We're Dying for a Big Mac
You have been at the office all day long, slaving over a telephone and a computer terminal. It's lunch time, and you've got an hour to eat. No problem; there's a McDonald's a mere five minutes from the office. You could go there-it's hot, it's fast, and it's convenient. Besides, they supposedly have healthy foods like chicken and fish on the menu. Approximately 45.8 million people are served at fast food restaurants every day in America, and why not? Fast foods are pre-prepared meals that are served quickly at several restaurants strategically located throughout nearly every American city. But there is a downside to the convenience they provide: they simply are not good for us.
Americans are
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In fact, poor eating habits and lack of exercise is the leading cause of obesity today (13A). As Brown argues:
Some fast food restaurants have sixty-seven grams of fat in just one meal; you start with the burgers, which have fat as they are, then cheese is put on, adding still more fat. Then you get double burgers and double cheeseburgers along with sauces, which are sometimes made of fat-one-sixth the maximum recommended daily intake. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other agencies, Americans should eat 25 percent less fat per day, that would mean a decrease to about 67 grams. (33)
With fast food restaurants creating bigger burgers every year, Americans are taking in more fat in one burger than they should for an entire day's worth of meals; for example, a Big Mac at McDonald's contains 34 grams of fat; a Double Whopper with cheese at Burger King has about 61 grams of fat, and at Wendy's, their triple cheeseburger (now being phased out) has a huge 68 grams. This year, McDonald's plans to release the biggest burger ever, the Mega Mac, which consists of two quarter-pound beef patties and "special sauce" which is a mayonnaise-based product (Engle 93).
Many fast food restaurants place certain foods that have a reputation for being good for you on the menu to make you believe that they
Fast food is exactly how it sounds: food that can be quickly produced for a simple meal. Although they may be satisfactory, they are anything but healthy. Eating fast food is appetizing which is one of the main reasons it is so popular. Not only does it taste good to many, but it is inexpensive, too! America is the number one place for fast food. There are over 160,000 fast food restaurants in the United States and over 50 million Americans are served fast food daily. The frequency of eating fast food is also a problem because according to statisticbrain.com 44 percent of Americans confessed to consuming fast food once per week. What people do not realize is the harm that fast food is doing to their body. Not only is fast food a
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.
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
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
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.
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
The main point of fast food is to be fats, easy and convenient, but sometimes we humans abuse of that option that was given to us. Yes, its true fast food are everywhere in every corner and in every place we turn to, 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 that we have 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 in risk. A survey made by the college of agriculture, consumer and
Do you ever think about what you eat when you go to eat some fast-food? These fast-food restaurants have taken over the world. In “McJobs,” By Eric Schlosser, states that, “All along the interstate, fast-food restaurants and chain stores started to open. Family-owned historic businesses downtown closed. And Martinsburg started to look just like any other sprawling American suburb.” If fast-food continues, the country of America might become a business without wilderness. It may convenient when you are out late and have no time, but is that really worth the health issues it causes? We need to stop fast
America is one of the fattest countries in the world and is getting fatter by the second. Fast food used to be simple, small portions, less calories, and even simple menus. Now wherever you turn, there is a restaurant just right around the corner. Just in the past ten years the range of food choices has emerged. Fast food is the reason why health problems have become a major health issue in the United States. Although fast food has made it easier on Americans, Americans are at risk of preventable health issues, like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes; therefore, fast food has impacted Americans in a negative way.
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
We live in a world that is in a continuous process of transformation, considering that progress manages to control all the aspects of individual's life. Being part of a society which is always changing makes it essential for people have to adapt to all these aspects. One of the biggest problems for the American society is that it has no time to eat, since it is always on the run. Fast food came as the greatest solution for this problem. Since the process of modernization of the American society is accelerated day by day, the fast food industry has gained its place on the market. Even if individuals are well aware of the problems they can and will encounter if they eat fast food, they are forced by the circumstances to fall back on it.
Fast food is not only found at the drive-thru diners with the golden arches or the giant burgers in front of their buildings although they are the most common thing we think of when we hear the term “fast food“. Fast food is any food that is quick, convenient, and inexpensive for the most part. It can be bought just about anywhere that sells food and snacks. Vending machines play a huge part in bad food choices. They are found in most offices and schools for people on the go to grab a quick bite. Twenty-four hour convenience stores are probably the most common places to find fast food but we don’t usually think of it as fast food because it isn’t sold threw a drive-thru restaurant. These foods are so popular because for under five dollars you can usually get a meal that may not be the healthiest choice but will fill you up. However, although fast food is inexpensive it is only that way because it is made with cheaper ingredients.
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
Almost all food served at fast food restaurants has an extremely high fat and calorie content and lacks nutritional value.
So on the way to work they will buy dinner at a fast food restaurant. Places such as McDonalds's, Burger King, and Taco Bell have begun to appear on every street corner. Fast food restaurants made an appearance in America in the 1960's. They have not been around for very long and already the effects are destroying the health of the people in America. This is because people go to what to tastes good and these foods taste good to the kids. When their parents grew up a trip to grandmas for Sunday dinner was a treat and a variety from the meals at home. Today the treat is going out to a fast food restaurant. These foods are usually inexpensive, prepared for the person, and they taste good. The downside to these places is that their food is greasy and high in fat. Both of these are contributors to high blood pressure and high frequency of heart attacks among the American population.