United States of American is a country that is made of immigrants who are looking for new opportunities, a better life, and freedom. Even though America provides essential need for a better life, it also can provide unnecessary means that can be disastrous for our life. Therefore, we should be wise about the choice that we make daily especially when it comes to food that we consume. I believe that time is very relevant when it comes to food choice in America. For example, if a college student has a child and is working full time, it will be very difficult for that student to handle three roles at the same time. At a certain point, she or he might be short of time to make good food or to afford a more healthy food. The most convenient way to eat and to feed his or her child is to eat in McDonald. Many people in America have time conflict and try to accommodate to a schedule, and it is so unfortunate to know that feeding the body is the most neglected part of that schedule
The name of the game is instant gratification and the key word is addiction, and not so much a chemical/physiological addiction as much as a psychological addiction. If we analyze the evolution of our technologies it seems to stem from a desire to make the world as efficient as possible to meet our immediate demands. Our desires color our universe and lay down the roads that our actions follow. When the root of our desire is to make everything available right now, and in the easiest way possible we neglect the inevitable consequences that arise from such a thought process. You own a rabid dog that bites you everyday and your solution to the problem is to put a bandaid on the wound EVERYDAY! bandaids cost money, they eat at your expenses, but our desire to solve problems with these "bandaid" solutions blinds us to the thought of "perhaps i can put a muzzle on this dog, or maybe this isn't the dog for me". This food crisis is a reflection of that analogy. Only its not just the food crisis, its our dependence on oil and non-renewable energy, its the "band-aid"-like solutions and propositions we hold on foreign aid and alleviation of poverty.
A successful business is one that expands on its success. To be successful, your business must fulfill the needs of it's customer base. Fast food is the American way- in a society of instant everything, there, of course, would be businesses to fill those needs and to capitalize on the blindness and ignorance of the populace. They're counting on you to be in a hurry and remain uneducated so as to purchase their increasingly inexpensive food with all sorts of mystery ingredients they would rather not tell you about! I see a long term issue with the food quality issue that goes beyond obesity, imagine what kind of affect on the mind this chronic malnourishment can do. People will grow dumber, lose awareness and become malleable! I would'nt want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but things can snowball into a real downward spiral- imagine a gradual decrease in productivity and competency due to a continual decrease in food quality. Imagine if this gradual decline will continue until it hits rock bottom and we all become something similar to a zombie out of a Romero film! Food is, after all, fuel for our bodies and minds is it not?
I honestly think that many of us aren’t aware of the problem we have with cheap food in the United States for a lot of reasons. In my case this is the second time I ever heard of something like this, there isn’t enough publicity dedicated to the problem, the problem with bad food is something which should be announced at the same scale as global warming is announced. Second many of us come from different backgrounds (mostly from Latin America) which aren’t so devoted to fast and junk food, personally I only eat McDonalds when there isn’t any other option in the menu. I have meet people from all over the world right here in Miami and most of them wouldn’t dare to put a foot on a fast food chain, most of the people I have met buy their groceries and cook healthy food daily, having their diets base on vegetables. Maybe United States should adapt to ways of living found in other parts of the world where food isn’t an addiction and is actually beneficial for the people.
I believe the reason for our addiction to cheap food is biological as well as environmental. First, we as human have a tendency to be more attracted to salty, greasy and sweet food than vegetables. Therefore, we are predisposed to this particular addiction because usually the cheap foods are the ones that carry these qualities. Another reason could be that we choose food for quantity not for quality. For example, I may buy five cheeseburgers for five dollar at McDonald that could make me feel full physically; however, with that same five dollars I can only get little bit of vegetable at Publix. Lastly, our environment also contributes to this addiction, as we see people doing it we tend to imitate in order to fit in the society.
Our desires color our universe and lay down the roads that our actions follow. When the root of our desire is to make everything available right now, and in the easiest way possible we neglect the inevitable consequences that arise from such a thought process.
This horrifying reality has been synonymous with the American dream for decades.. Unfortunately the mass of our food is tainted with potentially overwhelming amounts of harmful fertilizers, chemicals, and hormones. We see here, from a sociological perspective, something that was coined the 'McDonaldization of Humanity,' whereby it is scientifically possible that our synaptic connections are being subliminally and otherwise overtly influenced to create a dismissive outlook on these grave topics. The degradation in the quality of health is increasing at an accelerated rate along with the prices of decent sources of nutrition. Sadly, it is evident on a wider scale when we view the discrepancy between socioeconomic classes and the availability of adequate ingredients for a healthy diet. To make matter worse, we have yet to truly demonstrate that we comprehend the meaning of consciousness in regards to our treatment of animals. We create denigrating subclassifications to subjugate the rights of cows, pigs, chickens, and even fish. Poultry, cattle, pork, and fish is fish.. We have an entire paradigm that directly advocates overproduction and hyper-consumption as the ideal way of life..and we sit on our comfortable dunce stools we call sofas while flipping the channels on the mind-numbing and self-distorting portal of programming. Turn it off
Cheap food? High price What is nutrition? Nutrition is the science that studies how the nutrients and compounds in foods nourish our bodies. Unfortunately, what drives our food choices are other reasons such as taste and culture, social reasons and trends, advertising, habits and emotions. Sometimes these are not the best choices that help nourish our bodies. Yes I know fast food is cheap, but the consequences can have a high price the leading causes of death in the United States are nutrition related: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. What is more concerning is the percentage of obesity in the United States over 65 percent of American adults and 15 percent of children aged 6 to 19 are currently overweight. But we can always change If we try to make time to educate ourselves, make small changes, and try to put our health first we can accomplish a healthy life style.
