Fast Food is Slowly Killing America

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Large Coke, Big Mac, Large Fri's found at McDonalds

The fast food industry is a phenom that is influencing a staggering amount of people to come and try out their products.  The total amount of money spent in advertising for fast food establishments is estimated at a total of $4.2 billion through television ads, billboards, etc.  Children are receiving a onslaught of fast food advertisements daily slowly being corrupted into asking their parents to purchase fast food. 


Here's a list of some of  the common fast food establishments in America. 

• Arby's
• Burger King
• Five Guys  
• Jack in the Box                                                                                                                                       
• KFC
• McDonalds
• Pizza Hut
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• Wendy's

One of the logos of McDonalds

The reason fast food profitable business is because their are many benefits associated with it.  None of these benefits dealing with health of course.  In today's society time is scarce and to save time, fast food is a great way to receive a quick meal for an entire family.  Another reason fast food is such a hot commodity is because of how mobile it is.  The drive through allows people to purchase the product and take it to wherever they are going.  The last reason fast food is great is because of how inexpensive it is.  Most menus from McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, etc have a section called the value or dollar menu.  


When looking at the benefits are they worth it.  Do the pros out weigh the cons?  The answer is no because of the outstanding numbers of Americans that are becoming obese.  When looking at the statistics, the number of obese children has almost tripled.  "More than one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 are now considered overweight." (donorschoose.org)  These numbers are going to keep going up in the future.  Its easy to link fast food as one of the main causes to obesity along with no exercise and other junk foods.    


What does obesity do to our society?  They hurt our healthcare system because of the medical attention required from obese people.  Another possible effect obesity is it can set a chain reaction causing those around you to become obese.  The reason this could happen is because they believe it is socially acceptable to become obese.  The last effect obesity has on our society is it allows other countries to stereotype our country.  It doesn't only affect society as it also can harm the individual.    


As in individual obesity can hurt you emotionally and physically.  It can lower ones self esteem which leads eating more food as comfort.  Another problem obesity poses is all the health problems associated with it such as diabetes, heart problems, rise in blood pressure and there are some reported incidence of cancer.  

McDonald's premium Caesar Salad

Fast food establishments have taken a step to try and get rid of the negative connotation that their food is not healthy.  They've added new menu's to their items to try and encourage their customers that there are healthy alternatives.  McDonalds for example has added snack wraps, salads, fruits, yogurt and oat meals to try an hit a different group of customers.  The problem though is these foods aren't exactly as healthy as they seem as they are still packed with calories and large amounts of sodium.  The premium caesar salad with crispy chicken contains a whopping 350 calories and 740 mg of sodium.  That's more calories then a cheeseburger, hamburger, four piece chicken nugget and McChicken.  These new items may have changed the face of what they serve but the calories are still packed in.


I'm not telling everyone to stop eating fast food in general but there are other methods you could go about this.  It is impossible for some people to stop eating fast food so there are alternative methods when visiting a fast food joint.  In moderation it doesn't have as bad of an affect on you.  To ensure that your eating fast food in moderation set goals for yourself such as only eating fast food once a week.  Move up within these goals to the point where you only need fast food once every two weeks and keep working at it.  Another way to lessen the severity of fast food is portion control.  Instead of getting a super sized fry stick with the medium or small.  The last way make sure that fast food isn't detrimental to your health is by researching the menu.  Looking for the best  choices on the menu with the lowest calories and most nutrition. 


Take a little more pride in your health and encourage others to do the same.  Cutting out or lessening fast food trips by eating at home which is a great way to start.  Take it a step at a time and try and figure out healthier methods when it comes to eating.    


By:  Dennis Wolf