Even with healthier choices, one cannot be aware of exactly what is in the food cooked in restaurants, while families can opt out of the drive-through and go in to sit and eat together at fast-food establishments it isn't as intimate and the time is rushed, low-cost options on fast food menus cost more than cooking a family meal at home. Pollan writes, “The fact is that not cooking may well be deleterious to our health, and there is reason to believe that the outsourcing of food preparation to corporations and 16-year-olds has already taken a toll on our physical and psychological wellbeing” (106). This essay will prove that eating fast-food threatens physical health, weakens the family, and is costly. Physical health is influenced directly by our meal choices. Choosing to order a healthier meal option at a restaurant is not equal to a home cooked meal made with fresh foods.
America needs to stop advertising such unhealthy eating. How often do you hear of a ninety-nine cent special on a salad? Americans like there food fast and don't care to realize the effects that fast foods have on there bodies. Since, the media has such a strong influence on Americans. I believe that if healthy food is more advertised it will be eaten more.
As Richard Carmona states in “The Obesity Crisis In America,” “Nearly two out of every three Americans are overweight or obese”(1). Why are Americans so overweight? I believe the three main causes of obesity in America are; the lack of motivation to exercise, the convenience of fast food, and America’s perspective that everyone is fine just the way they are. One of the primary causes of obesity is simple; lack of exercise. If we don’t even bother to workout, do we expect to magically lose weight and stay healthy?
Blaming Fast Food Restaurants for Obesity Let’s face it; everyone loves a Whopper every now and then. Yet we are all aware that one too many can bring on dangerous and life-threatening results. Obesity is a growing problem in the United States and more and more children are being affected. But do uneducated families have the right to put the blame on fast food restaurants for their health issues they could have easily prevented? I believe that we are taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity and that it is an individual’s responsibility to take the blame.
The junk food industries keep these foods very visible and easily accessible to everyone. People are addicted to junk food because it is cheaper, taste better and advertised more heavily than healthier food. Another reason junk food is so appealing is at a real restaurant you have to wait for a nutritious meal and it cost more. Hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza and sodas are within everyone’s income range and do not take long to get. Let us not forget about the
As the pace of the American lifestyle increases there is less time to prepare a home-cooked meal, which leads many families to stop at the drive-thru on their way home. This rise in fast food consumption may be one contributing factor to the rise in obesity among Americans, especially among children and adolescents. High fat fast food meals take a toll High fat diets, typical of fast food meals, contribute to a variety of negative and costly health outcomes, including obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease and some cancers. With the increase in consumption of high fat and calorie foods, there’s usually a decreased intake of foods rich in nutrients such as fruits and vegetables. This doesn’t mean that all fast food is bad, and it would be unrealistic to recommend totally eliminating it altogether.
They could make laws that would protect the citizens from harmful diseases caused by unhealthy foods as well as saving money on healthcare to provide for the people that cannot afford to pay for the healthcare they need for the diseases. This is why the American Government should regulate the diets of Americans. One of the main reasons the Government should regulate diets is because of the overwhelming amount of people that are obese or over-weight, especially with the number of children that are having these problems and the parents are not doing anything about it. “Surgeon General Regina says with the Government interjecting and making some decisions on not what to eat, but how the food is made and how much they eat, America as a whole would start to become a more fit country” (Regina). Surgeon General Kooper also says, “Obesity is one of the most prevalent diet-related problems in the United States” (Kooper 277).
So corrupt in fact that even as it is seemingly doing the right thing, like promoting healthy foods to be served in schools for example, its wellness initiatives are frequently just marketing ploys. They are always trying to sell us something. Producers of high-selling, major market junk foods have an obligation to their company’s stockholders to maximize profits to the best of their abilities. So they encourage consumers to eat more of their company’s products, not less. Americans are unhealthy and the food industry is doing nothing to change that.
Secondly, the authors point out that environment of fast cars has a tendency to discourage people’s daily activities. In other words, consistent motoring leads to a significant decrease of the time available for regular exercise. Thirdly, the writers urge that obesity should be the most disreputable example resulting from excess consumption of fast cars/fast foods. It is because extra calories are being taken into inactive bodies, then people get fat. In addition, according to the authors, the reason of obesity is not hereditary but the mode of people eating and living.
Mass, routine consumption of fast food directly relates with internal body functioning, increase in body fat, as well as lower levels of energy and stamina. A high-calorie diet with little to no exercise builds up over time, potentially leading a person to be severely overweight and in being most effiecient in their day-to-day lives. Indulging in too many fatty foods can bring about atherosclerosis, a syndrome in which the artery wall thickens. Another health risk from excessive visits to your local fast food restaurant is diabetes. High sugar contents in entrees, drinks and desserts contain a significant amount of sugar.