Food just happens one of the most important things in the world. It is the key to life and there are many varieties of it. There are healthier varieties as well as less healthy of varieties of all foods. Processed foods happen to be making the food industry very wealthy and are also making foods cut-rate, more captivating, and detrimental to one’s health. One might picture a candy bar, a bag of chips, or possibly a slice of pizza, yet there are many other types of processed foods that some do not perceive. Meat can be processed in baffling ways. Not only is processed food unhealthy, but some might say the process of making processed food is repulsive. Although processed food might …show more content…
taste better… does that make the food better? In 1926 Spam was introduced and used by soldiers.
The meat contained preservatives packed into a tiny container that prevented it from becoming inadequate as well as getting the soldiers proper nutrition. Spam was originally called “Hormel Spiced Ham”. In 1937 the recipe was changed and the product was renamed “Spam” which stood for “Shoulder of Pork and Ham.” In 1941 when M&Ms were introduced, the processed food industry was born. The very popular candy M&Ms were some of the first processed foods created (BarHarborFoods.com). The candy was used for soldiers in war to consume without getting their hands sticky. Later, Instant Coffee was created in 1945 to be shipped to soldiers in war as well. Spam, M&Ms, and Instant Coffee were some of the many processed food used during wars. Later in time, the popularity of television lead to T.V. dinners which were packaged frozen meals that were able to be microwaved. These would definitely be considered “revolutionary” in the food …show more content…
industry. The processed foods industry is a trillion dollar industry, and there are two types of processed foods included in this tremendous industry. There are Minimally-processed foods, such as frozen fruit and vegetables or canned fruit and vegetables, and there are highly-processed foods, such as cookies, soda, chips. The processed foods industry is very deceptive though. Companies will tend to deceive consumers into thinking their food is healthy, when they are using unhealthy ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial dyes. For example, KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese contains many dyes not mentioned on the box. "It is one of these brands that people think 'Oh, it is healthier. Or it is fresh.’ But if you look at the ingredients, it's just not." (Melanie Warner-TheHuffingtonPost.com). Fast food has been around since 1921.
The first fast food chain was White Castle, founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. White Castle was created so Americans got a better understanding of hamburgers. Originally most people thought that hamburgers were “cheap” and “low-quality” food. White castle helped change that perspective. They decided to build their original restaurants, so customers could see the food being prepared. They also named the restaurant “White Castle”, so people would think of the restaurant as pristine. White Castle is considered “fast food” and much of their menu items are processed. In 1941, the next fast food chain came along and revolutionized the industry… McDonalds. In 1948 McDonald's was established by the McDonald brothers. McDonalds sells lots of processed foods and most of their food items would fall into the category of “processed” and many of them are relatively unhealthy. Through the 1980s, fast food rose to popularity, dominating the food industry. “The problem with living in a fast-food nation is that we expect food to be cheap.” (Alice
Waters-Chezpanisse.com). Processed food does not just include food. It includes beverages such as soda, orange juice, and sweet-drinks such as Kool-Aid. Processed foods today cause obesity in many Americans. It is spreading in popularity through commercials, (such as the Doritos Superbowl commercial franchise), and cereal commercials often target a young audience for their products. Whether it is soda or any saccharine product companies are willing to spend billions. Big companies will try to make their food products or beverages more satisfying than organic or natural food. Most people would rather have a donut than broccoli, or a Capri Sun rather than milk. Why is that? Because of the flavorings in those foods and the innumerable amount of sugar that the foods contain. Hot dogs have slats and spices to make them tastier than natural meat. A classic novel titled “The Jungle” was published in 1906 by Upton Sinclair, and it exposed the nauseating side of the poultry processing industry. Food standards have changed though. With new standards, food is no longer able to be processed in ways that Upton Sinclair exposed. One of the most harmful additives is MSG. It is a flavor-enhancer used mostly in chinese food and can be found in food ranging from frozen meals to salad dressing. It is an excitotoxin, which means it over-excites your cells to the point of damage or even death. It leads to triggering learning disabilities, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Lou Gehrig's Disease and more. Free glutamic acid is the same neurotransmitter that your brain, nervous system, eyes, pancreas and other organs use to commence certain processes in your body. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)claims that consuming MSG in food does not cause these ill effects, though many other experts say otherwise. Therefore we can conclude that there are multitudinous types of processed foods. They are either considered minimally processed, or highly processed. Some processed foods can be harmful to one’s body; other Processed foods are not as baleful to health. Some of the first processed foods were M&Ms and Spam, and right around the same time, White Castle an American fast food chain was established. Artificial flavors and colorings are often added to increase the sale of the food item and increase the flavor of it. Some people do not care for processed foods. Andrew Weil would say, “Get people back into the kitchen and combat the trend toward processed food and fast food” (drweil.com). Other people rely on processed foods for their everyday lives.
