That colorful pyramid of “mypyramid.gov”, and the serious green-shaded, beheaded pyramid on the back of the U.S. 1 dollar bill are held in the hands of the cherub faced person “X”. One pyramid is on bread, the other is hanging loosely in the back pocket of X’s Levi’s jeans that create a most unappealing muffin top. X is a luxury model of human. X is the conglomerate reflection of the American killing-processing-eating machine. X is the foreigner who gains 20 pounds on the first year of residence, X is that acne prone, stress induced, pharmacy dependent, fast food guzzling machine.
X wants to blame others for the problems that he suckles and chews on. Maybe X will venture to the idea that both the green pyramid and the rainbow pyramid have plotted the demise of X. Maybe, thinks X, these pyramids had foreseen the profit of the market in which 1 meat patty composed of hundreds of animals, plus a strip of stomach from another animal, plush a bun made of sugar, wheat and corn, can be sold for $1 to create a multibillion dollar industry that cannot afford to pay the workers of the soil a decent wage to live on. Cheap food is a lie that X promises to X. -Daniella Lopez
I'm not going to lie, I LOVE fast food. It's quick, cheap and gets the job done when you're on the run or short on cash. Many Americans choose these types of eateries because of the excess commercial we see/hear all over the television and radio. There's at least one Mcdonald's or Wendy's within a one-mile radius of the place you are standing in. If Healthier foods were promoted more through the media, i believe our eating habits would change for the better.
Also, fast food tends to be extremely cheap and with today's economy how it is, people are trying to reduce their expenses. Eating healthier is a little more expensive. For example, you go into Whole Foods to buy groceries and two bags of items alone will cost you no less than $100. Not everyone has to go buy their groceries there but, they do offer a wide variety of organic healthy foods.
This is the other problem when eating healthier; many people think it means to strictly eat only greens and veggies. Like that, they easily become bored of the same meals repeatedly. With variance comes expense as well. A vegan cheesecake made out of Tofutti (imitation cream cheese composed of soybean, curd, and tofu) and EnerG (egg replacer containing potato starch and tapioca flour) is going to be more expensive than a regular cheesecake you can find at a local supermarket; since the production of the vegan cheesecake is more costly and the ingredients are harder to find.
Unfortunately, unless we open up an organic fast food restaurant or do more advertising in which a heallthier life style is promoted; we won't be seeing change anytime soon and the poor animals used for their taste will still be slaughtered.
I love McDonald’s, BK, and all those other fast food joints but I don't think the advertising is the only reason why we go there for a meal. People don't want to waste time cooking something healthy or waste money on "organic" costly foods. So they go here where they can get a quick on the go meal that won't wear a hole in your wallet. Besides if you take a look at the advertising commercials for these same fatty fast food places you'll notice they're all coming out with "healthy choices" like salads, chicken wraps, and yogurt cups. But do you really think the salad you’re eating from McDonald's is any better than a dollar menu cheeseburger? Just because its meat free and green doesn't mean it’s healthy, take all those extra topping you put on it like the dressing, walnuts, and croutons. Once you add up what you putting on it, the "healthy" factors are no more, and let’s face it no salad is good without dressing.
Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm a total carnivore. It may be fattening but that's only if you eat too much of it. Meat is also very important for a diet. All those healthy vegetarians and vegans don't understand that your body needs the protein that you obtain through meats so they end up with protein deficiency. therefore they take medication as a substitute for the protein they’re not getting, but it's never going to be as good for your health as the protein meat provides. We need to learn how to balance our diets, veggies and fruits are very good for you, but you should also take in meat.
"The way we farm now is destructive of the soil, the environment and us," says Doug Gurian-Sherman. Now my question is; if our farms soil and fertilizers are so filled with chemicals and messed up by global warming then doesn’t this also affect our vegetables? We go to the grocery store and buy fresh vegetables from the area labeled “organic” because it’s supposed to be good for us. But if our soil is being…well soiled by chemicals, as well as our fertilizer used to also plant our vegetables then is what where eating really organic and healthy? Or are we just wasting our money on expensive “organic” foods that are filled with chemicals just like the ones under the cheaper, non-organic section.
I think this is a very informative article for everyone that lives in the United States. Having lived in another country makes it easier for me to see the big difference between the diet Americans follow, and the one Latin Americans for example; do. I lived in Peru for twelve years, and it is very unusual for people to eat fast food there. People take homemade food to school or work as their lunch. I was amazed when I came to Miami and saw how often people would eat Burger King or McDonalds. I think that a good way to try to decrease obesity in America would be if every single school required a nutrition or health class. Showing people what’s behind the food we eat, will open their eyes and make them realize how bad they are affecting their health. They will be more informed, and try to better their diets. I completely agree with the article when it says that foods should be free from additives because they can create cancer and other diseases. Not only that, but natural foods taste so much better. In my opinion, fast food restaurants are the biggest cause of obesity in America. They should get rid of them and try to open up places with healthier food.
I have to admit that I'm guilty of the fast food epidemic. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to cook much since between taking the kids to school and going to class afterwards myself, then picking them back up in the afternoon and then going to work...it's just plain tiring. I also have to say that I do manage to squeeze in some home cooked food in the weekends. But if there were some healthy serving restaurants out there, I'd definitely give them a try. As most people would agree, I don't want to be a statistic; but with all those McDonald's and Burger King's out there, it makes eating healthy darn hard.
It is certain that America's notoriously known for its overweight and obese population due to the lack of proportionality and rational senses on the amount of food one consumes. Essentially, individuals are strongly selfish and ignorant because they have a tendency of obtaining anything they desire in order to satisfy his or her appetite and hunger despite of the consequences. For years many individuals have mistakenly read the food production pyramid because they perceive what they want to believe. It is true that meat and oil used to be at the top of the pyramid, however how many people took the time to actually understand that the pyramid is read from the bottom to the top; thus, consuming more grains, vegetables, and fruits and less of oil and meat. By this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was compelled to give the pyramid a new look and message that vividly demonstrates the largest and smallest amount of servings one should consume. Nevertheless, many people are unaware of the changes because they stick to what they want to believe and not caring about how fast food restaurants are able to operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It is sad that many people do not concern themselves with the environmental problems that ensue from hungry desperate people. Society's norms are very susceptible to give American people what they crave, not caring about the pollution and drastic measures that nature undergoes. Soon we will no longer have a healthy environment to inhabit for the unhealthy inconsiderate bastards that are encouraging the mass production of unhealthy meat have brought damage and destruction amongst themselves. Despite the profuse amount of harm that has already been done, I believe that many Niman families and ranches can bring support, awareness, and closure to this environmental predicament and madness because nature is in dire need of those individuals who are willing to help. Perhaps by demonstrating that bad nutrition leads to heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes or in other words that their eating habits will inevitably bring death amongst themselves, there may be a good opportunity of preserving and sustaining the sacredness and beauty of life.
