Today, the obesity rates in the United States have increased tremendously, but whom to blame the fast food industry to the consumers? Obesity in the United States has affected the lives of many individuals, but it is not a consumer’s fault. The fast-food companies are manipulating its consumers by not giving them access to nutritional information content included in their meals. With this intention, giving people access to nutrition facts can help turn their lives around. When deciding what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, knowing the nutritional values of each meal can be an important component of your decision.
However, in recent years, the fast food industry has become the subject and source of the rise in the rate of obesity throughout countries. Journalist and author Eric Schlosser explained in his book, ‘Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal’, that today, fast food has created an impact on society that has fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world. Large fast food corporations, such as McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, have become so prominent in people’s daily lives that they have grown so powerful by exploiting their young consumers that they can influence government nutrition policies, as described by Professor Marion Nestle in her book ‘Food Politics’.
Also, it was revealed that fast foods changed tremendously the eating habits of the new generation. The dominance of western foods through pioneered by McDonald, Starbucks, Hardies, etc is the result of globalization of foods in the country. With the introduction of the fast foods, the research work revealed the findings that for the new generation, fast foods offer more good effects than bad effects, fast foods are very important in the country not because of its good effects to health, time preparation but fast foods have good effect to the economic development of the country because of its corporate tax that helps boost the government national revenue. Finally, fast foods do not have unethical practices as well according to the opinions of the respondents which are in objection to the opinions of the various authors found in the literature review. Generally, fast foods changed the eating habits of the new
Because of the growing fast food industry, an abundance of these inexpensive meals containing empty calories, little fiber, and high amounts of fat are now easily accessible to adults and children. According to Fast Food Nation, “the rate of obesity among American adults is twice as high today as it was in the early 1960s. The rate of obesity among American children is twice as high as it was in the late 1970s” (240), and according to a nutritionist at the University of Colorado, James O. Hill, “we’ve got the fattest, least fit generation of kids ever” (240). A failed number of attempts to reduce the possibility of obesity in customers by introducing healthier dishes on their menus demonstrates how much the fast food industry has changed the way we live and eat. Another major theme discussed in Fast Food Nation is manipulative advertising.
Fast foods are one among the main barriers to healthy eating. In a community survey on 4746 adolescent students in United States, on the frequency of fast food restaurant use and its association with nutrient intake and food choices, it was found that there was a positive association with increased total energy fat and television viewing and a negative association with perceived maternal and peer concerns about healthy eating and fast food consumption. (French., Story., Neumark-Sztainer., Fulkerson., & Hannan. (2001)). {FAST FD&Child
Mostly people agree with the part of it being the biggest problem for our health and some disagree. But did they think twice before choosing sides? The real question is, are we taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity? The answer is yes, we are. And more than anyone could ever think of.
It is very safe for students to eat in a local restaurant than fast food restaurants. Given the fact that today’s student is always busy, some of them consider fast food as a convenient source of food but this can have an adverse effect on student’s health. According to Mc Night (2002), Fast food ingredients are artificial, high in sugar or fat are not meant to be eaten on a regular basis. Consuming these ingredients regularly can lead to health issues including heart disease, diabetes and cancers. Being aware of these effects is essential to determining whether fast food is safe to include in your diet, particularly if you suffer from heart or digestive issues already.
There are many reasons why the fast food restaurants are popular. This essay will also talk about the major effects of the fast food culture on individuals and society. Convenience is the major cause of the popularity of fast food. People in 21st century are live with a fast pace. They wish to do everything quickly, including having their meal.
An organization called Project Bread posted an article stating, ¨School meals not only have the potential to affect a student’s lifelong eating habits, but also to have an immediate impact on their health, day-to-day.¨. This means that if we put a stop to serving junk food we could have not only a great impact on children for their school life but also have an impact on their eating habits for their future, thus giving them a longer, healthier, happier life. Some people will argue, like a scholastic article that states that keeping junk food from students will teach them how to make healthier choices, but it just isn't working. ¨As another health article that talks about why schools are dropping certain health programs, it states ¨3% were considering abandoning the program…why? Kids aren’t buying the better-for-them options in the cafeteria, and that’s leading to a drop in revenue for some schools.¨ So the better choice would be to cut junk food out since keeping it obviously isn´t teaching them anything.
Even though it might be expensive to switch to healthier food, junk food should not be allowed in schools. Childhood obesity is becoming more prevalent partly due to the food children are feed in schools, school food is what what fuels children in order to get through their day, and healthy eating habits start early on. Obesity is becoming more prevalent