The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food restaurants following the same basic ideal that is tasty foods served fast at a minimal cost (2011). Schlosser explains how fast food restaurants have gained substantial market share of the consumers; he also shows that by marketing to children and offering less unhealthful fare, that are purchased from mega-companies which are often camouflaged with added ingredients and cooked unhealthful ways, that these companies are indeed causing irreparable harm to our country (2004).
Just as Pollan mentions, the industries profit from people making poor choices. One of which is choosing processed foods over whole foods. Given the environment people live in, it is difficult to make healthier choices because processed foods, such as canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, packaged foods, fortified foods, and easy-to-prepare foods, constitutes of more than 75% of foods in grocery stores. Foods that go through such processing lose many of their nutritional values, while industries themselves believe that by processing food they are actually trying to preserve its nutrients and freshness. The public falls for this
In recent studies, it was discovered that most of the foods that Americans consumed are foods which had gone through so many processes and thereby losing most of its nutritional values. Unhealthy nutrients are also been added to foods as additive during production to either preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance. An individual cannot simply trust what he or she is consuming at a fast food restaurant or even a cheap prepared meal at a grocery store. Processed food or western diet needs to be replaced and totally taken out of the American life and diet; this will help the Americans to live a healthier life, and spend less on medical bills.
In her essay “In Praise of Fast Food”, Rachel Laudan discusses the differences between natural and processed foods and which are healthier. She also discussed her personal experiences with the topic. Laudan knows a great deal about this particular debate because she grew up on a farm eating “natural foods” as well as using natural recipes herself. “My culinary style, like so many people’s, was created by those who scorned industrialized food; culinary Luddites” (Laudan 331). She does not, however, completely agree that all natural foods are healthier than processed foods, using history as a large part of her argument. This essay had a very clear motive and made numerous key points about this debate, making it
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.
The greatest proliferation of fast food has received in America. The history of American fast food started in 1912, when the company Horn & Hardart opened the first diner of fast food under the name "Automatic" in New York. This way of eating has become wildly popular and revolutionized the field of nutrition. Fast food as an industry emerged in the 1920s in America. A pioneer in this field was the company “White Castle”, which opened in 1921 in Kansas. Specialty of this company was the burgers, which at that time Americans were a rarity. Potential buyers were especially happy with stable price for food. Despite the Great Depression, the Second World War and inflation the company until 1946 sold their hamburgers for five cents. When some visitors began to think about how harmful such foods can be, the owner of a network, Billy Ingram, invented a clever move. He hired several young people who for a small fee daily came in White castle in white coats, and they ordered hamburgers. Visitors mistook them for doctors and calmed down. If even doctors eat hamburgers, it means that it is really safe for health.
