English, Period 3
12 March 2013
The Effects of Fast Food
Gaining weight, high cholesterol, increased heart risks, headaches and depression are only a couple of the many effects of eating McDonalds for a month. This is exactly what Morgan Spurlock went through in his documentary, “SuperSize Me”, when he challenged himself to eat nothing but McDonalds for breakfast lunch and dinner while also supersizing his meal whenever asked. The harm done to his body in just one month was shocking. How fatigued he always felt, the vomiting and especially the drastic weight gain were obvious. This just goes to show that fast food is something that Americans do not know enough about when ...view middle of the document...
This is a problem because although consumers may not realize it, the consequences of eating fast food occur immediately after eating that cheese burger or fries. Meals high in saturated fat and sodium are bound to take effect right away. A new study, indicates that damage to the arteries occurs almost right after just one bite (Kirkpatrick). The data collected from the research on men eating a fast food meal of sausage, egg and cheese proved that the men’s arteries dilated 24% less than before. So basically, because of fast food and all its contents, endothelial function declines in as little as only one meal. Endothelial function, in simpler terms would be the arteries and the inner lining of blood vessels. With a declining endothelial function, blood clots are more likely to happen later on in life and severe heart risks are more common. Serious arterial damage can occur because of all of the bad ingredients in fast food. Based on more current evidence, there is a strong connection between eating out, consuming more calories and fewer nutrients and an increased risk of childhood obesity and chronic disease. To prevent serious effects of any fast food, it is better to not eat any at all. It is easy to simply make an original version of fast by making quick snacks on the go instead of stopping by McDonalds (Kirkpatrick). Consumers can replace a soda with a water, fries with some fruit and a burger with a healthy sandwich and so on. People have decisions on what they eat. It depends on whether or not the person is willing to ignore all the tempation of the fast food places around them and focus their diet on a healthier menu. Personally, I believe that fast food would not be an issue if it was not to conveniently placed pretty much everywhere where it is a quick stop for consumers.
Fast food affects the lives of people of all ages, especially children. As Jaime Holguin explains, “nearly one third of U.S children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food...packing on six extra pounds per year, increasing the risk of obesity”. It is not surprising that children have become the most affected by fast food because millions of dollars each year are spent on advertisements targeting kids. There is pretty much some type of kids meal in every fast food restaurant, which includes a toy. Thats like giving an incentive to a child for eating that junk. Different fast food places continue to arise making children’s levels of fast food consumption even higher than ever. One simple solution to this issue would be to curb food advertising aimed at children (Holguin).
As appealing as this looks, taking a bite of food like this regularly is like taking a bite of a life full of high cholesterol, blood clots, diabetes, heart disease and ultimately, heart failure (How).
It has come down to the industry taking over our food supply. Instead of people buying whole foods, or fresh foods, they tend to buy the popular processed fast food. Americans are currently living in a...