Time, money, facilities, and some others factors can be counted as reason why, even though some people know or are conscious about the consequences that fast food produces, people still consumes their products. This article is an eye opener, and brings up two facts that emphasize the irony of food consumption. The origin of the meat is, indeed, a good evidence of the problem it brings since the animal is raised with chemicals that later on become addictive but aren’t the vegetables growing in a soil covered in chemical fertilizer as well!? So can we really blame the meat consumption as part of obesity or is it the chemical ingestion (indirect ingestion) that causes obesity!? . In fast food restaurants, the principal component is not just the meat itself, but how it is cooked; most of the products on sale are fried or are high in calories products which cause obesity. This kind of restaurants just offers a quick, cheap, unhealthy (of course, but not that many mind) way to eat while bombarding with commercials with their “good products”, but in the end, it is up to each of us whether to keep with a healthy alimentation or to ignore it. If people keep blaming others, the only conclusion I can come up with, is that they don’t posses some kind of reasoning or consciousness about what is good for them (eating terms) so they just follow whatever others, in this case the media, offers without an analysis first. After all is easier to point a finger rather than take the blame.
What I find that's so sad about our food is that the US government have the power to make changes in the foods we consume, however, it all comes down to saving money OUR MONEY. The government allows companies to put "something" in our processed and other foods that the human body cannot digest, neither was it ever made to digest it, ever heard of "partially hydrogenated". This item is slipped in almost everything item on our store shelves, from cookies, cereal, chips, margarine/butter, anything precooked and frozen, but yet when we look at labels we see something that says "no trans fat", therefore we think we're ok. NOT SO. Start paying attention to the ingredients list, you'll see "partially hydrogenated" plastered about on most anything you pick up to put in your basket. This is something that just collects and builds in our arteries that causes strokes, heart attacks, cancers and other life threatening illnesses. As long as this product is listed under a certain (0.5) gram per serving, companies can legally advertise on their products that the food has no trans fat, when in fact it does. The govt thinks this is ok to do, without properly educating the masses, they do not provide us with real facts so we can make informed decisions as to what we choose to put into our bodies. The government isn't really concerned with obesity and our health, I feel it's only about the almighty dollar which seems to be their bottom line.
The way meat is harvested for consumption can't be expected to be acted on differently. Put out as many animals as possible, who cares how they are treated or housed, they are going to slaughtered anyway. Shoot them up with antiobitics/toxins that make them grow overnight, killed them at 7 weeks, 3-5 months, the meat will be fresher, more tender. Feed it to the people, we know damage it does. So what you’re eight year daughter has breast and hips as of a full female adult, forgot about what these ingested antibiotics will do to her hormones, she’s not my kid. Mass production is the way to go, right. WRONG, in so many ways, sooooo wrong. These agencies the FDA, Dep of Agriculture, and other powers that be ought to be ashamed as to how they treat their constituents, after all it is our (taxpayers) money that goes to these foolish tactics of mass production and yet we don't have any real say-so because most of us are kept in the dark about the truth behind the production of our foods.
Yes, fast food for the most part is scrumptious and a quick fix, but I believe if most Americans knew how these foods were prepared, seasoning etc. I think we would be more food conscious, and would not be so quick to get that quick fix, then again maybe some would still choose poor cheap fast food options. However, I truly believe that it all begins with education. KNOWLEDE IS THE KEY.
Fast food company are increasing rapidly in the USA. People don't have time to cook after a hard day at work. Just driving by McDonald sounds easier than slaving over a hot stove the whole day . As fast food company expand , obesity is rising. America loves to eat. There is a variety of foods you can choose from. On the way to work or school, there are three or four fast food companies on your side. Businesses such as McDonald, Burger King, Wendy's , KFC, Taco Bells and many more. The smell of fresh done burgers makes your mouth drop . With time and money being so hard , people just simply drive up or get there food to go. There are many things we can do to help the community. Society is mostly affected by the media. Displaying healthier choices on TV , and demonstrating how it's a healthier way of living . American can be a lot more healthier. Animals are becoming endanger due to our greed. In areas, where over populated animals are rise for food can lead to mutations and sickness.
It is somewhat annoying to hear people complain that buying healthy foods has become too expensive and that there’s an economic recession surrounding all of us and therefore, they can’t afford a healthy diet. But what about having McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and other fast foods for a week? Doesn’t that become expensive too? Surely, it does. Most of us are ambitious people, we get what we want often, and we get it the easy way. Maybe this is why we’re addicted to fast foods. If we truly wanted to be healthy and live long we wouldn’t care how much we had to spend on food because after all eating healthy will benefit us and that extra price would be worth it; that price is contributing to our health. Personally, if there’s an option out there offering me a long, happy and healthy life then in that case I’ll take it no matter the price. There are so many benefits to eating healthy. You can feel the difference physically, mentally, and emotionally. I understand we all live busy lives but would it hurt to choose the apple over the fries? Or the organic chicken for the tempting juicy grease-filled burger that will later clog my arteries and slow me down throughout my day? I also believe that there is very little publicity when it comes to healthy foods. T.V commercials are usually announcing new deal meals for fast food restaurants. In my opinion, if we want America to stop being the number one country suffering from obesity and a mess more of other illnesses than we should stop making so many of these commercials! It would be wise if the media exposed the public to restaurants offering healthy food choices and inform us about the dirty facts of what fast foods can do to our health and bodies. Maybe then, we wouldn’t mind making a 30 second all-fruit smoothie, instead of stopping by McDonald’s for a $1 dollar Sausage Mcmuffin. It’s about time we start learning how to take care of our bodies starting with the way we eat.
In my opinion a combination of the economy and the easy availability of fast food restaurants is what make them such an epidemic in the United States. Now days it is convenient and much more economical for an individual to purchase dinner at a nearby fast food restaurant than to have to go to a grocery store pick items and actually prepare a meal at home. Although it is unhealthy I believe that the central issue of it all is money people are only concerned on how to get by at this moment the quickest and most economical way possible not really so concerned on the future. I’m sure if there were healthier fast food stores at the prices of these big name fast food chains many people would choose to go a different route.
In the world that we live in today, we live on the run. We spend more time in the streets then we do at home. Either we are at work or school so when we are hungry that first thing that comes to mind is fast food. The fast food industry is rapidly going because we as Americans are always on the go. Even restaurants like Chili’s and Denny’s has a to go or on the run menu. We find these places to be quick and efficient. Personally, I leave my house at eight in the morning and do not return to 1 am. I have no time to cook and so what do I rely on is fast food. Now that I am 21, I feel like I’m 60. I am tried very quickly and out of breathe. The only way now that I can get back into shape is by joining a gym and trying to cut back on the fast food. Obesity is affecting the world we live in but we as humans need to make the right decisions.
It is horrendous how they treat the little pigs. The government should regulate the inhumane treatment of farm animals raised for food purposes. Fines and criminal prosecution strictly enforced against farmers who abuse the animals would curb this practice. However , the government would first have to declare this cruel treatment of livestock as illegal.