In today’s society we are all about fast and convenience, that is why we run to fast foods. It is much simpler to go through a drive threw, order food, pay for it, and eat it. Then to go to the grocery store purchase food, drive home, and prepare to cook a meal, and then eat. This is more time consuming and feels more tedious to a society that is always on the go. Nutrition has taken a back seat to everything else that goes on in our lives. We eat because we have to in order to stay alive but we don’t consider that the food we eat might be detrimental to our health. We are so consumed in jobs, school, family, and social life that we don’t sit back and take a minute to feed ourselves healthier food. It’s kind of sad because without out our heath we would limit what we can accomplish.
I have traveled to other countries in Central American and Europe, there the food is prepared all natural and grown in the backyards of their homes. The pigs and cows are killed when it is needed and after the have lived a full and loved life and not a single part is wasted. The meals are nutritious and delicious and taste next to heavenly. But in this country, the prestigious and great United States of America, have the poorest eating habits all for the sake of little green colored pieces of paper; and just because someone says that something that smells and looks like chicken, doesn't mean that it contains the same nutritional content that an actual meal with chicken has.
Fast foods have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage could be the rapidity of having your meal ready in a really short time. Running out of time can be the only cause that can lead a person to eat in a fast food, but it cannot frequently happen. Another advantage is the price you are going to spend for it. On the other hand, one of the many disadvantages and the most important is the quality of the food they sell you. I think that there is nothing more important than an healthy nutrition. Healthy nutrition does not mean "expensive". It is possible to eat healthy and spend a little amount of money. Anyway fast foods are really bad for our health and the sad thing is that they are promoted over and over again instead of being rejected.
SInce we are little kids we are thought to love fast food places,we stare at the tv and look at the cool toys they are given out "free" when you purchase a happy meal. Since a child we are hypnotized to love these places, to desire the cheap food more than good quality home made food. Part of their business deals with psychology, in which they know what we desire the most. When we start growing up we start to get educated, and find out that Ronald Mcdonald isn't a nice clown after all. A clown who pretends to be nice, but is selling us hazardous food. The problem is that by the time we learn these foods are dangerous its already too late, we are so into it that is part of our American culture. The obvious solution is to stop eating them completely, and have a nice diet. Yet, since it becomes part of our culture any day we can get the urges to eat these foods; our friends invite us to go eat with them, our own parents forget to cook sometimes and they go ahead and buy fast food. Even though it might be too late for us to leave these bad habits, we can always educate our children over the true dangers of fast food places and what an evil clown Ronald really is. In the end we can just go to Toys R Us and buy our kids toys.
Many people don’t think before they buy. Unfortunately, I am in this group of people. Is it because I don’t choose to think? Well, as a full time student taking five classes and a nearly full time job, I barely have time to even sleep. From my experience, I believe that time management is a big issue in today’s eating habit. Take me for example; I go to school from 8 to 1 and start working at 3 to whenever the manager decides for me to go. I don’t have the time to go home and cook something or even go to a restaurant. Money is another factor. Majority of people would choose fast cheap food instead of organic or any other healthy foods. Especially, when ten or more percent of the population are unemployed, they can’t really afford to buy healthy food often. Another factor might be laziness. Does anyone notice that almost every twenty blocks, there is a McDonald or at least one fast food restaurant located? I even saw them at Wal-Mart, hospital, malls, etc... It seems that all those fast deleterious food are ubiquitously affecting people’s health and it is unstoppable.
Three big issues impact our society today that makes us vulnerable to fast food. We are used to immediate gratification, we don’t have enough time, and we don’t have too much money. We live in a society based on development and commercialism. The parents are not the only ones guilty for taking their kids to eat a big mac because television is always enforcing to the kids that fast food is great. On the other hand, parents sometimes are in a rush to go to work and it is easier to buy something fast than to spend an hour cooking or at a restaurant. Our knowledge of nutrition is vague since we tend to think we need to eat meat every day in high quantities. Companies know that and they have mass productions of the product to sell more because it becomes cheap. The only problem is that they increase quantity and reduce quality. Our actions are affecting our ecosystem and ourselves. We are the ones with the power to decide what to eat. Without clients, there is no business. By making better choices we would be able to change their way of managing fast food places.
