The Fast Food Industry: Destroying America
The Fast Food Industry: Destroying America's people, one french fry at a time
The eating habits of America can be summed up in three words. “Fat,” “Fast,” and “Food.” Fast-food companies are the leading problem in the rapid growth of our nation's obesity problem. Costs of fast-food consumption were nearly $164.8 billion dollars in 2010, and the constant and excessive eating that has taken place at fast-food establishments over the last few decades has, and will continue to, result in obesity. Public health is supposed to be number one concern in today's society, however, most Americans have such busy schedules and are so overcommitted that they don’t have enough time to make food at home. For years, Fast-food chains have taken advantage of …show more content…
In a world where the residual human effects of unhealthy eating are making themselves more and more evident everyday, it is sad that to this day, so many people still do not know the dangers of fast food. Diets consisting of excess saturated and trans fats and high levels of sodium and sugar can lead to all of the diseases mentioned above, and many people are still unaware. Channels such as TLC make things worse by promoting obesity in America with shows like “My 600 lbs. Life”, which shows a lot of Americans who are so out of shape that they physically can not move on their own. Instead of exposing the unhealthy habits which causes such immobility, the shows glorify the lifestyle and present it as something enviable. Though one's weight being so huge that it eliminates mobility may seem impossible and very drastic, such gains are caused by some of the same rituals which average Americans practice everyday. In a 2004 study published in "The Lancet," researchers found that eating more than twice per week at fast food restaurants is linked to a more significant increase in weight gain over time than what would exists during occasional visits (Mandal). The study noted that regularly eating fast food doubles your chance of developing insulin resistance, which heightens risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The number of people worldwide living with diabetes has more than doubled since 1980, from 153 million then to nearly 350 million in 2011, according to a report in "The Guardian” (Mandal). If the American food production industry cut back on sugary and fatty products and offered healthier choices, as well as banning the use of false and misleading advertising, they would easily be able to have a huge hand in reducing
The eating habits of America can be summed up in three words. “Fat,” “Fast,” and “Food.” Fast-food companies are the leading problem in the rapid growth of our nation's obesity problem. Costs of fast-food consumption were nearly $164.8 billion dollars in 2010, and the constant and excessive eating that has taken place at fast-food establishments over the last few decades has, and will continue to, result in obesity. Public health is supposed to be number one concern in today's society, however, most Americans have such busy schedules and are so overcommitted that they don’t have enough time to make food at home. For years, Fast-food chains have taken advantage of …show more content…
In a world where the residual human effects of unhealthy eating are making themselves more and more evident everyday, it is sad that to this day, so many people still do not know the dangers of fast food. Diets consisting of excess saturated and trans fats and high levels of sodium and sugar can lead to all of the diseases mentioned above, and many people are still unaware. Channels such as TLC make things worse by promoting obesity in America with shows like “My 600 lbs. Life”, which shows a lot of Americans who are so out of shape that they physically can not move on their own. Instead of exposing the unhealthy habits which causes such immobility, the shows glorify the lifestyle and present it as something enviable. Though one's weight being so huge that it eliminates mobility may seem impossible and very drastic, such gains are caused by some of the same rituals which average Americans practice everyday. In a 2004 study published in "The Lancet," researchers found that eating more than twice per week at fast food restaurants is linked to a more significant increase in weight gain over time than what would exists during occasional visits (Mandal). The study noted that regularly eating fast food doubles your chance of developing insulin resistance, which heightens risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The number of people worldwide living with diabetes has more than doubled since 1980, from 153 million then to nearly 350 million in 2011, according to a report in "The Guardian” (Mandal). If the American food production industry cut back on sugary and fatty products and offered healthier choices, as well as banning the use of false and misleading advertising, they would easily be able to have a huge hand in reducing