It will probably take widespread exposure to the public by mass media to create a change in the laws that ignore these practices. Secretly recorded video of the conditions in which these animals are held would give the public a eyeful of disgust. also, an analysis of the toxicity of the meat produced by these abused, hormone treated and pesticide sprayed animals might convince the public to boycott the retailers that buy this meat and ultimately place the farmers in a position that they stop these practices. Leydi Escobar.
Buying fast food seems like a habit that will never end for Americans. The reasons behind it being most Americans are pressed for time. The advantage that all these fast food places offer is that we can pick-up a sandwich or a taco at the nearest location and be on our way to work or school without shaving more than a couple minutes of our time. In the end, if all is done in moderation then the issue would not be as bad as it is. The problem occurs when day after day the same American sees their fast food joint as a regular routine stop and lets it become a part of their life. They create an unhealthy addiction that could probably be avoided if they wake up earlier to make a sandwich in the morning to take to work or school, something they may not want to do out of comfort or cost inconveniences. I believe a lot depends on our culture. I grew up in a relatively Hispanic household and everything was homemade, so rarely did we eat fast food. In contrast, a child that was given money every day to go eat out because his parents were too busy to make them food will grow an addition overtime that continues the trend that most Americans can no longer break.
Approximately three years ago, I made a seriously drastic change to my diet. I became a vegetarian. To the best of my ability, I try to consume wholesome foods. And though I do not eat meats, I do, on occasion, enjoy my fair share of junk food. I shouldn't, but living healthy somehow gets a little tougher on the weekends. I could, perhaps, point the finger at my peers. It makes sense. Their eating habits are far different from mine. The blame could also be handed to brainwashing corporate America, the FDA, commercials I've seen on television, or even Ronald McDonald. But deep down, I am fully aware of the naked truth. The choice is mine. I do not recall ever waking up with "The King," on my bedside shoving a BK breakfast down my throat. The information is readily available. No excuse is valid. We have the knowledge, the time, and plenty of healthier options to choose from. Maybe what we lack is simple. Will power.
Bro bacon is delicious. I love it and cant imagine not eating it atleast 10 times a year. The problem is we are brought up on this stuff. When I was a child going to mcdonalds was like going to disney world. Now we try not to eat it so much , but it is cheap and tastes so good. I think that it would be really, really hard to try and just change the masses perception about fast foods. Right now many people dont eat right and gain alot of weight. This is a epidemic here in america that wont be easy to change, and were just gonna eat ourselves into the fattest country in the world record.
How many of you prefer cooking than buying a hamburger at McDonald? I’m pretty sure the majority of you would buy the sandwich instead of preparing a healthy food. Cooking at home is significantly less expensive than eating out, and you also be able to cut down the hidden fat and sodium that’s packed into a hamburger. People who buy cheap food most likely get sick easily. Why choosing the bad way for our precious life? Today let’s make another choice by eating an apple or orange instead of drinking a soda; baked, grilled or broiled chicken than fries chicken. Eating healthy would increase your life expectancy, spend less money at hospital, avoid being obese. It can be very easy to eat well, if you develop a healthy choice right now. Believe it or not, your body would thank you later.
Fast Food is indeed one of the most eaten foods by most of us Americans. Whether we “drive thru” a Mc Donald in the morning due to lack of time to prepare our meals at home, or we are frequent customers of these restaurants. Their “cheap” food satisfies our appetite, our wallets, and time. Certainly these facilitating factors in our daily life do contribute in the easy flow of our day; nevertheless they also play a great role on exterminating society’s health. Lamentably most fast food comes from fattening sources, high in calories which obviously don’t contribute with a balanced diet. American society is obese (generally speaking). I believe that a big portion of this ongoing issue is due to the media (advertisement) which display fast food, such as burgers, as a meal to go “crazy” for, and apparently "good" for you. Evidently they don’t indicate the bad factors and consequences of eating it. Nonetheless, in the other hand, no one is forced to eat it, we have the options of choosing healthy food.
I consider that the “cheap” justification of “junk food is cheaper than healthy food” is not true. People use this vague excuse to go for the easier, and at the end the worst selection. You will most likely spend less or equal amount of money if you buy healthy food instead of junk food. You may spend less going for the dollar menu options, yet you will probably eat more than once a day. At the end of the day, you will probably spend more than cooking at home, and of course deteriorate your health. There are ways to shop smart, and I am certain that in the long run avoiding a “drive thru” will save your extra money and maybe your life.
It's relatively simple to blame fast food consumption on the "lazy" american who doesn't want to cook. Or even the "cheapskate" whose main concern is to save a couple of bucks that day. However I feel that there are demographic as well as socioeconomic concerns that have a tendency to be overlooked. Take for example the low-income area of unincorporated North Dade (or the Tri-Rail Transfer Area), is this area not riddled with fast food joints and other potential heart attacks? Well take a look at the demographics of the area. There are a multitude of hispanics and african as well as haitian americans most likely living off of minimum wage. Do you believe these people have the choice of driving to Coral Gables and eating in the newest Vegan Shop? Or Even venturing to a Whole foods? A lot of fast food places prosper where money is tight and give low income families a chance to get something to eat at all. Unfortunately this is the reason for Diabetes, Obesity ,and Cardiovascular disease in poor neighborhoods (which create problems of their own). Although it would be ideal to feed those with lower incomes healthy tofu and steamed vegetables, it is cheaper to hack up a couple thousand pigs and cows to grind into a burger.
The upbringing of animals that are slaughtered for the purpose of fast food is revolting and unethical. The animals face cruelty and are raised to be slaughtered to turn into the next 99 cents hamburgers. Americans need to be more aware of the food they are putting into their bodies and eat healthier, as the famous saying goes, “ you are what you eat”. Unfortunately companies use many strategic commercials and advertisements pushing their products onto us consumers. For example, commercials late at night, shortly after dinner, just when the food starts settling, causing a person to get hungry and drive to the closest fast food branch and settle with an unhealthy meal. People are unaware of the impact this meal has on one’s body Another obstacle to eating healthy is the cheapness and convenience in comparison to cooking better quality meats or chicken. . Fast food might be easy and convenient, yet it’s truly bad for an individual’s health to eat on a daily basis. In addition, the convenience and cheapness is only right now, but if one continues eating this way without a balanced nutritional diet they will end up paying a lot more in medical bills and spending abundant amounts of time dealing with they’re health. One must be aware of the reason for the price difference of a burger in McDonald’s or Burger King to a better and healthier meal choice. A fast food burger may not be harmful if eaten every once in a while, but eaten daily can be extremely unhealthy. Therefore one must have a healthy diet and exercise daily.
