The fast food restaurants are busy robbing people of their health- the smoothest criminals. In 1960 the obesity rate in the United States was at 13%. In 2004 it was 32%. According to this quick increase in obesity, it is estimated that in 2015, 75% of adults will be overweight, 41% will be obese. I fear for the future of our country’s health. Other countries are able to avoid this trend, and they turn their noses down for us not being able to do the same. I worry that soon our longevity will begin to die away, and our medical advances will mean nothing. The solution is not to make airplane seats larger and continue to have commercials where a supermodel holds a juicy hamburger that they would never think to consume. To fix our nation’s downward spiral into the obesity epidemic, it requires a revolution. Buy healthier foods, prepare meals, and avoid over eating. Consume less fast food and learn to enjoy the process of cooking and eating food.
The fast food restaurants have been around since the early 20th century. Some may say that this is an example of how the fast food industry is not involved in the obesity epidemic because it did not begin until later. After all, the first fast food restaurant, a White Castle, opened in 1921. However, the fast food chains of the past are not the same as they are today. With the rise of the fast food chain came the rise in the rate of obesity.
Today I went for a drive with my friends- we like Panera to escape the school cafeteria once in a while. On our way, I decided to count how many fast food restaurants we passed. We passed 5 fast food restaurants, and Panera is 2.5 miles from campus. That makes 2 fast food restaurants for every mile, which is fewer than I expected. The Burger King is less than 100 feet from our football stadium. Although fast food is unhealthy, a young, broke, car-less college student is not going to turn away from taking that small of a walk for a delicious dollar hamburger. Accordingly fast food is made to be convenient- as well as cheap.
Most people who eat fast food regularly do so because of a low income. There is also an abundance of fast food restaurants in low-income areas. They do this because they know a large amount of their customers are of this economic standing, so they take advantage of this by also making it convenient. The obesity rate of those in low-income situations is much higher than amongst middle and upper class families. What they can afford is not healthy, and their busy overworked lifestyles demand that the food be easily accessed. Convenience is everything in our fast paced lives. They get audiences addicted at a young age, targeting with advertisments those who do not know the consequences of fast food consumption. Fast food has extensively changed the way we eat, having negative effects on our health.
My mom always stressed that it was bad to eat after 8pm. Our metabolism begins to slow at 8pm as our body gets ready to rest. Now, the fast food industry looks for ways to take advantage of us for an increased profit. They disregard the nation’s current health crisis. Taco Bell is promoting a ‘fourth meal’, because three meals a day just aren’t enough. Well, the three meals limit the opportunity for these chains to cash in, using addicting fatty foods as well as clever advertisements. Burger King has something called ‘snackers’, which are sandwiches for in between meals. Snacking in between meals can be healthy, when the right choices are made. Eating a sandwich that has 350 calories, usually more than one, is the epitome of unhealthy. The fast food restaurants are cramming an increasing amount of trans fat and calories into our bodies, in order to make more money.
As people’s waistline expands, the advertisements continue to pour in. Not only do they promote sandwiches with 350 calories for a snack, they push their ‘healthy’ options. Some even have salads as of recent. Some buy into the idea of this healthy meal, because we are all taught that salad is good for you. They try to sell their “healthy” salads, but these can have between 900 and 1,000 calories. That is the same, bad food, disguised as “healthy greens”. The Olympics this year had many McDonald’s advertisements. These left the impression that athletes eat fast food and maintain their health is an illusion. The fast food companies trick people into doing the right thing. Children see these advertisements. They learn unhealthy eating early, seeing their parents eating the wrong kinds of food and learning to judge only on taste, not on nutritional value.
The only way to attempt to fight the obesity epidemic that our nation is facing is by boycotting the fast food industry, which has been the cause for this. Healthy options can be available for less, if the time is taken to look and shop economically smart at the supermarket. Buy what is on sale. Anything homemade will be better for you than the over-processed, fat injected food that is available at fast food chains. With this small step, the nation will be able to take down these fast food industries, promoting a healthier lifestyle. We should not let this industry continue to rob us of our health as a nation, as well as our future. Fighting back, with smarter choices when it comes to food consumption, is the only way to regain our future.
The fast food restaurants have been around since the early 20th century. Some may say that this is an example of how the fast food industry is not involved in the obesity epidemic because it did not begin until later. After all, the first fast food restaurant, a White Castle, opened in 1921. However, the fast food chains of the past are not the same as they are today. With the rise of the fast food chain came the rise in the rate of obesity.
Today I went for a drive with my friends- we like Panera to escape the school cafeteria once in a while. On our way, I decided to count how many fast food restaurants we passed. We passed 5 fast food restaurants, and Panera is 2.5 miles from campus. That makes 2 fast food restaurants for every mile, which is fewer than I expected. The Burger King is less than 100 feet from our football stadium. Although fast food is unhealthy, a young, broke, car-less college student is not going to turn away from taking that small of a walk for a delicious dollar hamburger. Accordingly fast food is made to be convenient- as well as cheap.
Most people who eat fast food regularly do so because of a low income. There is also an abundance of fast food restaurants in low-income areas. They do this because they know a large amount of their customers are of this economic standing, so they take advantage of this by also making it convenient. The obesity rate of those in low-income situations is much higher than amongst middle and upper class families. What they can afford is not healthy, and their busy overworked lifestyles demand that the food be easily accessed. Convenience is everything in our fast paced lives. They get audiences addicted at a young age, targeting with advertisments those who do not know the consequences of fast food consumption. Fast food has extensively changed the way we eat, having negative effects on our health.
My mom always stressed that it was bad to eat after 8pm. Our metabolism begins to slow at 8pm as our body gets ready to rest. Now, the fast food industry looks for ways to take advantage of us for an increased profit. They disregard the nation’s current health crisis. Taco Bell is promoting a ‘fourth meal’, because three meals a day just aren’t enough. Well, the three meals limit the opportunity for these chains to cash in, using addicting fatty foods as well as clever advertisements. Burger King has something called ‘snackers’, which are sandwiches for in between meals. Snacking in between meals can be healthy, when the right choices are made. Eating a sandwich that has 350 calories, usually more than one, is the epitome of unhealthy. The fast food restaurants are cramming an increasing amount of trans fat and calories into our bodies, in order to make more money.
As people’s waistline expands, the advertisements continue to pour in. Not only do they promote sandwiches with 350 calories for a snack, they push their ‘healthy’ options. Some even have salads as of recent. Some buy into the idea of this healthy meal, because we are all taught that salad is good for you. They try to sell their “healthy” salads, but these can have between 900 and 1,000 calories. That is the same, bad food, disguised as “healthy greens”. The Olympics this year had many McDonald’s advertisements. These left the impression that athletes eat fast food and maintain their health is an illusion. The fast food companies trick people into doing the right thing. Children see these advertisements. They learn unhealthy eating early, seeing their parents eating the wrong kinds of food and learning to judge only on taste, not on nutritional value.
The only way to attempt to fight the obesity epidemic that our nation is facing is by boycotting the fast food industry, which has been the cause for this. Healthy options can be available for less, if the time is taken to look and shop economically smart at the supermarket. Buy what is on sale. Anything homemade will be better for you than the over-processed, fat injected food that is available at fast food chains. With this small step, the nation will be able to take down these fast food industries, promoting a healthier lifestyle. We should not let this industry continue to rob us of our health as a nation, as well as our future. Fighting back, with smarter choices when it comes to food consumption, is the only way to regain our future.