People eat fast food because it is quick, accessible, tasty, inexpensive and time-saving. This was confirmed by a study of six hundred people living in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region of America. They were each offered a fast-food meal, after which they were asked to agree or disagree with eleven statements about why they eat fast food. However, fast food is a leading cause of disease. This issue is relevant to all Australians. How so? According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Australia has the fifth-highest obesity rates of any country anywhere in the world, at a very high figure of 24.6 percent. This means that almost one in every four citizens is clinically overweight. A high fat tax on fast food and unhealthy drinks may help slow the world’s rising rates of obesity, as a recent study published in the British Medical Journal suggests. The $2.50 price hike on cigarette tax in 2013 is expected to have stopped a quarter of a million Australians from smoking, as predicted by The Cancer Council. It is expected that a blanket tax on fast foods would work in the same way. According to the same study, a tax of just twenty percent on sugar-sweetened drinks could drop obesity rates by 3.5 percent and prevent 2,700 heart-related deaths worldwide every year. Fast food has negative effects which include cardiovascular and liver disease, cancer, asthma and type two diabetes. The average Australian consumes about three grams of salt more than is the daily recommendation. Doctor Robert Grenfell, National Cardiovascular Health Director of the Heart Foundation, said that cutting the average daily salt intake by this extra three grams would prevent around six thousand Australian deaths per year from hear... ... middle of paper ... ...mplex issue than a tax which has failed its previous trials. Works Cited http://abcn.ws/1glN41P http://bit.ly/1h5VhCk http://bit.ly/OJfOWC http://bit.ly/1kSdXKe http://bit.ly/1h5VtSa http://bit.ly/1jld9vu http://bit.ly/1pdrT1j http://bit.ly/1dD4WPY http://bit.ly/1gBDcuQ http://bit.ly/1mnz6Pd http://bit.ly/1gnL3SR http://huff.to/1pkUYbj http://bit.ly/1hSGNaq http://bit.ly/1oMwh99 http://bit.ly/1f4CJlt http://bit.ly/1enPWca http://bit.ly/OLUNu3 http://bit.ly/1oJXMQO http://bit.ly/1glNd5r http://bit.ly/OyTaA7
Obesity can be caused by a combination of fast food and the environment people live in today. Fast food contains foods that are high in fats, sugars, and starches. These ingredients have rarely any nutritional value to the human body. Most of the foods available at fast food restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC contain concentrated salt and preservatives to enhance the flavor in them. Obesity has become the defining aspect of our nation by surrounding the people with fast food products. The freedom to choose what one wants, gives the fast food companies the right to give one unhealthy food. The consumption of fast food products regularly greatly increases one’s chance of having health disparities such as Coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers, stroke, Hypertension, and Osteoarthritis. These negative effects are present with the daily eating of fast foods.
Canada has a problem with obesity and a solution should be established. Junk food is easily accessible and because of this, low-income families are more likely to buy bigger quantities of it due to lower costs. Obesity can lead to diseases and serious illnesses, some of the most likely illnesses to get from obesity include Type 2 Diabetes, Uterine Cancer, and Gallbladder Disease. While these illnesses and diseases are bad, the population of people that have them can be decreased by decreasing the amount of sugary, carbonated, and high sodium foods humans consume. Junk food should be taxed because it will decrease consumption and reduce obesity rates as well as incidence of diseases, while the revenue generated by these taxes can be used to
Obesity has become an epidemic in today’s society. Today around 50% of America is now considered to be over weight. Fast-food consumption has been a major contributor to the debate of the twenty-first century. Chapter thirteen, titled “Is Fast-Food the New Tobacco,” in the They Say I Say book, consists of authors discussing the debate of fast-food’s link to obesity. Authors debate the government’s effects on the fast-food industry, along with whether or not the fast-food industry is to blame for the rise in obesity throughout America. While some people blame the fast food industry for the rise in obesity, others believe it is a matter of personal responsibility to watch what someone eats and make sure they get the proper exercise.
In conclusion, this essay has provided a variety of facts on how fast-food industry is becoming the new tobacco. In addition, how the poor eating habits adopted by Americans are at their worst and culminating to health complications. Therefore, there need be more medical interventions dealing with challenges such as diet drugs, food substitution, and alternative food restaurants. The government should also advocate for foods and services that are more informative to the consumer on matters nutritional characteristics and safety standards in foods, all in all it is common sense that majority of Americans have poor feeding habits in comparison to those who follow health diets making fast food the new tobacco.
Every month, at least ninety percent of Americans visit a fast food restaurant and about forty- five percent of them make it a weekly occurrence. These statistics make it safe to say Americans are obsessed with fast food, but why are Americans addicted to these restaurants? Is it the low prices, quick service or the taste of the food? According to Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side off the All-American Meal, he believes “It’s easy, it's filling, and it's convenient and inexpensive.” Therefore, the consumption of fast food is now directly correlated to the obesity epidemic in America. Consequently, the recent obesity increase in the United States has labeled America the fattest country.
Candelaria states in her article, “Eating a Western diet with lots of processed or fried foods that can raise blood levels of “oxidized” cholesterol and could increase heart attack risk”. Since fast food contains a surprisingly high amount of sugars it can aid in causing type two diabetes, especially if eaten over long period of time. Diabetes may contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease and blindness (Candelaria). Frequent consumption of processed, fatty foods may lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, which may result in a stroke. Also, an obese person is associated with a higher prevalence of acquiring asthma as well ...
