Analysis Of Mark Bittman's Article: Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

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There has been withstanding controversy about whether fast food is easier on the pocket than eating home-cooked meals. Take McDonald’s for instance, they’re notorious for their convenient and affordable dollar and value menus. Since you can get a burger for just $1.19, feeding a family of four should be inexpensive right? Mark Bittman, author of “Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?” argues otherwise. He claims that fast food is not at all cheaper than buying a few groceries and cooking at home. He expresses the different myths about fast food like how it is supposedly cheaper than real food when measured by the calorie, the mentality of people that if it isn’t fast food, it has to be costly organic food, and that there just isn’t enough time to cook at home. These myths followed by genuine factors such as addictions and a cultural impact, help Bittman prove his argument’s validity across to his audience. I have to say that Bittman proved his argument’s effectiveness, for he clearly stated his thesis and provided various reliable He states that the alternatives to fast food don’t have to be grass-fed beef and organic veggies, but instead pretty much anything that’s healthier than junk. To help with his argument, Bittman refers to Marion Nestle, a professor of food studies at New York University and author of “What to Eat”, where he quotes her in paragraph 7 stating, “Anything that you do that’s not fast food is terrific; cooking once a week is far better than not cooking at all.” With this being said, she promotes the idea of easing into healthy eating even if it’s only once a week. This source is useful since it indicates that taking the initiative to eating healthier and following through takes time, but stands beneficial in the long

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