Why So Many People Eat Fast 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.

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, 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.

Fast food popularity has grown tremendously over the years. People spend more time trying to save time in today’s world and in

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 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).

This is continuing to be a major concern as this “convenience” is causing an increase in weight from youth all the way to adults. It`s more typical in today 's age for families to be in a constant rush with work or their children 's schedules, that fast food becomes their instant go in order to save time. On average, families eat at a dine-in restaurant once a week while they go go through fast food drive thrus several times a week (Murphy). Being a high school and college student, it is extremely convenient with my busy and on the go constant schedule, to pull through a drive thru at a fast food restaurant and order something quick before heading to my next event. A recent survey from 50 various fast food customers showed how the convenience of a drive thru makes them select fast food locations more frequently chosen. 80% of the customers selected responded that they enjoy eating fast food and eat it on a daily basis. This is largely due to the fact that the wait time for meals at these locations are much shorter than dine in restaurants (Cox). As there is no way to beat this type of convenience when it comes to food, it is affecting people 's health at a vast rate. The blindness of the consumers to the content of the food is one of the greatest causes of the fast food epidemic and the health risks it brings. People are now becoming more at risk to more serious health issues from being overweight and continuing to put

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

Fast food critics have revealed that fast food patrons are more indolent and slothful in handling home chores, while the other individuals who prefer healthy home-cooked meals are more energetic, active and willing to deal with chores better. They also pointed out several reasons why fast food eateries may be less healthy than other types of restaurant, these include time, costs and signatory dishes (Spurlock and Schlosser). But in the actual context, this may not be so for all fast food restaurants as more restaurants are digging into improving their meals’ healthiness for the sake of their customers and the public on the whole. Hence, whether fast food should be blamed to be the main trigger to obesity is still disputable. Though research has demonstrated that people that eat fast food inclined to be obese compared to those who do not (Paeratakul et al.), will a greasy home-made stir-fry dish do a better job to enhance the consumers’ health than a pair of roasted chicken sandwiches in a fast-food

Since Americans typically live hectic lifestyles, fast food is a quick and easy way to grab a meal on the go. However, eating fast food frequently provides the body with high amounts of calories, sugars,

"Fast food is popular because it 's convenient, it 's cheap, and it tastes good. But the real cost of eating fast food never appears on the menu," was said by Eric Schlosser. Several people in America have become dependent on fast foods. How many of the people who eat this food actually know what is really in the food or how it was made? Others don 't think about it, because within ordering, three minutes later a customer can pull up to the window, pay, and get food. It is quick and cheap. The United States has become dependent on fast foods because they are everywhere, but the consequences of these facilities have brought health issues and closing of community restaurants.

The fast food industry has been growing dramatically during the last few years. For this reason, we should try to find out what are the several factors why fast food consumption keeps growing among young people and adults. Therefore, as we have seen, the popularity of fast food is spreading rapidly among many people due to the following three main reasons: good taste, convenient time, and price. Personally, working for a fast food restaurant for a brief moment in my life, I can attest to this. Marketing also plays a big part to more people eating fast food. It’s in our culture in America to expect fast food companies to market and strategize their ways to make us, the consumers, to buy more food and consume more food so they can make more profit. Especially now with commercials and social media. The fast food industry has thrived in the modern era. It’s thriving so much, the industry is growing faster than the U.S economy, at

Almost all food served at fast food restaurants has an extremely high fat and calorie content and lacks nutritional value.

As of now in the United States there are 22 fast food franchises. McDonalds was the first franchise to open in 1940 and since then they have been the leading and most successful franchise in America (“The Raw Prawn” n.p.). Other franchises include: Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Taco Bell. Each of which target young students and children. Most of them have a value menu where items to purchase are cheap and tasty but very unhealthy. Some fast food restaurants provide a toy for children with their meal which attract them to come again and again ( “Eating Yourself to Death” n.p.). In addition, some restaurants contain an indoor play ground which attracts small children even more. The fast food industry mainly brings customers for their tasty food and simple convenience, they attach a drive thru to their building making it faster for customers to purchase and collect their food which is also less time consuming. Recently in the past few years, fast food franchises have begun to change their restaurant and attempt to become healthier as a whole, in some fast food restaurants they have a nutritional menu to choose from which generally contain healthier food compared to the regular menu (“The Raw Prawn” n.p.).

Notably, with technology advances, everything has become so easy and fast such that we all want every other aspect of our lives to assume a similar concept, and fortunately, the fast food restaurants provide a suitable means of satisfying our hungry stomachs as fast and easy as possible. Surprisingly, most people have adapted a lifestyle that incorporates fast food chains as an important element. For instance, instead of making coffee at home in the morning, I buy coffee on my way to college, for lunch, I buy a sandwich or hamburger from a food truck, and in the evening after a tiring exhaustive day, I order pizza for supper from Pizza Hut. Arguably, food take-outs are part my daily routine, which serves the purpose efficiently but barely sufficiently.