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Fast food vs healthy food abstract
Effects of fast food on health
Fast food and its effects on health essay abstract
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When an American household questions, “What are we having for dinner?” a conventional American response is simply, “I am not sure.” There are so many delicious and convenient food choices to choose from in America, but that delicious convenience can have detrimental health effects later in life. With today’s technology it is very simple to find a healthy recipe, purchase the healthy ingredients, and enter the kitchen for meal preparation. Notice that whichever choice is made, it requires its own sacrifice. The diversity between fast and healthy food include convenience, cost, and overall health effects. Any individual living in America has crossed this dilemma on more than one occasion. Anytime convenience is paired with food, it automatically …show more content…
Where does “food cost” rank on the list of saving money in America. According to “Society of Teachers of Family Medicine” food devours a substantial amount of the American household income, and fast food is more expensive than preparing the well-planned healthy meal. Studies show shopping and preparing wholesome meals can add up to being half the cost of purchasing fast food meals throughout the day. If a household spends $10,000 per year on fast food, but could have spent $5,000 per year on a healthy home cooked meal, convenience charged that household a colossal $5,000 annual fee. A different perspective can always be taken in this area. For example, if that home cooked meal is being prepared with organic ingredients and the fast food directly from the dollar menu, we have a completely different argument. A WebMD article notes organic foods can cost 50 to 100 percent more than non-organic groceries. In short, the cost of the two food genres can always be up for debate, it is just matter of what works for the …show more content…
The average fast food combo can pack a whopping 1,100 calories, more than half the daily 2,000 calorie intake! Eating three meals of this nature a day cannot possibly be good for an employee who sits at a desk all day. What role do these foods play inside your body? According to the Obesity Action Coalition the number of obese Americans have doubled with fast food consumption. Obesity leads to higher chances of heart disease and several significant health issues later in life. Another example of fast food costing the consumer it’s hard earned money through health care. Preparing food at home gives more nutritional options, such as better portions and lower levels of fats and sugars. More healthy home cooked meals may help lower the American obesity trend. In brief, preparing food at home allows the individual to know what they are consuming and fast food consumers are gambling with their health. Fast food and healthy food effects the American culture differently through convenience, cost, and health. There are many factors that determine what an individual consumes as fuel for the body. Most fast foods are direct opposites of healthy foods; sometimes healthy foods are not reality for that shift working mom of five kids. Planning meals ahead is very ideal, but is not always reality. Sometimes fast food is a life saver
There has been 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-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.
In today’s society Americans want everything quick and cheap, so the question stands what is a quick lunch and what is available for an economical price? Americans live in a world that surrounds us with fast food restaurants. Two of the most well known restaurants for fast food restaurants is McDonald 's and Checkers. Far from what we imagined, McDonald 's and Checkers have huge differences. Most people perceive them just as the same fast food restaurant with different names. For this reason, they create debates on which one of them is the superior restaurant and which one is the more economical price. Though neither of these companies provides the healthiest foods for Americans the question stands, which one is for lunch today? Even though,
Fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society. Everywhere you turn you can see a fast food restaurant. An industry that modestly began with very few hot dog and hamburger vendors now has become a multi-international industry selling its products to paying customers. Fast food can be found anywhere imaginable. Fast food is now served at restaurants and drive-through, at stadiums, airports, schools all over the nation. Surprisingly fast food can even be found at hospital cafeterias. In the past, people in the United States used to eat healthier and prepared food with their families. Today, many young people prefer to eat fast food such as high fat hamburgers, French-fries, fried chicken, or pizza in fast
Forty-eight percent of individuals who cooked dinner six to seven times a week consumed 2,164 calories, 81 grams of fat and 119 grams of sugar daily. They were also able to conclude that those who consumed home-cooked meals depend less on frozen foods and are less likely to choose fast foods. However, as explained in, “Tasting food, tasting freedom: excursions into eating, culture, and the past” Sidney Mintz explains in chapter eight that the majority of Americans often choose to eat out at fast food joints because of the convenience of these meals. Mintz states that these meals are usually diets, “high in animal protein, salts, fats, and processed sugars, low in fresh fruits and vegetables, drinking more soda than tap water.” This is where cultural, and social aspects create conflict when attempting to switch to this healthier lifestyle (although it is feasible). Depending on an individual’s schedule, it will either be an easier switch to make home-cooked meals, or just another difficult task to accomplish throughout the
In the United States, Food is one of the basic needs of life.We tend to spend tons of money every year to buy food. Consuming food reflects America’s culture in the United States. In America, Fast food is a way to enjoy delicious food made with sugar, fat and salt. It’s impossible to back away from eating good tasting food. Unfortunately, this is leading to major destruction. In the human life, food procurement, preparation, and consumption have devoted to an art form.Spite the terms of “America has a food problem,” it shows that our nation is unable to produce and supply safe, nutritious food in a way where it sustains our global population. Health Issues are a result of over consumption, which lead to portion sizes, and food production.
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.
There is no surprise that food is important in all aspects of our lives—it is shared amongst families, celebrated as a major part of our culture, and crucial to our daily routine that keeps us fit, healthy, and active. Today’s western culture glorifies a skewed perspective on how food is supposed to fit into our lives. Somehow this perception has led us to believe we no longer have the time or money it takes to prepare a wholesome, healthy meal that is shared at the dinner table with family. Instead, we are trained to want a meal that is fast, cheap, and easy. This meal is usually highly processed and filled with sugars and fats. This has led us to a problem of epidemic proportions characterized by the rapid increase in obesity and diabetes.