Why is it that in the U.S. we typically associate obesity with the consumption of fast food? In reality fast food isn't the sole cause for obesity. In fact, a person can consume McDonalds everyday and not become obese. We gain weight according to our calorie consumption/burn ratio. If we consume more calories than what we burn on a daily basis then it is logical that we will gain weight. The reason why fast food has such a negative connotation is due to their unhealthy ingredients which contain trans fat and can cause diabetes. Although I believe that we choose to eat what we want regardless of our economic situation, I do pawn some of the blame on the media. Fast food Franchise's invest billions of dollars a year in order to promote their heart attacks waiting to happen; but we as consumers are the ones who buy into these commercials and take money out of our pockets in order to keep these franchises wealthy. What if instead of Burger King and McDonalds promoting their $0.99 nuggets and mouth watering whoppers; they promoted slaughter houses and factory farms like the one that appears on the post? Would people keep buying fast food? The answer is yes, they probably will, but not at the alarming rate that we are accustomed to. Less and less people will consume fast food and before you know it these franchises are going to have to begin to attract their audience in a healthier and environmentally friendly way. The preeminent question remains. Can we do something to stop the chaos? Can we prevent situations like these to continue from happening? The answer is yes we can; but unfortunately we probably won't.
The article is dead on as it relates to the state of the American diet. We are an overweight nation because we are not as educated as we should be about nutrition. The FDA as a governing body is guilty for not setting the standards for how fast foods are cooked and for the types of ingredients they allow these foods to be made up of and cooked with. They give the green light to the big corporations to dictate what is done and how it is done without regard to the consequences.
Although it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual to make sure they follow a good diet, I can't shift all the blame on the individual. Convenience, affordability, and visibility are all words that come to mind when it comes to fast food. Fast foods are cheap, readily available and highly visible. There is a fast food restaurant at every corner and tons of commercials controlling the airwaves.
How come they have to make fast-food so unheathly and sell them to the consumer very cheap. If there was any fastfood place that only sell heathly food and its cheap i think everyone would go there instand of the non-heathly restursnts.
"Mens sana in corpore sano". If it is not impossible, it is at least difficult to have a healthy mind without a healthy body. One depends on the other, and no doubt that a healthy body requires a good and balanced nitrition. Some people for some reasons choose the bad habit to buy only fast food for themselves and their families. They don't think about the regretful consequences this routine may have on their health condition: high level of cholesterol, obesity, etc. The cost may be higher if one takes into account the households' waste of money, and the pollution. It is not too late to stop this practice and accelerate a campaign for a better diet. Fast foods profit only to the owners of the great companies. The most important thing for them is to get benefits even though their fast, cheap, and bad food are actually killing consumers. This is one of the consequences of materialism. Mark Lynas wrote in 2007: "If materialism is the new God, I'm an atheist".
Why do we eat fast food? Many would say because of the economy, or maybe because there is no time. Well has it ever come to mind that after eating fast food every day, it will all add up (about $30 a week). Sure the economy is bad but there are many things that can be cooked to last, do leftovers come to mind? Of course the food pyramid is very colorful, but it is not hard to follow. Maybe our generation is just lazy. We like the easy way out of things. After work, no one wants to think about what they are going to cook, especially if there are other mouths to feed. Then again, many of us are hypnotized by the juicy burger on television or the ice cream; advertisement has a lot to do with our choices. It’s no wonder why the U.S. is one of the top countries suffering with obesity.
Has one ever noticed what is in almost all of one’s food? Most of the time one will find out that it doesn’t contain what you may expect it to have. In a single fruit juice there are several chemicals that cannot be traced back to anything natural. One ingredient that is poisoning most of our citizens in the U.S is High Fructose Corn Syrup. It is an ingredient that is known to cause cancer and diabetes. So why is it in almost all of our foods if it is so damaging to our body? One thing that is certain is that the cheaper the food the more it is contaminated with artificial chemicals. In most low-income communities, the cheaper alternative is the only direction they can afford. Another sector that is also affected by these “foods” are the less educated consumer. A person who doesn’t know that their McDonalds big Breakfast can give them high cholesterol in a year if they eat it every day, wouldn’t think twice about eating it. It’s like an addiction, the foods at the moment taste great, but they are designed to be that way with all the chemicals. Our senses fool us once again and the actuality of the food deceives us. - Miguel Ramos
All of the cheep food that is consumed world wide directly contributes to a growing amount of obesity and to depreciation of the land that is taken up for irresponsible procedures of agriculture. Why is it that humanity allows their health, and the health of the land that is supposed to feed the future generations to plummet with no real enthusiasm to fix it? It simply would be too expensive for society to invest in future developments when resources are used to sustain immediate issues at the moment without further evaluation of future consequences.
There is no reason for the starvation in this world, other than the lack of monetary profitability. More time and money should be invested into the building of skyscrapers used for the production of futuristically and current effective agricultural means. With these kinds of facilities, the international population could have a more progressive means of nourishment. Ultimately, If there was more abundant food sources, agricultural farmers would not be able to sell their products. Consequently, agricultural farming institutions would most likely not favor these methods of proactive food production and abundance.
Reality of the matter is that our fast-paced generation no longer has time to go out to publix to buy the ingredients to fix a hot meal at home, much less sit down at the dinner table and enjoy a meal with the family. Many choose a quick fix fast food meal as opposed to a home meal because it is not only usually more affordable but it is a quick solution to hunger. Healthy foods tend to be expensive, boring, and tedious to prepare. However fast food places are usually extremely affordable, quick, and there is, unfortunately, a wide variety of places to choose from.
Although what we do is detrimental to the future of other species, the majority of us never really sit down to ponder on what happens to the animals we are eating. It is sad that our affordable fast food meals come at the expense of animals. The way these animals are treated is extremely sad and unethical, but nothing will change since it brings home the bacon.. literally.
The truth is that most of us are guilty in indulging in fast food as opposed to a healthy meal. However, our eating habits are not likely change due to our lack of time and care.
In society today, fast food is inevitable. Everyone loves fast food. It's cheap, and easy to pick up when you're in a rush. It's happened to me many times where I'm rushing to get to work on time and the easiest and fastest way out seems to be ofcourse fast food. I believe this article is very interesting. Many people today aren't aware of what type of food they're consuming nor do they know the consequences that come after consuming it. It is true that advertisement plays a big role but everyone including myself should make an effort in decreasing the amount of fast food we consume. Fast food is an addiction and it is the number one reason why the USA is the most obese populated country.
Fast food is horrible. No one should fast food. I don't know who in the right mind would consider this food in anyway. No normal human being would live past two months if all they ate was fast food. People that say they live in a rush and don't have time to cook are simply just lazy, because if someone wanted to live healthy they would wake up 30 minutes earlier or go to sleep 30 minutes later in order to be able to cook. It's all a matter of will. If you want to eat healthy and be healthy it all lies within you.