What the American culture is used to is eating three meals with a few snacks in between a day, and two out of the three meals usually involve eating meat. Most people don’t realize the risks of eating meat. Today’s medical experts say that avoiding meat helps you avoid saturated fat. They have found out from studies that women who eat meat daily have a fifty percent greater risk of developing heart disease than vegetarian women and a sixty-eight percent greater risk in men (staff writer). People may not know about serious diseases meat can obtain such as, mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease. In the September 1999 issue of the Emerging Infectious Diseases, approximately 76 million food borne illnesses- resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths occur in the United States each year from improperly cooked or diseased meat (Licher). That is a lot! You can also get salmonella poisoning from meat. People think that the problems come from eating red meat and are opting for fish over steak, but new evidence proves that fish can cause health problems too, risks that can’t be cooked away. This is a growing problem called histamine poisoning (Peck). Children are learning at a younger age that they don’t like meat, maybe because they don’t like the taste, or maybe it’s because they have a fear of eating their favorite cartoon or movie hero. For example, the pig from the movie “babe”.
Growing up in today’s culture offers more convenience than ever before. This fast-paced lifestyle unfortunately leaves little time for most to shop, prepare and enjoy healthy food. Many people find it easier to buy packaged, pre-made or fast food in place of more sustaining foods. In Paleolithic times humans were required to hunt meat, gather and forage vegetables, roots, seeds and nuts to live. These skills served up fare that was full of nutrition and sustenance. Today’s processed and sugar-laden foods offer convenience but at the cost of some health problems. A February 2009 study done by the Department of Medicine in the University of California, San Francisco, shows a remarkable improvement in
Let us discover together, what processed foods are and why they can’t measure up to the
Food has been a common source of necessity in our everyday lives as humans. It helps gives us nutrition and energy to live throughout our life. Over several decades, the development of making foods has evolved. They have changed from natural to processed foods in recent years. Nowadays natural ingredients are barely used in the making of foods like bread, cheese, or yogurt. The food industry today has replaced natural food making with inorganic ingredients. The cause of this switch is due to processed foods being easier, cheaper and faster to make. Artificial nutrition and processed foods have been proven to last longer in market shelves then natural foods. Also, due to artificial additives in processed foods they help satisfy consumers taste more than natural ingredients. The method of producing processed foods is common in today's food industry and helps make money faster and efficiently for companies. Examples of this can be found in all markets that distribute food. Even though processed foods may be easier and faster to make, they are nowhere near as healthy for consumers compared to natural foods. Natural foods are healthier, wholesome, and beneficial to the human body and planet then processed foods.
The story, In Praise of Fast Food, written by Rachel Laudan is an evaluation argument recommending healthy food choices in comparison to fast food. Laudan responds by sharing her experience with growing up on a farm and a child and eating food from her family garden. “Modern, fast, processed food is a disaster” (Faigley 302). In this writing selection, the author provided effective evidence to argue the inadequate safety of food today saying, “They built granaries, dried their meat and their fruit, salted and smoked their fish, curdled and fermented their dairy products, and cheerfully used additives and preservatives- sugar, salt, oil, vinegar, lye- to make audible foodstuffs” (Faigley 304). Food in the past was very different than what we have today.
Fierce and growing competition – big fast food companies like Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken are constantly competing with McDonalds for customers and trying to take the spot as the top fast food chain.
Food is “composed of synthetic chemical additives, such as colorings, preservatives, sugar substitutes and trans-fats” (Fitzgerald, 2006, p.72). Fitzgerald reported that by the “1970s most meats and dairy products that were factory farmed were laced with growth hormones, antibiotics and a range of pesticides” (p.72). Furthermore, food that is frozen, packaged and canned is considered processed food. A brief explanation of the chemical additives in processed food. 1.
Many people in America, from toddlers to the elderly, have shown numerous signs of bad health. People have the desire to keep on eating due to more, new things being merchandised as “new and improved items” from the producers. For example, nowadays, people are eating pure junk that they find satisfying on the grocery food shelf. As, stated by Michael Pollan, in his article, “Eat Food: Food Defined” he affirmed that “real food is the type of things that our
Fast food has changed the face of the world. Major chains like McDonalds span all over the world. Fast food chains are continuing to grow despite numerous facts of their unhealthiness. Fast food has been proven to be a dangerous food source, yet people continue to purchase it. The more people buy fast food the more it allows the big corporations to grow. People continue to eat fast food because there are no other convenient options.