According to resent studies, Americans eat fast food for the convenience, mostly in the Western and Eastern part of the USA and people that cook and eat at home they are more traditional, for example in the Midwest. Fast food has been part of life in the USA for over 60 years. It has become extremely popular by Americans simply for the convenience.
Eating habits have become a cause of obesity because most people in America decide to take the fast route. Fast food has become so prevalent in the day to day lives of so many families and individuals. The cost and convenience of fast food has led to an increase in consumption, which does not help our cause. According to Carey Polis’ article in The Huffington Post, fast food is about $550 cheaper per year than choosing the healthy option. That means people are more likely to choose a cheeseburger from McDonald’s over fresh fruit and vegetables from the produce section at the grocery store. Along with how cheap it is to get our hands on fast food, the convenience makes it even more difficult to resist. With a fast food restaurant on every corner of every block in town, it makes it much easier for someone to pick up on a meal on their daily commute rather than actually trying to cook something healthy. Choosing fast food is not the most nutritious way to go either. Fast food is filled with sugar, fats, salts, and calories. It is usually low in nutrition and high in what are considered to be “empty” calories. By definition obesity is caused by the excess in...
Many people all around the world and especially in the United States are paying money to poison their own bodies. Fast food is a major problem in the United States. Many people are attracted to fast food restaurants because of their low prices, but fast food is the cause of many health issues and is the main reason for the growing population of obese individuals in America. Although fast food can be a good option for a quick and cheap meal, fast food is very bad for the human body because it is full of questionable ingredients and can cause obesity, heart disease and raise cholesterol.
First, looking at high calorie, high fat content, and hidden sugar meals, have you ever took into consideration how fast food meals are prepared or for that matter what is the difference in how you would cook your own meals at home. Fast food restaurants, their meals are high calorie dense foods with added ingredients we would not knowingly truly put into our bodies. For instance, “fast foods from most major chains contain unacceptably high levels of industrially produced trans-fatty acids” (Stender S). The International Journal of Obesity did chemical analyses of 74 samples of fast food menus in 35 countries from 2005-2006, not all fast foods are created equal their findings revealed that “fat content of 41-65g at McDonalds and 42-74g at KFC” (Stender S). Preparing meals at home could cut the fat and sugar content in half. Sugar
Similar to other junk foods, fast food is unhealthy, and causes obesity and weight gain. Fast food plays a major role in the obesity epidemic. Researchers at Harvard University predict that obesity rate in the United States is going to increase by 42 percent in the year 2050 (Healthy Eating). A factor that contributes to the increase in obesity is all of the children being fed fast food. They start at a young age, and then form it as a habit or addiction. According to the article, children who eat fast food every day are consuming too many extra calories than re...
People think that the price of fast food is cheaper than a home-cooked meal. Although many people like to eat fast food because of it is inexpensive and tasty, the actual price of the fast food is not exactly same like the menu. The price of fast food sounds affordable, but actually it is quite expensive. This is because people are influenced by the fast food restaurant’s advertisement. It illustrates the price of a set of fast food is affordable compared to cooking at home. When people go to the fast food outlet, they realize the price at the bill is not as same as the advertisement stated. The price is even higher than the price stated at the advertisement. Although the fast food advertisement provides the information that the price of fast food is low, the price in the advertisement does not include the tax and tips. On the other hand, cooking at home is much cheaper than eating fast food. It is always affordable, healthier and more emotional fulfillment when eating at home and cooking ingredients compare to eating out (Warner, 2015). The people only need to buy the ingredients and cook it by our own.It is always affordable because people only need to pay ingredients and cook it at home. There are no tax and extra tips! If people prepare their food in large quantities at home, it is more economical than buy several sets of fast food. According to Yeager (2010), “A family that commits to eating at home can save $3000 in one year and eat just as well,” (p. 52). Save and
A typical fast food meal is very high in calories and fat , and it doesn 't offer that much of the nutritional value. In addition, fast food contains a lot of artificial colors , preservatives and chemicals . In most cases, fast food can lead to many diseases such as obesity, which is a major risk factor for so many health problems. For example, heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol. So, Fast food does really have a direct impact on the overall health. In the same way, many people think it is cheaper to buy a fast ready meal which it is not true. There are so many additional cost of fast food related to health such as obesity and heart disease. So,basically, you pay more for fast foods. In addition, you can go to any fast food restaurant and get a meal for five to ten dollars a person. However, you can feed multiple people for the same price by cooking at home. Also, there would be some leftover ingredients for future usage. It is good to know that fast food is addictive, which means you spend more money buying fast food. That being said, fast food is not really cheaper as people assume. It is actually more expensive as it leads to many additional cost
Most fast food places have disproportionate calories in each meal. Fast food and periods of long inactivity are to blame for over weigh problems (Driscoll, UCLA newsroom). Most teens use fast food as a quick way for meals that are completely full fat. (Driscoll, UCLA newsroom) Most fast food places have excessive calories in each meal that can be treacherous to health.(Driscoll UCLA newsroom) Some fast food meals have more calories than the recommended in one day. Nearly three-quarters of California teenagers live in areas overcrowded with fast food places.(Driscoll, UCLA newsroom) .Consumption of fast food and soda leads to excess calories. The more fast food places in one town the more teens are at risk to eat unhealthy. Teens in unhealthy neighborhood (like those filled with fast food places) were 17% more likely to drink a soda every day. (Driscoll UCLA newsroom)