32 comments:
That colorful pyramid of “mypyramid.gov”, and the serious green-shaded, beheaded pyramid on the back of the U.S. 1 dollar bill are held in the hands of the cherub faced person “X”. One pyramid is on bread, the other is hanging loosely in the back pocket of X’s Levi’s jeans that create a most unappealing muffin top. X is a luxury model of human. X is the conglomerate reflection of the American killing-processing-eating machine. X is the foreigner who gains 20 pounds on the first year of residence, X is that acne prone, stress induced, pharmacy dependent, fast food guzzling machine.
X wants to blame others for the problems that he suckles and chews on. Maybe X will venture to the idea that both the green pyramid and the rainbow pyramid have plotted the demise of X. Maybe, thinks X, these pyramids had foreseen the profit of the market in which 1 meat patty composed of hundreds of animals, plus a strip of stomach from another animal, plush a bun made of sugar, wheat and corn, can be sold for $1 to create a multibillion dollar industry that cannot afford to pay the workers of the soil a decent wage to live on.
Cheap food is a lie that X promises to X.
-Daniella Lopez
I'm not going to lie, I LOVE fast food. It's quick, cheap and gets the job done when you're on the run or short on cash. Many Americans choose these types of eateries because of the excess commercial we see/hear all over the television and radio. There's at least one Mcdonald's or Wendy's within a one-mile radius of the place you are standing in. If Healthier foods were promoted more through the media, i believe our eating habits would change for the better.
Also, fast food tends to be extremely cheap and with today's economy how it is, people are trying to reduce their expenses. Eating healthier is a little more expensive. For example, you go into Whole Foods to buy groceries and two bags of items alone will cost you no less than $100. Not everyone has to go buy their groceries there but, they do offer a wide variety of organic healthy foods.
This is the other problem when eating healthier; many people think it means to strictly eat only greens and veggies. Like that, they easily become bored of the same meals repeatedly. With variance comes expense as well. A vegan cheesecake made out of Tofutti (imitation cream cheese composed of soybean, curd, and tofu) and EnerG (egg replacer containing potato starch and tapioca flour) is going to be more expensive than a regular cheesecake you can find at a local supermarket; since the production of the vegan cheesecake is more costly and the ingredients are harder to find.
Unfortunately, unless we open up an organic fast food restaurant or do more advertising in which a heallthier life style is promoted; we won't be seeing change anytime soon and the poor animals used for their taste will still be slaughtered.
-Wendy H. Alonso
I love McDonald’s, BK, and all those other fast food joints but I don't think the advertising is the only reason why we go there for a meal. People don't want to waste time cooking something healthy or waste money on "organic" costly foods. So they go here where they can get a quick on the go meal that won't wear a hole in your wallet. Besides if you take a look at the advertising commercials for these same fatty fast food places you'll notice they're all coming out with "healthy choices" like salads, chicken wraps, and yogurt cups. But do you really think the salad you’re eating from McDonald's is any better than a dollar menu cheeseburger? Just because its meat free and green doesn't mean it’s healthy, take all those extra topping you put on it like the dressing, walnuts, and croutons. Once you add up what you putting on it, the "healthy" factors are no more, and let’s face it no salad is good without dressing.
Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm a total carnivore. It may be fattening but that's only if you eat too much of it. Meat is also very important for a diet. All those healthy vegetarians and vegans don't understand that your body needs the protein that you obtain through meats so they end up with protein deficiency. therefore they take medication as a substitute for the protein they’re not getting, but it's never going to be as good for your health as the protein meat provides. We need to learn how to balance our diets, veggies and fruits are very good for you, but you should also take in meat.
"The way we farm now is destructive of the soil, the environment and us," says Doug Gurian-Sherman.
Now my question is; if our farms soil and fertilizers are so filled with chemicals and messed up by global warming then doesn’t this also affect our vegetables? We go to the grocery store and buy fresh vegetables from the area labeled “organic” because it’s supposed to be good for us. But if our soil is being…well soiled by chemicals, as well as our fertilizer used to also plant our vegetables then is what where eating really organic and healthy? Or are we just wasting our money on expensive “organic” foods that are filled with chemicals just like the ones under the cheaper, non-organic section.
I think this is a very informative article for everyone that lives in the United States. Having lived in another country makes it easier for me to see the big difference between the diet Americans follow, and the one Latin Americans for example; do. I lived in Peru for twelve years, and it is very unusual for people to eat fast food there. People take homemade food to school or work as their lunch. I was amazed when I came to Miami and saw how often people would eat Burger King or McDonalds. I think that a good way to try to decrease obesity in America would be if every single school required a nutrition or health class. Showing people what’s behind the food we eat, will open their eyes and make them realize how bad they are affecting their health. They will be more informed, and try to better their diets. I completely agree with the article when it says that foods should be free from additives because they can create cancer and other diseases. Not only that, but natural foods taste so much better. In my opinion, fast food restaurants are the biggest cause of obesity in America. They should get rid of them and try to open up places with healthier food.
In the meantime, Wendy, how about your health?
I have to admit that I'm guilty of the fast food epidemic. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to cook much since between taking the kids to school and going to class afterwards myself, then picking them back up in the afternoon and then going to work...it's just plain tiring. I also have to say that I do manage to squeeze in some home cooked food in the weekends. But if there were some healthy serving restaurants out there, I'd definitely give them a try. As most people would agree, I don't want to be a statistic; but with all those McDonald's and Burger King's out there, it makes eating healthy darn hard.
It is certain that America's notoriously known for its overweight and obese population due to the lack of proportionality and rational senses on the amount of food one consumes. Essentially, individuals are strongly selfish and ignorant because they have a tendency of obtaining anything they desire in order to satisfy his or her appetite and hunger despite of the consequences. For years many individuals have mistakenly read the food production pyramid because they perceive what they want to believe. It is true that meat and oil used to be at the top of the pyramid, however how many people took the time to actually understand that the pyramid is read from the bottom to the top; thus, consuming more grains, vegetables, and fruits and less of oil and meat. By this, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was compelled to give the pyramid a new look and message that vividly demonstrates the largest and smallest amount of servings one should consume. Nevertheless, many people are unaware of the changes because they stick to what they want to believe and not caring about how fast food restaurants are able to operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It is sad that many people do not concern themselves with the environmental problems that ensue from hungry desperate people. Society's norms are very susceptible to give American people what they crave, not caring about the pollution and drastic measures that nature undergoes. Soon we will no longer have a healthy environment to inhabit for the unhealthy inconsiderate bastards that are encouraging the mass production of unhealthy meat have brought damage and destruction amongst themselves. Despite the profuse amount of harm that has already been done, I believe that many Niman families and ranches can bring support, awareness, and closure to this environmental predicament and madness because nature is in dire need of those individuals who are willing to help. Perhaps by demonstrating that bad nutrition leads to heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes or in other words that their eating habits will inevitably bring death amongst themselves, there may be a good opportunity of preserving and sustaining the sacredness and beauty of life.
For previous comment.