Since the high rise of fast food, the same question has always been on peoples mind; "how is this meat processed?". For the most part, every one knows what they are eating based on videos and articles but they pay no mind to it and eat it anyway. This is why America is so obese and filled with unhealthy people. Looking around the world, we can see how different things are. Instead of eating healthy and exercising, as a society, we make dumb decisions which put our health at risk. It is truly sad and disgusting how these meats are processed. But i personally believe that as individuals, we can change but as a group, a society, this era will live on forever. The title of "fast food" makes it convenient for a lot of people to grab food on the go. Not to mention the price, people save money eating this crap, keeping their wallets fatter a long with their bodies. I can not judge because I also eat this fast food junk but very rarely, but I do keep in shape and exercise. This is where the majority of the people lack and suffer because they just eat and do nothing. A great solution to this problem will be for every one to learn how to cook their own food. But reality is, this will never happen. In this country, we are filled with lazy people who choose the easy way out of everything. I find it insane how these fast food places serve fake food. Everything is either chemically enhanced and/or processed with some sort of mixture making it a different shape or form, and not mention, the slaughter house, its unbelievable how nasty the environment can be.
In my opinion cheap food in the United States is highly addictive. For reasons that I remember growing up and my parents would just pull up to a fast food restaurant, and pick up in the drive thru. Dinner was that simple, and cheap to get. I come from a Hispanic family and every meal is cooked at home but sometimes getting something to eat out made it much easier to consume. It is cheaper to eat out than to purchase organic, or natural food from the grocery store. Some families cannot afford it. Families with less income depend more on these cheap foods to get by, they do not see the harm in them, it’s just seen as if it filled the belly then the problem is solved. I strive to eat healthy and avoid any restaurant food. Though sometimes I do fall in temptation at times for those bacon double cheeseburgers from Checkers.
Americans have an obsession with instant gratification, and even though nutrition habits are taught in schools, people will continue to buy fast food. Buying fast food can save time and money for the consumer, but the problem is not only the consumer. Fast food companies spend a lot of their money on advertising, because as long as people keep buying their products they will keep on making money. So they make advertisements that border on lies to make some of their food seem healthy, when even that food is still unhealthy. As far as the problems of the rest of the world and of the environment, fast food companies would rather leave that for future generations to solve.
It is not a surprise that in the United States about 65% of the population suffers from obesity. In the United States we have so many fast food chain restaurants. you can't go more than 10 miles without seeing a fast food restaurants. this a really big problem in our society. i remember a couple of years ago i went to Colombia for the whole summer and i notice there food quality is so much better, healthier. they even have McDonald's over there and the quality of the McDonald food over there is healthier they have a food regulations that every restaurant must meet to be able to feed their population. i sure we have food regulations but we should improve it and make it healthier for our body's.
The key to having a balanced diet is moderation but when that moderation is abused, it becomes a problem. It is the reality that this country has become highly addicted to fast food and many people don’t understand how unhealthy it is to have so much of it but then the issues with time and money come in. Now more than ever, people are struggling to put food on the table and let’s face it, when cheeseburgers are available for less than a dollar, it’s a pretty hard offer to pass up when there’s neither the time nor the extra cash to do those groceries. However, obesity has become a great problem for America and it is sad to know that children today are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes from being so overweight, when this case of diabetes was never found until at least adulthood. People need to take into consideration the necessity for a healthy diet. We are the only ones that can make our country healthy again and it’s not an easy trend to change but it can be surely done.
As an American society, we are obsessed with receiving everything immediately and without putting forth any effort. This habit has spilled into our food choices as well. Rather than take the time to concoct a nourishing meal, citizens have opted to purchasing fast food to avoid spending time cooking. Doing so, personal health and nutrition is being thrown out the window. Although many people believe that some fast food restaurants are of higher standard than others, the fact is that there is no way to mass-produce food at such a rate that each item can be of good quality. The grease, sugar, and artificial chemicals put in fast food items are highly addictive and can lead to many health deficiencies. Purchasing foods at local markets and choosing fresh produce and meats can greatly balance and improve one's diet. Growing food and raising cattle organically can offer more jobs to people who can ensure the safety and purity of the food we eat. Laws must be put in to place to protect the sanctity of these animals that are slaughtered for our diet. Not only to protect the animals by ceasing to feed them harmful chemicals, but also to prevent these same chemicals being ingested by humans.
As with most problems in the world, the fundamental issue here is education or lack thereof. As children most of us were raised by parents that were constantly on the go, always looking for the easy way to appease our hunger throughout the day. All it takes for a child is a few "Happy Meals" and they will never forget about McDonalds. Fortunately, people are becoming increasingly more wise to the tricks of the fast food institutions slinging substandard nutrition aimed at those on the go. The only way to combat a problem of this magnitude is thru breaking the code of secrecy surrounding how it is possible to produce a one dollar hamburger. Turn on the lights and expose the problems with fast food, and you will have at least started to combat the problem
I believe that our major problem is our lack of knowledge. We as Americans seem to be so misinformed or not informed at all. In an age where knowledge and information is easy to access through technology it is ironic that we know less about what goes on in our country than the previous generations. Our lack of understanding how and what our bodies need can contribute to our eating of fast food. In addition to fast food being so accessible, it is extremely cheap. In todays economy many people rather spend less money on fast food than to spend money on food from the food stores. In return we are trading quality and health for efficiency and affordability. To make the situation worst the economy and the media seem to add on to the problem if not; provide it. All in all, it all comes down to us as citizens too be informed about a number of things not just about the government.
