Edy Hopkins English 102 Fall 2013 Student ID: 900221875 Consuming Fats When I think of the meaning of fast food I immediately think about convenience, fast, hurry and fulfilling. In my perspective I believe that fast food has become a major part of everyone’s lives. Many people now consume fast food more than cooking in their own homes. In addition, now of days you can find more coupons and deals as well as more advertisements on television for the fast food chains. Fast food has now the number one reason for health issues that many children are now facing obesity at an earlier age.
Dara Pierre English 101-IN Why not blame the eater?? There is an inherent responsibility that each of us to undertake and making healthy food choices is one of them. In David Zinczenko’s article “Don’ Blame the Eater”, published in the New York Times, he argues that fast food vendors are responsible for the growth of obesity and diabetics in young adults. He contends that fast food vendors like McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bells and Pizza Hut are really the only options for young adults that are affordable. Consumer’s are responsible for their selection in foods and if they chose to consue products that give no nutritional information that is on them.
He recommends that in search of a better way to serve customers, the fast food industry has negatively infused its way into the American culture. Schlosser brings to light plenty of shocking facts like how the actual cost of a Happy Meal is determined and how it manipulates the children to persuade their parents to treat them out to McDonalds. A growing awareness of the connection between diets and disease is slowly but surely taking hold in the minds of consumers. Natural and organic foods are becoming more popular across the country. However, our government hasn’t taken the steps that most
Children need guidance in developing social competency to meet need, deal with stress, accept themselves for their strengths and weaknesses, and recognize how the media and popular culture influence their decisions. Lawsuits have been made over the year against these fast food places blaming them for their children’s obesity. They suggest that if there were healthier food choices and food labels on the food then maybe the obesity rate wouldn’t be so high. While he has valid points, he overlooks the personal viewpoint of the parents and their own self responsibility. Zinczenko claims that “Many single parents claim that working long hours and having low income contributes to why their children eat the way they do” (153).
Obesity: Society’s epidemic Since the introduction of fast food in the 1980’s, obesity rates have risen due to a variety of factors. Physical activity has decreased among schools while more fast food restaurants are created in the US. Furthermore, the convenience of a meal makes people come back for more, with catchy commercials luring both children and adults in. Moreover, the food is convenient, cheap, and advertised well, and our nation pays for the cost of obesity. Fast food has become part of our culture, forming our adults and children into becoming overweight.
In 2002, statistics showed the annual sales of foods and beverages to young consumers were over $27 billion. The fast food industry spent $3 billion just in television ads alone. One question that can be debated is should parents be blamed for their obese child, and can it be considered child abuse or neglect? I say yes, although some people may not agree with me. Society may have a part in making the children obese, but it is solely the parents who fail to guide the children properly that make them obese.
That’s why it’s easy to imagine the industry throwing its weight behind a soda tax. School lunch reform would become its cause, too, and in time the industry would come to see that the development of regional food systems, which make fresh produce more available and reduce dependence on heavily processed food from far away, could help prevent chronic disease and reduce their costs. Recently a team of designers from M.I.T. and Columbia was asked by the foundation of the insurer UnitedHealthcare to develop an innovative systems approach to tackling childhood obesity in America. Their conclusion surprised the designers as much as their sponsor: they determined that promoting the concept of a “foodshed” — a diversified, regional food economy — could be the key to improving the American diet.
Because today’s society is so in love with “keeping up with the Joneses” so to speak everyone has to eat out at nice restaurants or feel that they need to take their kids to McDonalds for lunch. All of these factors contribute to bad calories and fat intake which is causing for children to be unhealthy and gain weight which is just an unhealthy revolving cycle as their life moves
As obesity and its effects gain awareness, Americans are making more efforts to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Many restaurants are incorporating healthier choices into their menus and “policy-makers are taking action to protect children from the fast-food trend” by limiting “food advertising aimed at children” (“Fast Food”). In 2004 the health campaign Verb was launched, using boldface names to promote physical activity and healthy decision-making. Unfortunately, Verb was terminated in 2007 due to a lack of funds (Kluger 227). The problem with the current endeavors, then, is that they are not void of any possible defects.
"Kids said if they were going to do phys education, they wanted to do something fun." (Sealy, G., 2003, pg.1) Children’s nutrition is another huge factor in fighting obesity in the United States. Ray Kroc founded the corporation was all know as Mc Donald’s in 1955. This was the first of the fast food chains and look at the amount of fast food options we have today. Fast food offers convenience to people with busy lives and often time’s parents chose poor options for their children.