Time, money, facilities, and some others factors can be counted as reason why, even though some people know or are conscious about the consequences that fast food produces, people still consumes their products. This article is an eye opener, and brings up two facts that emphasize the irony of food consumption. The origin of the meat is, indeed, a good evidence of the problem it brings since the animal is raised with chemicals that later on become addictive but aren’t the vegetables growing in a soil covered in chemical fertilizer as well!? So can we really blame the meat consumption as part of obesity or is it the chemical ingestion (indirect ingestion) that causes obesity!? . In fast food restaurants, the principal component is not just the meat itself, but how it is cooked; most of the products on sale are fried or are high in calories products which cause obesity. This kind of restaurants just offers a quick, cheap, unhealthy (of course, but not that many mind) way to eat while bombarding with commercials with their “good products”, but in the end, it is up to each of us whether to keep with a healthy alimentation or to ignore it. If people keep blaming others, the only conclusion I can come up with, is that they don’t posses some kind of reasoning or consciousness about what is good for them (eating terms) so they just follow whatever others, in this case the media, offers without an analysis first. After all is easier to point a finger rather than take the blame.
Denisse U.
What I find that's so sad about our food is that the US government have the power to make changes in the foods we consume, however, it all comes down to saving money OUR MONEY. The government allows companies to put "something" in our processed and other foods that the human body cannot digest, neither was it ever made to digest it, ever heard of "partially hydrogenated". This item is slipped in almost everything item on our store shelves, from cookies, cereal, chips, margarine/butter, anything precooked and frozen, but yet when we look at labels we see something that says "no trans fat", therefore we think we're ok. NOT SO. Start paying attention to the ingredients list, you'll see "partially hydrogenated" plastered about on most anything you pick up to put in your basket. This is something that just collects and builds in our arteries that causes strokes, heart attacks, cancers and other life threatening illnesses. As long as this product is listed under a certain (0.5) gram per serving, companies can legally advertise on their products that the food has no trans fat, when in fact it does. The govt thinks this is ok to do, without properly educating the masses, they do not provide us with real facts so we can make informed decisions as to what we choose to put into our bodies. The government isn't really concerned with obesity and our health, I feel it's only about the almighty dollar which seems to be their bottom line.
The way meat is harvested for consumption can't be expected to be acted on differently. Put out as many animals as possible, who cares how they are treated or housed, they are going to slaughtered anyway. Shoot them up with antiobitics/toxins that make them grow overnight, killed them at 7 weeks, 3-5 months, the meat will be fresher, more tender. Feed it to the people, we know damage it does. So what you’re eight year daughter has breast and hips as of a full female adult, forgot about what these ingested antibiotics will do to her hormones, she’s not my kid. Mass production is the way to go, right. WRONG, in so many ways, sooooo wrong. These agencies the FDA, Dep of Agriculture, and other powers that be ought to be ashamed as to how they treat their constituents, after all it is our (taxpayers) money that goes to these foolish tactics of mass production and yet we don't have any real say-so because most of us are kept in the dark about the truth behind the production of our foods.
Yes, fast food for the most part is scrumptious and a quick fix, but I believe if most Americans knew how these foods were prepared, seasoning etc. I think we would be more food conscious, and would not be so quick to get that quick fix, then again maybe some would still choose poor cheap fast food options. However, I truly believe that it all begins with education. KNOWLEDE IS THE KEY.
Fast food company are increasing rapidly in the USA. People don't have time to cook after a hard day at work. Just driving by McDonald sounds easier than slaving over a hot stove the whole day . As fast food company expand , obesity is rising. America loves to eat. There is a variety of foods you can choose from. On the way to work or school, there are three or four fast food companies on your side. Businesses such as McDonald, Burger King, Wendy's , KFC, Taco Bells and many more. The smell of fresh done burgers makes your mouth drop . With time and money being so hard , people just simply drive up or get there food to go. There are many things we can do to help the community. Society is mostly affected by the media. Displaying healthier choices on TV , and demonstrating how it's a healthier way of living . American can be a lot more healthier. Animals are becoming endanger due to our greed. In areas, where over populated animals are rise for food can lead to mutations and sickness.
Claudia Hernandez
It is somewhat annoying to hear people complain that buying healthy foods has become too expensive and that there’s an economic recession surrounding all of us and therefore, they can’t afford a healthy diet. But what about having McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and other fast foods for a week? Doesn’t that become expensive too? Surely, it does. Most of us are ambitious people, we get what we want often, and we get it the easy way. Maybe this is why we’re addicted to fast foods. If we truly wanted to be healthy and live long we wouldn’t care how much we had to spend on food because after all eating healthy will benefit us and that extra price would be worth it; that price is contributing to our health. Personally, if there’s an option out there offering me a long, happy and healthy life then in that case I’ll take it no matter the price. There are so many benefits to eating healthy. You can feel the difference physically, mentally, and emotionally. I understand we all live busy lives but would it hurt to choose the apple over the fries? Or the organic chicken for the tempting juicy grease-filled burger that will later clog my arteries and slow me down throughout my day? I also believe that there is very little publicity when it comes to healthy foods. T.V commercials are usually announcing new deal meals for fast food restaurants. In my opinion, if we want America to stop being the number one country suffering from obesity and a mess more of other illnesses than we should stop making so many of these commercials! It would be wise if the media exposed the public to restaurants offering healthy food choices and inform us about the dirty facts of what fast foods can do to our health and bodies. Maybe then, we wouldn’t mind making a 30 second all-fruit smoothie, instead of stopping by McDonald’s for a $1 dollar Sausage Mcmuffin. It’s about time we start learning how to take care of our bodies starting with the way we eat.
Yessica Ardila
In my opinion a combination of the economy and the easy availability of fast food restaurants is what make them such an epidemic in the United States. Now days it is convenient and much more economical for an individual to purchase dinner at a nearby fast food restaurant than to have to go to a grocery store pick items and actually prepare a meal at home. Although it is unhealthy I believe that the central issue of it all is money people are only concerned on how to get by at this moment the quickest and most economical way possible not really so concerned on the future. I’m sure if there were healthier fast food stores at the prices of these big name fast food chains many people would choose to go a different route.
Yanelis Gonzalez
In the world that we live in today, we live on the run. We spend more time in the streets then we do at home. Either we are at work or school so when we are hungry that first thing that comes to mind is fast food. The fast food industry is rapidly going because we as Americans are always on the go. Even restaurants like Chili’s and Denny’s has a to go or on the run menu. We find these places to be quick and efficient. Personally, I leave my house at eight in the morning and do not return to 1 am. I have no time to cook and so what do I rely on is fast food. Now that I am 21, I feel like I’m 60. I am tried very quickly and out of breathe. The only way now that I can get back into shape is by joining a gym and trying to cut back on the fast food. Obesity is affecting the world we live in but we as humans need to make the right decisions.
It is horrendous how they treat the little pigs. The government should regulate the inhumane treatment of farm animals raised for food purposes. Fines and criminal prosecution strictly enforced against farmers who abuse the animals would curb this practice. However , the government would first have to declare this cruel treatment of livestock as illegal.