The obesity in the UK is the highest in Europe and according to dozens of researchers the rate would possibly increase sharply in the next few years. Obesity is due to an unhealthy lifestyle, too much junk food and lack of activity. Poor health leads to many diseases such as high blood pressure heart disease, cancer, etc. Obesity impacts people’s living standard and also effects wider society. With the aim of preventing the rise of obesity, governments have taken action by introducing a new fat tax, a tax which is focused on high sugar content food. In this essay I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of fat tax, and conclude with my opinion.
The post is suitable to read for anyone who would like to find facts about the relation of fast foods to the high rates of obesity in the states. The audience should expect the author to clearly state out point why fast food is not the primary cause of obesity. The author should also clearly state reason why there has been an increase in obesity levels. This should help the reader in clarifying that fast food is not the primary cause. The purpose of this text is to ensure that the reader understands the relation to fast food and obesity levels. I believe that in many ways, the author can be referred to as a defender of fast food in the blame for causing obesity.
In order to ensure a healthy eating lifestyle for citizens the government should impose taxes on junk foods and drinks that are that are less in nutritional value than what is recommended to be consumed by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The extra money from junk food taxes can be used to subsidize actual healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables that seemed to be high priced. Unhealthy foods tend to lead to obesity and health risks. According to Alexandra Sifferlin, (a reporter for TIME who covers health-related issues) “42% of the population will be obese by 2030, which is based on a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”. Many problems will accompany obesity, such as Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes and other health risks. While this proposal seems purely beneficial, it is not that simple to just impose a tax on what is deemed healthy in order to benefit the vast majority of people in the United States. There are many variables and factors that have to be considered if this proposal is to be put into effect.
American life is quick paced and busy. Americans want quick reliable transportation, quick internet connection, quick money, quick healing, quick weight loss, quick energy, and even quick service from the restaurants they eat out at. When a busy person is looking for a quick, easy food, fast food is usually the best option. The main food at a fast food restaurant is usually a burger and French fries. Fast foods restaurants are popular in America because they are inexpensive and served very quickly. There’s no problem with eating fast food every so often, but if a person is eating it almost every day, it can lead to serious health concerns. Americans love to eat. However, it is important to understand that what goes into one’s mouth can affect the rest of the body. Fast food has brought a change into American lives. Hunting for food was once a full time job for humans. Today, such thoughts have become ancient. Food is delivered at the footsteps of your door. In addition, fast food's easy access has strongly contributed to the epidemic of obesity. Furthermore, the marketing of fast food through the media has become big business.
Typically, countries such as America are trying to become a healthier nation despite of what they are accustomed to. America has been conditioned to the lifestyle of eating fast foods and ultimately has became an important part of their culture. Fast food restaurants such as Mcdonalds, Burger King, and KFC represent the image of America from the views of foreign countries. Since fast food is becoming abundant in America, they have picked up the trend of eating not only three meals a day but now four. This is problem because of how unhealthy fast food is: “Fast food is an affordable and convenient way to fill yourself up when on the run. Although you shouldn't feel guilty for an occasional indulgence, regularly eating fast food can seriously damage your health.” (Lee, par. 1). Many of these fast food restaurants are open 24 hours a day to encourage people to eat their fourth meal. Similarly, restaurants have made all you can eat options, including unlimited ice cream, pizza, fried chicken, and more. This specific type of food is readily available and extremely cheap in America, therefore Americans take advantage of this by consuming food without culture or tradition. In other countries, food has a greater importance and is more valued. Moreover, they look down on A...
Scientists claim that the consumption of fast food leads to rapid weight gain, heart attacks, diabetes, reduced immunity, irreversible changes in the liver, raising the level of cholesterol in the blood. The fat contained in fast food, mainly consists of saturated fatty acids, which are deposited on the walls of blood vessels.
Obesity is a big social issue in America. Due to the popularity of fast food and other unhealthy foods, more and more Americans are developing health diseases and disorders. We should be getting the correct daily nutrition amount, but because of our fast paced lifestyles we sometimes do not have enough time. Fast food restaurants make it possible to grab a meal and go. We often do not pay attention to the nutrition amount, but are simply looking for a quick bite to eat that will fulfill our hunger. Fast food is assisting in the increase of obesity in America (“Phrase” par.2).
In today's society, fast food has become a large part of many American's lives. With the rising numbers of obese people, it is hard not to draw a correlation between the increase in fast food and obesity. Most obese people don’t want to be obese and wish they could lose weight, yet they continue to struggle with their fast food intake and obesity. This is due to the advertising done on the consumers, the highly addictive food itself, and most importantly, how advertising and addiction combine with children to form habits that are kept once they become adults. These factors are the reasons that fast food restaurants are to blame for the rising obesity and health risks across America. The government needs to step in and place regulations on these fast food restaurants so they will stop taking advantage of people's weaknesses.
In America over 300,000 people are obese and that number continues to grow because the about of junk food that is being consumed. This cost the economy one hundred billion dollars. That more damage done than smoking or drinking. (Crowley, Michael 5) There are other health problems, such as heart diseases, chronic diseases, and type-two diabetes that occur because of junk food. Increasing the price of junk food, by adding tax, researchers hope that this will prod people to reject unhealthy foods. Taxes will also encourage a healthier lifestyle, even in low-income families (Franck, Caroline 2).