries, and greasy burgers. If they would just take the time to look out the window, they would see the healthy alternatives to fast-food, and how the alternatives are literally right in front of
As a business grows, it only makes sense to expand; supply must meet demand after all. The issue many Americans face, including myself, has to do with convenience. Our quest for the easy way out has put us in the position we are today, and we are teaching the youth to do the same. Teaching the youth to follow on the path of those before us, will not stop this epidemic. Fast Food is no longer affecting a small portion of society, it is now affecting the world. Fast Food chains are located in every business hub, tourist destination, and metropolitan area in the world. According to the World Health Organization (2015), international obesity rates have doubled since the 1980s. The lack of nutritional knowledge and bad habits passed from generation to generation, have made this an international crisis and a crucial social issue (Whitney 2002). There are several ways to come back from this crisis, we need to call on the government/state, be conscious of the examples we set, limit advertising, and keep an eye on our
Ever notice how the choice of restaurants varies depending on where you live? Major fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King can be found just about anywhere, whereas, restaurants with healthier options are few, if not none in some lower income areas. The major fast food chain restaurants are mostly located in lower income neighborhoods on every corner right across from one another. On the other hand, fast food restaurants are rarely seen in higher income neighborhoods, their maybe be one or two a few miles apart from one another. In higher income neighborhoods, there are healthier restaurants to choose form that wouldn’t cause obesity and high-blood pressure in the population, because of the choices to choose a healthier
Fast food is a normal part of life and routine, but it can be overcome. Hard work and dedication to oneself is all it takes to rid fast food out of daily life. Children are suffering from diseases with the potential to kill which no parent ever wants for their child. The obesity epidemic has been spread by the population and its need to eat cheaply. Another reason it spread so much is due to fast food chains not clearly outlining the harmful chemicals and amount of calories in each serving. Life expectancies are getting lower and lower due to a disease that is so preventable. Today’s generation are tasked with the burden to right the wrong that has been implemented in America. Young adults must raise awareness of what fast food can do to the human body and must vote to subsidize vegetables so they are cheaper and more accessible to
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
Since the fast food industry is targeting America’s youth, providing healthier options on children’s menus will reduce the rate of childhood obesity and allow for a healthy future.
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 industry is growing in America because people prefer to buy food that is cheap and readymade. Hence, this limits their options of food choice. People are restricted to buy food such as can food, packet food, and processed food which are cheap and fast to cook. People making unhealthy food choices require a multidisciplinary approach to nutrition education. The three most important points to include in a public nutrition program are as follows:- first, teach public about health consequences- “ obese children and adolescents are more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes” (Food and Nutrition Service [FNS], 2010, p. 3). Second, educate the
“Grab and Go!” shimmer windows of many fast food restaurants in the new XXI century. “It is really comfortable and it saves time”, my old neighbor whispers to me as a secret. “Today is my birthday! Let’s go to McDonalds and order cheese hamburgers and fries!” – My niece is screaming with delight in her face. Finally, really big hamburger appears in TV screen during commercial and looking juicy with fresh green salads forcing every one of us to feel hungry. However, fast food restaurants serve not only food lacking of vitamins and nonnutritive value, but also are responsible for endangered species, biodiversity reduction, worsening human’s health, and risk to run out of natural food and medicine sources that can lead to human’s extinction.