Welcome to America, the land of big business. Where you'd have to be crazy not to want such a delicious meal at such a low price. At least that's how the advertisement is supposed to make you feel. They lure you in with pretty colors and clever catch phrases, then they take your $5.99 and pump your guts full of greasy, mal-nourished and abused animal parts. Don't forget the hot tasty french fries and we'll wash it all down with a crisp tasting coke. Add to that the fact that many people live such a fast paced lifestyle, you've got a recipe for disaster! How convenient it is to have a Mc Donald's right across the street from where I go to school. Yes I can admit to grabbing a Mc double when I was in a rush, and who hasn't? Anyone who is working a full-time job, and going to school full-time and has to pick up their kids at their school, and has to take them to karate before that meeting with the boss, can see that a happy meal is such a life saver and that Big n Nasty sandwich with it's quarter pound of beef tastes so great! What they don't see is that they've fallen into the trap that the big businesses have set for them. If you are what you eat, I submit that we may be the best that we can be at all times. I agree that the time crunch of our lives isn't going to get any less stressful, but if it takes waking up 20 minutes earlier every day to prepare something that's sensible and healthy for me to snack on between classes that's a great solution to being starving and settling for the mystery meat at Mickey D's. All the time we eat something, there's 3 things we get from our food. Taste and gratification, or the short term benefits. Relief from hunger for the time being, or the mid-term benefits. And nutritional value or the long term benefits. Ex. candy is great for the first, but doesn't really satisfy the second or third. Plain boiled oatmeal is wonderful for the second and third, but it's not quite as satisfying as the first. If we were to take just one minute before we eat anything and really think about where that food came from, and how it will benefit how you feel, I think we can all eat a lot healthier. When enough people eat healthier, the big businesses wont have a choice but to switch to serving us healthier food at a reasonable price, and maybe it will echo into something huge, like mass reform of what's going on with those poor little piggies who are drugged with antibiotics and rolling around in their own stool for 6 months before we decide to fry them up and feed it to our loved ones. Big businesses need us, so it is up to us to let them know what we really want.
It's difficult to summarize all the problems that bad nutrition is doing in America. The swine problem, which can be encountered in other meat productions like chicken or veal, where these animals live packed with no reasonable space to develop, it’s cruel how for the food industry they are just profit, and in order to get the more profit, they don't care about having animals like that, nor they either care about a healthy well grown chicken, but they'll prefer a big full of hormones "chicken"(tasteless by the way). McDonalds and other fast food industries are the main ones to produce this problem, but this is caused by several factors: the people addicted to this food, advertising, and the routine in American life (time is money). For many working people who only have thirty minutes to have lunch, a fast food restaurant is the better choice, although good nutrition is forgotten, they don't realize this deficiency yet. Advertising is frightening, in the last thirty years fast food companies have made their main target children, who now are more accustomed to watch TV many hours a day. It's really preoccupying how children are so obese now. I believe that to change this situation many things can be done. From nutritional education, to create awareness about how fast food advertising can be so psychologically disturbing for the generations to come. We need to teach our children how to eat, and maybe we need to explain to people in a detailed way how hormones, preservatives, colorants, fat and so on are just harming our bodies. In one of the articles I read "Physical and mental degeneration is directly related to nutritional deficiency", we cannot leave this like this, it's logical, what you eat, is what you are.
A few years back I was at a fast food drive through and inside I noticed a poster that read,"Live fast, eat well." It was ironic to me because if you want to live fast, that means your racing towards death, therefore "eating well" is really, "eat whatever for a quick buck, before your time on earth is done."
Since then I began to stay away from the zombie-like food consumption that most of America is accustomed to, in particular in Miami. I frown upon the advertisement and millions of dollars that go into encouraging our society to live a life of chemically induced food. I notice how the Mc. Donald's in campus gets packed day and night everyday and I wonder, "what are these people feeding their bodies?" There is no nutritional value in that food and quite honestly, the reason why I stopped eating fast food a few years ago was mainly because of the terrible digestive problems it was giving me.
I've been teaching my body slowly but surely how wonderful it is to celebrate food for all its content. First of all to cook with patience, (no microwaves), and eat with ease. Second of all to acknowledge that food meant to nourish us, it is not meant to stop superficial cravings,(usually caused by anxiety from the fast paced world we live in.) And lastly, to eat well, and in proportion because gluttony is a very selfish, inconsiderate act, (especially when we are aware that other unfortunate people die of starvation everyday.)
Acknowledging our food this way is no easy process. I had to take the initiative to change my life to a healthier, slow paced lifestyle. Maybe not so abundant with material goods, and other unnecessary luxuries, but at least I know I control my life, and I am here to live it joyfully, not rush right through it.
I believe the addiction to fast foods has a lot to do with culture and society. In my personal experience my parents raised my brothers and I to eat hearty and healthy. I never had a happy meal until the age of seven. The first time I ever ate a happy meal was great! I felt like I had been missing out on the great taste of life. We all can get a little busy in our everyday life and find that passing through a drive thru is a lot easier than going home and cooking a meal. I strongly believe that choice and motivation come into play. My motivation was my parents, but of course you grow up and start choosing things for yourself. As a teenager I have to admit I ate fast foods more than I thought possible. With the lessons I learned growing up I came to a realization that healthy food was the way to go. For some odd reason as I got older my taste for fast foods slowly faded.