It will probably take widespread exposure to the public by mass media to create a change in the laws that ignore these practices. Secretly recorded video of the conditions in which these animals are held would give the public a eyeful of disgust. also, an analysis of the toxicity of the meat produced by these abused, hormone treated and pesticide sprayed animals might convince the public to boycott the retailers that buy this meat and ultimately place the farmers in a position that they stop these practices.
Leydi Escobar.
Buying fast food seems like a habit that will never end for Americans. The reasons behind it being most Americans are pressed for time. The advantage that all these fast food places offer is that we can pick-up a sandwich or a taco at the nearest location and be on our way to work or school without shaving more than a couple minutes of our time. In the end, if all is done in moderation then the issue would not be as bad as it is. The problem occurs when day after day the same American sees their fast food joint as a regular routine stop and lets it become a part of their life. They create an unhealthy addiction that could probably be avoided if they wake up earlier to make a sandwich in the morning to take to work or school, something they may not want to do out of comfort or cost inconveniences. I believe a lot depends on our culture. I grew up in a relatively Hispanic household and everything was homemade, so rarely did we eat fast food. In contrast, a child that was given money every day to go eat out because his parents were too busy to make them food will grow an addition overtime that continues the trend that most Americans can no longer break.
- Charles O.
Approximately three years ago, I made a seriously drastic change to my diet. I became a vegetarian. To the best of my ability, I try to consume wholesome foods. And though I do not eat meats, I do, on occasion, enjoy my fair share of junk food. I shouldn't, but living healthy somehow gets a little tougher on the weekends. I could, perhaps, point the finger at my peers. It makes sense. Their eating habits are far different from mine. The blame could also be handed to brainwashing corporate America, the FDA, commercials I've seen on television, or even Ronald McDonald. But deep down, I am fully aware of the naked truth. The choice is mine. I do not recall ever waking up with "The King," on my bedside shoving a BK breakfast down my throat. The information is readily available. No excuse is valid. We have the knowledge, the time, and plenty of healthier options to choose from. Maybe what we lack is simple. Will power.
Angelica Valencia
Bro bacon is delicious. I love it and cant imagine not eating it atleast 10 times a year. The problem is we are brought up on this stuff. When I was a child going to mcdonalds was like going to disney world. Now we try not to eat it so much , but it is cheap and tastes so good. I think that it would be really, really hard to try and just change the masses perception about fast foods. Right now many people dont eat right and gain alot of weight. This is a epidemic here in america that wont be easy to change, and were just gonna eat ourselves into the fattest country in the world record.
How many of you prefer cooking than buying a hamburger at McDonald? I’m pretty sure the majority of you would buy the sandwich instead of preparing a healthy food. Cooking at home is significantly less expensive than eating out, and you also be able to cut down the hidden fat and sodium that’s packed into a hamburger. People who buy cheap food most likely get sick easily. Why choosing the bad way for our precious life? Today let’s make another choice by eating an apple or orange instead of drinking a soda; baked, grilled or broiled chicken than fries chicken. Eating healthy would increase your life expectancy, spend less money at hospital, avoid being obese. It can be very easy to eat well, if you develop a healthy choice right now. Believe it or not, your body would thank you later.
Fast Food is indeed one of the most eaten foods by most of us Americans. Whether we “drive thru” a Mc Donald in the morning due to lack of time to prepare our meals at home, or we are frequent customers of these restaurants. Their “cheap” food satisfies our appetite, our wallets, and time. Certainly these facilitating factors in our daily life do contribute in the easy flow of our day; nevertheless they also play a great role on exterminating society’s health. Lamentably most fast food comes from fattening sources, high in calories which obviously don’t contribute with a balanced diet. American society is obese (generally speaking).
I believe that a big portion of this ongoing issue is due to the media (advertisement) which display fast food, such as burgers, as a meal to go “crazy” for, and apparently "good" for you. Evidently they don’t indicate the bad factors and consequences of eating it. Nonetheless, in the other hand, no one is forced to eat it, we have the options of choosing healthy food.
I consider that the “cheap” justification of “junk food is cheaper than healthy food” is not true. People use this vague excuse to go for the easier, and at the end the worst selection. You will most likely spend less or equal amount of money if you buy healthy food instead of junk food. You may spend less going for the dollar menu options, yet you will probably eat more than once a day. At the end of the day, you will probably spend more than cooking at home, and of course deteriorate your health.
There are ways to shop smart, and I am certain that in the long run avoiding a “drive thru” will save your extra money and maybe your life.
-Estefa Pinares
It's relatively simple to blame fast food consumption on the "lazy" american who doesn't want to cook. Or even the "cheapskate" whose main concern is to save a couple of bucks that day. However I feel that there are demographic as well as socioeconomic concerns that have a tendency to be overlooked.
Take for example the low-income area of unincorporated North Dade (or the Tri-Rail Transfer Area), is this area not riddled with fast food joints and other potential heart attacks? Well take a look at the demographics of the area. There are a multitude of hispanics and african as well as haitian americans most likely living off of minimum wage. Do you believe these people have the choice of driving to Coral Gables and eating in the newest Vegan Shop? Or Even venturing to a Whole foods?
A lot of fast food places prosper where money is tight and give low income families a chance to get something to eat at all. Unfortunately this is the reason for Diabetes, Obesity ,and Cardiovascular disease in poor neighborhoods (which create problems of their own). Although it would be ideal to feed those with lower incomes healthy tofu and steamed vegetables, it is cheaper to hack up a couple thousand pigs and cows to grind into a burger.
The upbringing of animals that are slaughtered for the purpose of fast food is revolting and unethical. The animals face cruelty and are raised to be slaughtered to turn into the next 99 cents hamburgers. Americans need to be more aware of the food they are putting into their bodies and eat healthier, as the famous saying goes, “ you are what you eat”.
Unfortunately companies use many strategic commercials and advertisements pushing their products onto us consumers. For example, commercials late at night, shortly after dinner, just when the food starts settling, causing a person to get hungry and drive to the closest fast food branch and settle with an unhealthy meal. People are unaware of the impact this meal has on one’s body
Another obstacle to eating healthy is the cheapness and convenience in comparison to cooking better quality meats or chicken. . Fast food might be easy and convenient, yet it’s truly bad for an individual’s health to eat on a daily basis. In addition, the convenience and cheapness is only right now, but if one continues eating this way without a balanced nutritional diet they will end up paying a lot more in medical bills and spending abundant amounts of time dealing with they’re health.
One must be aware of the reason for the price difference of a burger in McDonald’s or Burger King to a better and healthier meal choice. A fast food burger may not be harmful if eaten every once in a while, but eaten daily can be extremely unhealthy. Therefore one must have a healthy diet and exercise daily.
