Jermissia Mack

English 21003

October 4,2020

                                                      Fast Food Restaurants and Their Risks

The Risks and Effects of eating Fast Food when consumed at a high rate can cause major health

issues such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, High Cholesterol, and many more. Based on the

knowledge I’ve gained from this research, I will be more cautious at avoiding fast foods by eating more

healthier and more organic foods at home.

“Would you like to super-size your meal for just $2.00 sir or take advantage of our promotion and

get 2 cheeseburgers with a medium fries and medium drink for just $5.30 that’s including the tax” says

the employee at the burger king restaurant is what customers hear when they approach the counter.

You order a burger and they ask you if you would like to try their new chicken fries for an extra $1.00

because there’s another promotion going on. It sounds good doesn’t it, but you know in your mind

you’re not supposed to have so many calories and you ask yourself is it worth it.

Have you noticed that there are a huge number of fast food advertisements everywhere you look?

When you step outside its posts and bans everywhere. There’re on billboards, buses, taxis, in train

stations, television, magazines, the radio and so much more. For some time now, there’s been a much

easier way to get your fast food delivered to you. Apps have been developed where these things are just

a click away. It increases the number of people who consume their foods by 30% due to their food

arriving at their doorstep compared to them going to the actual restaurant and physical ordering and

having to wait when they can just sit at home and have someone bring it instead.

Another issue is the aroma draws you into the restaurant. When you walk into the restaurant and

smell the food knowing how it already tastes you want to order all you can from the menu. When you

consume the food, the taste is so addictive, filling and so affordable it makes you want to buy more.

Living close to any fast food restaurant doesn’t make it any better because knowing that it’s so close

that may be the first thing you think of buying to eat when you step outside. This brings us to our third

problem.

What kind of ingredients are in their foods? Lately, if you look at the foods you are ordering they

tell you how many calories are in each order. The food is very high in sodium, fat, calories but is very

cheap. As we know food like this may cause obesity, high blood pressure, many other diseases, if

consumed at a high rate and cause health issues.

When was the last time you made a home cooked meal? We find ourselves with busy schedules

and have little or no time at all to prepare a meal at home but instead, we find ourselves getting what’s

most convenient to us, which is fast food. Now are we thinking if it’s a healthy choice, not really, fast

food has become very high in demand and because of that, the fast food industry has been growing

rapidly. Whereas, we see a fast food spot outside of everything train station. The industry is making it so

hard for us to just pass by without second guessing if to go into the restaurant or not. For people that

drive they made it super easy where you can just drive up, order through a speaker, pay and get your

food within 5-10 minutes. Also, there are apps created where food can just be delivered with just one

click and it’s at your doorstep. If you pay attention to the television for every commercial that cuts you

movie off for that 5-minute period there is a commercial on fast food in high definition, so we can see

the structure of each burger or French fry etc. Looks good doesn’t it, makes you want to just head over

there or pick up the phone and order if applicable. What makes things worse is that most are becoming

available 24/7. Choosing fast food over home-cooked meals isn’t a wise choice at 3 am just because it

closes by or a meal made in 5 minutes not knowing its content.

Dr. Hyman stated in his blog that 70% of Americans are fat and that the food made with sugar,

fat, and salt can be addictive. Especially when its combined in secret ways the food industry doesn’t

share or make public. Because the fast food industry adds these ingredients it makes consumers want

more. Have you ever seen the show ‘My 600lb life’? This is a perfect example of what happens to

individuals that consume fast food at a very high rate. It is all based on how good the food taste and

how much it satisfies them. When you look at these people some of them suffer from depression and

low self-esteem. They eat because it makes them happy. They can barely take care of themselves and

need assistance with their daily living. Scientists have discovered that fast food for many has become

just as addictive as drugs. The more they consume it is the more they get addicted to the substance.

Let’s start by looking at the five most popular Fast Food Restaurants: McDonald’s, Burger King,

Popeyes, KFC and Wendy’s. Some ingredients they all have in common are Citric Acid, High Fructose

Corn Syrup, Caramel Color (yellow no.5, yellow no.6 and red no. 40), Salt, Monosodium Glutamate or as

we know it as MSG, Niacin, Soybean Oil, Mono- and Diglycerides, Xanthan Gum and Chicken. These are

all high in sodium, salt, sugar, cholesterol, and fat. U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention

studies have shown, while looking at the data from a previous survey there were findings of adolescents

averaging 12.4% increase in daily calories being fast food. The average calorie intake for an adult is 2000.

Many of these fast foods are very high in calorie which puts the average ages 2 to 19 at a 34% rate of

fast food intake on a given day.

In some cases, where health is involved, there has been a very high rate of diabetes. With the

consumption of fast foods, it has been very difficult for the age groups 20 and above to maintain a

healthy diet. Whereas we know the fast food nation has been targeting the minority communities for

years. 11% of Americans have become obesity because of lack of exercise which has caused many health

issues. The body’s immune system has a harder time trying to fight off bacteria or viruses when you lack

eating proper foods or exercising. Reports have shown that 9.4% of the U.S. population has been

diagnosed with diabetes since the year 2015. The CDC states that Diabetes is reported to be the seventh

leading cause of deaths in the U.S. and has been on the rise.

Interviews were done with 2 individuals with 2 different body types within different age groups.

Age groups 18-23, consider fast food to be on the go food. They buy it because it’s faster to receive

without having to cook themselves and it is convenient. The individual that seemed a

bit overweight stated, “I love the taste, the smell and it’s so good makes me want to buy more for later”.

Notice her reasons sounds like an addiction to fast food. Yet she does realize how much this is affecting

her health and body. The other individual within ages 25-31 he claimed: “it’s cheap, it tastes good and

you don’t have to wait a long time for it, but I only get it if I don’t cook”. Between the two individuals,

we can tell who’s the healthier one.

Over the years, fast food demand has been on the rise and so has obesity. Many adults think its

ok to feed their children fast food instead of cooking a healthy meal. Some families take what they think

is a cheaper route by getting a quick burger with fries to satisfy their cravings. Little did they know, even

though there isn’t a long wait time for the food and the prices may be affordable the money they spend

does add up and when you look at the situation you may be spending more money on fast food

restaurants then you would if you were to buy groceries and make a healthy meal at home. Everyone

should be more aware of how much a high consumption rate cannot just cause obesity or diabetes, but

it can cause heart diseases and so much more.

While digging further into my research, there is a movie on Fast Food Nation which gives us

a little insight of the fast food industry, how their foods are processed and the way they attract their

customers to buying what we think is food. Maybe it would shed some light on the things you are

putting in your body and some of the effects if taken lightly.

We all understand fast food taste good and smells even better but we need to consider that the

frequent consumption can damage one’s health due to excessive weight gain. As we know it can cause

cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases and some much more including the inability to

control your appetite. So as appealing as it may look, the cheap prices and aroma think about your food

choices, your health and the things that come along with eating fast food. Do you think it’s worth having

a premature death due to unhealthy decisions?

References

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-report.html

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/food-and-health/fast-food-health-risks/

https://www2.123movieshub.cloud/film/fast-food-nation-20916/watching.html?ep=336539v2