Personally, I think fast food is kind of nasty. You can taste how bad the quality of the meat is. All these big companies have in mind is making money so when they’re selling a hamburger for ninety nine cents you know what kind of meat your getting. People don’t want to look at the facts they know how bad the food is for you but all they can think about is the short term gain. They’re are people out their who are trying to show how horrid and disgusting fast food can be, but a persons mentality is; they don’t listen to the facts unless it happens to them and then they finally wake up. I think we are going to start seeing how fast food is really affecting people very shortly and it is going to be a sad day when that happens.
31 comments:
United States of American is a country that is made of immigrants who are looking for new opportunities, a better life, and freedom. Even though America provides essential need for a better life, it also can provide unnecessary means that can be disastrous for our life. Therefore, we should be wise about the choice that we make daily especially when it comes to food that we consume. I believe that time is very relevant when it comes to food choice in America. For example, if a college student has a child and is working full time, it will be very difficult for that student to handle three roles at the same time. At a certain point, she or he might be short of time to make good food or to afford a more healthy food. The most convenient way to eat and to feed his or her child is to eat in McDonald. Many people in America have time conflict and try to accommodate to a schedule, and it is so unfortunate to know that feeding the body is the most neglected part of that schedule
The name of the game is instant gratification and the key word is addiction, and not so much a chemical/physiological addiction as much as a psychological addiction. If we analyze the evolution of our technologies it seems to stem from a desire to make the world as efficient as possible to meet our immediate demands. Our desires color our universe and lay down the roads that our actions follow. When the root of our desire is to make everything available right now, and in the easiest way possible we neglect the inevitable consequences that arise from such a thought process. You own a rabid dog that bites you everyday and your solution to the problem is to put a bandaid on the wound EVERYDAY! bandaids cost money, they eat at your expenses, but our desire to solve problems with these "bandaid" solutions blinds us to the thought of "perhaps i can put a muzzle on this dog, or maybe this isn't the dog for me". This food crisis is a reflection of that analogy. Only its not just the food crisis, its our dependence on oil and non-renewable energy, its the "band-aid"-like solutions and propositions we hold on foreign aid and alleviation of poverty.
A successful business is one that expands on its success. To be successful, your business must fulfill the needs of it's customer base. Fast food is the American way- in a society of instant everything, there, of course, would be businesses to fill those needs and to capitalize on the blindness and ignorance of the populace. They're counting on you to be in a hurry and remain uneducated so as to purchase their increasingly inexpensive food with all sorts of mystery ingredients they would rather not tell you about! I see a long term issue with the food quality issue that goes beyond obesity, imagine what kind of affect on the mind this chronic malnourishment can do. People will grow dumber, lose awareness and become malleable! I would'nt want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but things can snowball into a real downward spiral- imagine a gradual decrease in productivity and competency due to a continual decrease in food quality. Imagine if this gradual decline will continue until it hits rock bottom and we all become something similar to a zombie out of a Romero film! Food is, after all, fuel for our bodies and minds is it not?
I honestly think that many of us aren’t aware of the problem we have with cheap food in the United States for a lot of reasons. In my case this is the second time I ever heard of something like this, there isn’t enough publicity dedicated to the problem, the problem with bad food is something which should be announced at the same scale as global warming is announced. Second many of us come from different backgrounds (mostly from Latin America) which aren’t so devoted to fast and junk food, personally I only eat McDonalds when there isn’t any other option in the menu. I have meet people from all over the world right here in Miami and most of them wouldn’t dare to put a foot on a fast food chain, most of the people I have met buy their groceries and cook healthy food daily, having their diets base on vegetables. Maybe United States should adapt to ways of living found in other parts of the world where food isn’t an addiction and is actually beneficial for the people.
I believe the reason for our addiction to cheap food is biological as well as environmental. First, we as human have a tendency to be more attracted to salty, greasy and sweet food than vegetables. Therefore, we are predisposed to this particular addiction because usually the cheap foods are the ones that carry these qualities. Another reason could be that we choose food for quantity not for quality. For example, I may buy five cheeseburgers for five dollar at McDonald that could make me feel full physically; however, with that same five dollars I can only get little bit of vegetable at Publix. Lastly, our environment also contributes to this addiction, as we see people doing it we tend to imitate in order to fit in the society.
Our desires color our universe and lay down the roads that our actions follow. When the root of our desire is to make everything available right now, and in the easiest way possible we neglect the inevitable consequences that arise from such a thought process.
Good point.
This horrifying reality has been synonymous with the American dream for decades.. Unfortunately the mass of our food is tainted with potentially overwhelming amounts of harmful fertilizers, chemicals, and hormones. We see here, from a sociological perspective, something that was coined the 'McDonaldization of Humanity,' whereby it is scientifically possible that our synaptic connections are being subliminally and otherwise overtly influenced to create a dismissive outlook on these grave topics. The degradation in the quality of health is increasing at an accelerated rate along with the prices of decent sources of nutrition. Sadly, it is evident on a wider scale when we view the discrepancy between socioeconomic classes and the availability of adequate ingredients for a healthy diet. To make matter worse, we have yet to truly demonstrate that we comprehend the meaning of consciousness in regards to our treatment of animals. We create denigrating subclassifications to subjugate the rights of cows, pigs, chickens, and even fish. Poultry, cattle, pork, and fish is fish.. We have an entire paradigm that directly advocates overproduction and hyper-consumption as the ideal way of life..and we sit on our comfortable dunce stools we call sofas while flipping the channels on the mind-numbing and self-distorting portal of programming.