Why is it that in the U.S. we typically associate obesity with the consumption of fast food? In reality fast food isn't the sole cause for obesity. In fact, a person can consume McDonalds everyday and not become obese. We gain weight according to our calorie consumption/burn ratio. If we consume more calories than what we burn on a daily basis then it is logical that we will gain weight. The reason why fast food has such a negative connotation is due to their unhealthy ingredients which contain trans fat and can cause diabetes. Although I believe that we choose to eat what we want regardless of our economic situation, I do pawn some of the blame on the media. Fast food Franchise's invest billions of dollars a year in order to promote their heart attacks waiting to happen; but we as consumers are the ones who buy into these commercials and take money out of our pockets in order to keep these franchises wealthy. What if instead of Burger King and McDonalds promoting their $0.99 nuggets and mouth watering whoppers; they promoted slaughter houses and factory farms like the one that appears on the post? Would people keep buying fast food?
The answer is yes, they probably will, but not at the alarming rate that we are accustomed to. Less and less people will consume fast food and before you know it these franchises are going to have to begin to attract their audience in a healthier and environmentally friendly way. The preeminent question remains. Can we do something to stop the chaos? Can we prevent situations like these to continue from happening? The answer is yes we can; but unfortunately we probably won't.
The article is dead on as it relates to the state of the American diet. We are an overweight nation because we are not as educated as we should be about nutrition. The FDA as a governing body is guilty for not setting the standards for how fast foods are cooked and for the types of ingredients they allow these foods to be made up of and cooked with. They give the green light to the big corporations to dictate what is done and how it is done without regard to the consequences.
Although it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual to make sure they follow a good diet, I can't shift all the blame on the individual. Convenience, affordability, and visibility are all words that come to mind when it comes to fast food. Fast foods are cheap, readily available and highly visible. There is a fast food restaurant at every corner and tons of commercials controlling the airwaves.
Allguin Louis
How come they have to make fast-food so unheathly and sell them to the consumer very cheap. If there was any fastfood place that only sell heathly food and its cheap i think everyone would go there instand of the non-heathly restursnts.
"Mens sana in corpore sano". If it is not impossible, it is at least difficult to have a healthy mind without a healthy body. One depends on the other, and no doubt that a healthy body requires a good and balanced nitrition.
Some people for some reasons choose the bad habit to buy only fast food for themselves and their families. They don't think about the regretful consequences this routine may have on their health condition: high level of cholesterol, obesity, etc. The cost may be higher if one takes into account the households' waste of money, and the pollution.
It is not too late to stop this practice and accelerate a campaign for a better diet. Fast foods profit only to the owners of the great companies. The most important thing for them is to get benefits even though their fast, cheap, and bad food are actually killing consumers. This is one of the consequences of materialism.
Mark Lynas wrote in 2007: "If materialism is the new God, I'm an atheist".
Why do we eat fast food? Many would say because of the economy, or maybe because there is no time. Well has it ever come to mind that after eating fast food every day, it will all add up (about $30 a week). Sure the economy is bad but there are many things that can be cooked to last, do leftovers come to mind? Of course the food pyramid is very colorful, but it is not hard to follow. Maybe our generation is just lazy. We like the easy way out of things. After work, no one wants to think about what they are going to cook, especially if there are other mouths to feed. Then again, many of us are hypnotized by the juicy burger on television or the ice cream; advertisement has a lot to do with our choices. It’s no wonder why the U.S. is one of the top countries suffering with obesity.
-Maria Villavicencio
Has one ever noticed what is in almost all of one’s food? Most of the time one will find out that it doesn’t contain what you may expect it to have. In a single fruit juice there are several chemicals that cannot be traced back to anything natural. One ingredient that is poisoning most of our citizens in the U.S is High Fructose Corn Syrup. It is an ingredient that is known to cause cancer and diabetes. So why is it in almost all of our foods if it is so damaging to our body? One thing that is certain is that the cheaper the food the more it is contaminated with artificial chemicals. In most low-income communities, the cheaper alternative is the only direction they can afford. Another sector that is also affected by these “foods” are the less educated consumer. A person who doesn’t know that their McDonalds big Breakfast can give them high cholesterol in a year if they eat it every day, wouldn’t think twice about eating it. It’s like an addiction, the foods at the moment taste great, but they are designed to be that way with all the chemicals. Our senses fool us once again and the actuality of the food deceives us.
- Miguel Ramos
All of the cheep food that is consumed world wide directly contributes to a growing amount of obesity and to depreciation of the land that is taken up for irresponsible procedures of agriculture. Why is it that humanity allows their health, and the health of the land that is supposed to feed the future generations to plummet with no real enthusiasm to fix it? It simply would be too expensive for society to invest in future developments when resources are used to sustain immediate issues at the moment without further evaluation of future consequences.
There is no reason for the starvation in this world, other than the lack of monetary profitability. More time and money should be invested into the building of skyscrapers used for the production of futuristically and current effective agricultural means. With these kinds of facilities, the international population could have a more progressive means of nourishment. Ultimately, If there was more abundant food sources, agricultural farmers would not be able to sell their products. Consequently, agricultural farming institutions would most likely not favor these methods of proactive food production and abundance.
Javier Inda
Reality of the matter is that our fast-paced generation no longer has time to go out to publix to buy the ingredients to fix a hot meal at home, much less sit down at the dinner table and enjoy a meal with the family. Many choose a quick fix fast food meal as opposed to a home meal because it is not only usually more affordable but it is a quick solution to hunger. Healthy foods tend to be expensive, boring, and tedious to prepare. However fast food places are usually extremely affordable, quick, and there is, unfortunately, a wide variety of places to choose from.
Although what we do is detrimental to the future of other species, the majority of us never really sit down to ponder on what happens to the animals we are eating. It is sad that our affordable fast food meals come at the expense of animals. The way these animals are treated is extremely sad and unethical, but nothing will change since it brings home the bacon.. literally.
The truth is that most of us are guilty in indulging in fast food as opposed to a healthy meal. However, our eating habits are not likely change due to our lack of time and care.
- Corinna Male
In society today, fast food is inevitable. Everyone loves fast food. It's cheap, and easy to pick up when you're in a rush. It's happened to me many times where I'm rushing to get to work on time and the easiest and fastest way out seems to be ofcourse fast food.
I believe this article is very interesting. Many people today aren't aware of what type of food they're consuming nor do they know the consequences that come after consuming it. It is true that advertisement plays a big role but everyone including myself should make an effort in decreasing the amount of fast food we consume. Fast food is an addiction and it is the number one reason why the USA is the most obese populated country.
-Zayuri Webb
Fast food is horrible. No one should fast food. I don't know who in the right mind would consider this food in anyway. No normal human being would live past two months if all they ate was fast food. People that say they live in a rush and don't have time to cook are simply just lazy, because if someone wanted to live healthy they would wake up 30 minutes earlier or go to sleep 30 minutes later in order to be able to cook. It's all a matter of will. If you want to eat healthy and be healthy it all lies within you.
-Jonathan Kocijancic
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