Turn it off
Cheap food? High price
What is nutrition? Nutrition is the science that studies how the nutrients and compounds in foods nourish our bodies. Unfortunately, what drives our food choices are other reasons such as taste and culture, social reasons and trends, advertising, habits and emotions. Sometimes these are not the best choices that help nourish our bodies. Yes I know fast food is cheap, but the consequences can have a high price the leading causes of death in the United States are nutrition related: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. What is more concerning is the percentage of obesity in the United States over 65 percent of American adults and 15 percent of children aged 6 to 19 are currently overweight. But we can always change If we try to make time to educate ourselves, make small changes, and try to put our health first we can accomplish a healthy life style.
In today’s society we are all about fast and convenience, that is why we run to fast foods. It is much simpler to go through a drive threw, order food, pay for it, and eat it. Then to go to the grocery store purchase food, drive home, and prepare to cook a meal, and then eat. This is more time consuming and feels more tedious to a society that is always on the go. Nutrition has taken a back seat to everything else that goes on in our lives. We eat because we have to in order to stay alive but we don’t consider that the food we eat might be detrimental to our health. We are so consumed in jobs, school, family, and social life that we don’t sit back and take a minute to feed ourselves healthier food. It’s kind of sad because without out our heath we would limit what we can accomplish.
I have traveled to other countries in Central American and Europe, there the food is prepared all natural and grown in the backyards of their homes. The pigs and cows are killed when it is needed and after the have lived a full and loved life and not a single part is wasted. The meals are nutritious and delicious and taste next to heavenly. But in this country, the prestigious and great United States of America, have the poorest eating habits all for the sake of little green colored pieces of paper; and just because someone says that something that smells and looks like chicken, doesn't mean that it contains the same nutritional content that an actual meal with chicken has.
Fast foods have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage could be the rapidity of having your meal ready in a really short time. Running out of time can be the only cause that can lead a person to eat in a fast food, but it cannot frequently happen. Another advantage is the price you are going to spend for it. On the other hand, one of the many disadvantages and the most important is the quality of the food they sell you. I think that there is nothing more important than an healthy nutrition. Healthy nutrition does not mean "expensive". It is possible to eat healthy and spend a little amount of money. Anyway fast foods are really bad for our health and the sad thing is that they are promoted over and over again instead of being rejected.
DARIO VASATURO
SInce we are little kids we are thought to love fast food places,we stare at the tv and look at the cool toys they are given out "free" when you purchase a happy meal. Since a child we are hypnotized to love these places, to desire the cheap food more than good quality home made food. Part of their business deals with psychology, in which they know what we desire the most. When we start growing up we start to get educated, and find out that Ronald Mcdonald isn't a nice clown after all. A clown who pretends to be nice, but is selling us hazardous food. The problem is that by the time we learn these foods are dangerous its already too late, we are so into it that is part of our American culture. The obvious solution is to stop eating them completely, and have a nice diet. Yet, since it becomes part of our culture any day we can get the urges to eat these foods; our friends invite us to go eat with them, our own parents forget to cook sometimes and they go ahead and buy fast food. Even though it might be too late for us to leave these bad habits, we can always educate our children over the true dangers of fast food places and what an evil clown Ronald really is. In the end we can just go to Toys R Us and buy our kids toys.
Many people don’t think before they buy. Unfortunately, I am in this group of people. Is it because I don’t choose to think? Well, as a full time student taking five classes and a nearly full time job, I barely have time to even sleep. From my experience, I believe that time management is a big issue in today’s eating habit. Take me for example; I go to school from 8 to 1 and start working at 3 to whenever the manager decides for me to go. I don’t have the time to go home and cook something or even go to a restaurant. Money is another factor. Majority of people would choose fast cheap food instead of organic or any other healthy foods. Especially, when ten or more percent of the population are unemployed, they can’t really afford to buy healthy food often. Another factor might be laziness. Does anyone notice that almost every twenty blocks, there is a McDonald or at least one fast food restaurant located? I even saw them at Wal-Mart, hospital, malls, etc... It seems that all those fast deleterious food are ubiquitously affecting people’s health and it is unstoppable.
Three big issues impact our society today that makes us vulnerable to fast food. We are used to immediate gratification, we don’t have enough time, and we don’t have too much money. We live in a society based on development and commercialism. The parents are not the only ones guilty for taking their kids to eat a big mac because television is always enforcing to the kids that fast food is great. On the other hand, parents sometimes are in a rush to go to work and it is easier to buy something fast than to spend an hour cooking or at a restaurant. Our knowledge of nutrition is vague since we tend to think we need to eat meat every day in high quantities. Companies know that and they have mass productions of the product to sell more because it becomes cheap. The only problem is that they increase quantity and reduce quality. Our actions are affecting our ecosystem and ourselves. We are the ones with the power to decide what to eat. Without clients, there is no business. By making better choices we would be able to change their way of managing fast food places.
Since the high rise of fast food, the same question has always been on peoples mind; "how is this meat processed?". For the most part, every one knows what they are eating based on videos and articles but they pay no mind to it and eat it anyway. This is why America is so obese and filled with unhealthy people. Looking around the world, we can see how different things are. Instead of eating healthy and exercising, as a society, we make dumb decisions which put our health at risk. It is truly sad and disgusting how these meats are processed. But i personally believe that as individuals, we can change but as a group, a society, this era will live on forever. The title of "fast food" makes it convenient for a lot of people to grab food on the go. Not to mention the price, people save money eating this crap, keeping their wallets fatter a long with their bodies. I can not judge because I also eat this fast food junk but very rarely, but I do keep in shape and exercise. This is where the majority of the people lack and suffer because they just eat and do nothing. A great solution to this problem will be for every one to learn how to cook their own food. But reality is, this will never happen. In this country, we are filled with lazy people who choose the easy way out of everything. I find it insane how these fast food places serve fake food. Everything is either chemically enhanced and/or processed with some sort of mixture making it a different shape or form, and not mention, the slaughter house, its unbelievable how nasty the environment can be.
In my opinion cheap food in the United States is highly addictive. For reasons that I remember growing up and my parents would just pull up to a fast food restaurant, and pick up in the drive thru. Dinner was that simple, and cheap to get. I come from a Hispanic family and every meal is cooked at home but sometimes getting something to eat out made it much easier to consume. It is cheaper to eat out than to purchase organic, or natural food from the grocery store. Some families cannot afford it. Families with less income depend more on these cheap foods to get by, they do not see the harm in them, it’s just seen as if it filled the belly then the problem is solved. I strive to eat healthy and avoid any restaurant food. Though sometimes I do fall in temptation at times for those bacon double cheeseburgers from Checkers.
Americans have an obsession with instant gratification, and even though nutrition habits are taught in schools, people will continue to buy fast food. Buying fast food can save time and money for the consumer, but the problem is not only the consumer. Fast food companies spend a lot of their money on advertising, because as long as people keep buying their products they will keep on making money. So they make advertisements that border on lies to make some of their food seem healthy, when even that food is still unhealthy. As far as the problems of the rest of the world and of the environment, fast food companies would rather leave that for future generations to solve.
It is not a surprise that in the United States about 65% of the population suffers from obesity. In the United States we have so many fast food chain restaurants. you can't go more than 10 miles without seeing a fast food restaurants. this a really big problem in our society. i remember a couple of years ago i went to Colombia for the whole summer and i notice there food quality is so much better, healthier. they even have McDonald's over there and the quality of the McDonald food over there is healthier they have a food regulations that every restaurant must meet to be able to feed their population. i sure we have food regulations but we should improve it and make it healthier for our body's.
The key to having a balanced diet is moderation but when that moderation is abused, it becomes a problem. It is the reality that this country has become highly addicted to fast food and many people don’t understand how unhealthy it is to have so much of it but then the issues with time and money come in. Now more than ever, people are struggling to put food on the table and let’s face it, when cheeseburgers are available for less than a dollar, it’s a pretty hard offer to pass up when there’s neither the time nor the extra cash to do those groceries. However, obesity has become a great problem for America and it is sad to know that children today are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes from being so overweight, when this case of diabetes was never found until at least adulthood. People need to take into consideration the necessity for a healthy diet. We are the only ones that can make our country healthy again and it’s not an easy trend to change but it can be surely done.
As an American society, we are obsessed with receiving everything immediately and without putting forth any effort. This habit has spilled into our food choices as well. Rather than take the time to concoct a nourishing meal, citizens have opted to purchasing fast food to avoid spending time cooking. Doing so, personal health and nutrition is being thrown out the window. Although many people believe that some fast food restaurants are of higher standard than others, the fact is that there is no way to mass-produce food at such a rate that each item can be of good quality. The grease, sugar, and artificial chemicals put in fast food items are highly addictive and can lead to many health deficiencies. Purchasing foods at local markets and choosing fresh produce and meats can greatly balance and improve one's diet. Growing food and raising cattle organically can offer more jobs to people who can ensure the safety and purity of the food we eat. Laws must be put in to place to protect the sanctity of these animals that are slaughtered for our diet. Not only to protect the animals by ceasing to feed them harmful chemicals, but also to prevent these same chemicals being ingested by humans.
As with most problems in the world, the fundamental issue here is education or lack thereof. As children most of us were raised by parents that were constantly on the go, always looking for the easy way to appease our hunger throughout the day. All it takes for a child is a few "Happy Meals" and they will never forget about McDonalds. Fortunately, people are becoming increasingly more wise to the tricks of the fast food institutions slinging substandard nutrition aimed at those on the go. The only way to combat a problem of this magnitude is thru breaking the code of secrecy surrounding how it is possible to produce a one dollar hamburger. Turn on the lights and expose the problems with fast food, and you will have at least started to combat the problem
I believe that our major problem is our lack of knowledge. We as Americans seem to be so misinformed or not informed at all. In an age where knowledge and information is easy to access through technology it is ironic that we know less about what goes on in our country than the previous generations. Our lack of understanding how and what our bodies need can contribute to our eating of fast food. In addition to fast food being so accessible, it is extremely cheap. In todays economy many people rather spend less money on fast food than to spend money on food from the food stores. In return we are trading quality and health for efficiency and affordability. To make the situation worst the economy and the media seem to add on to the problem if not; provide it. All in all, it all comes down to us as citizens too be informed about a number of things not just about the government.
Welcome to America, the land of big business. Where you'd have to be crazy not to want such a delicious meal at such a low price. At least that's how the advertisement is supposed to make you feel. They lure you in with pretty colors and clever catch phrases, then they take your $5.99 and pump your guts full of greasy, mal-nourished and abused animal parts. Don't forget the hot tasty french fries and we'll wash it all down with a crisp tasting coke. Add to that the fact that many people live such a fast paced lifestyle, you've got a recipe for disaster! How convenient it is to have a Mc Donald's right across the street from where I go to school. Yes I can admit to grabbing a Mc double when I was in a rush, and who hasn't? Anyone who is working a full-time job, and going to school full-time and has to pick up their kids at their school, and has to take them to karate before that meeting with the boss, can see that a happy meal is such a life saver and that Big n Nasty sandwich with it's quarter pound of beef tastes so great! What they don't see is that they've fallen into the trap that the big businesses have set for them. If you are what you eat, I submit that we may be the best that we can be at all times. I agree that the time crunch of our lives isn't going to get any less stressful, but if it takes waking up 20 minutes earlier every day to prepare something that's sensible and healthy for me to snack on between classes that's a great solution to being starving and settling for the mystery meat at Mickey D's. All the time we eat something, there's 3 things we get from our food. Taste and gratification, or the short term benefits. Relief from hunger for the time being, or the mid-term benefits. And nutritional value or the long term benefits. Ex. candy is great for the first, but doesn't really satisfy the second or third. Plain boiled oatmeal is wonderful for the second and third, but it's not quite as satisfying as the first. If we were to take just one minute before we eat anything and really think about where that food came from, and how it will benefit how you feel, I think we can all eat a lot healthier. When enough people eat healthier, the big businesses wont have a choice but to switch to serving us healthier food at a reasonable price, and maybe it will echo into something huge, like mass reform of what's going on with those poor little piggies who are drugged with antibiotics and rolling around in their own stool for 6 months before we decide to fry them up and feed it to our loved ones. Big businesses need us, so it is up to us to let them know what we really want.
It's difficult to summarize all the problems that bad nutrition is doing in America. The swine problem, which can be encountered in other meat productions like chicken or veal, where these animals live packed with no reasonable space to develop, it’s cruel how for the food industry they are just profit, and in order to get the more profit, they don't care about having animals like that, nor they either care about a healthy well grown chicken, but they'll prefer a big full of hormones "chicken"(tasteless by the way). McDonalds and other fast food industries are the main ones to produce this problem, but this is caused by several factors: the people addicted to this food, advertising, and the routine in American life (time is money). For many working people who only have thirty minutes to have lunch, a fast food restaurant is the better choice, although good nutrition is forgotten, they don't realize this deficiency yet. Advertising is frightening, in the last thirty years fast food companies have made their main target children, who now are more accustomed to watch TV many hours a day. It's really preoccupying how children are so obese now.
I believe that to change this situation many things can be done. From nutritional education, to create awareness about how fast food advertising can be so psychologically disturbing for the generations to come. We need to teach our children how to eat, and maybe we need to explain to people in a detailed way how hormones, preservatives, colorants, fat and so on are just harming our bodies. In one of the articles I read "Physical and mental degeneration is directly related to nutritional deficiency", we cannot leave this like this, it's logical, what you eat, is what you are.
Florencia
A few years back I was at a fast food drive through and inside I noticed a poster that read,"Live fast, eat well." It was ironic to me because if you want to live fast, that means your racing towards death, therefore "eating well" is really, "eat whatever for a quick buck, before your time on earth is done."
Since then I began to stay away from the zombie-like food consumption that most of America is accustomed to, in particular in Miami. I frown upon the advertisement and millions of dollars that go into encouraging our society to live a life of chemically induced food. I notice how the Mc. Donald's in campus gets packed day and night everyday and I wonder, "what are these people feeding their bodies?" There is no nutritional value in that food and quite honestly, the reason why I stopped eating fast food a few years ago was mainly because of the terrible digestive problems it was giving me.
I've been teaching my body slowly but surely how wonderful it is to celebrate food for all its content. First of all to cook with patience, (no microwaves), and eat with ease. Second of all to acknowledge that food meant to nourish us, it is not meant to stop superficial cravings,(usually caused by anxiety from the fast paced world we live in.) And lastly, to eat well, and in proportion because gluttony is a very selfish, inconsiderate act, (especially when we are aware that other unfortunate people die of starvation everyday.)
Acknowledging our food this way is no easy process. I had to take the initiative to change my life to a healthier, slow paced lifestyle. Maybe not so abundant with material goods, and other unnecessary luxuries, but at least I know I control my life, and I am here to live it joyfully, not rush right through it.
I believe the addiction to fast foods has a lot to do with culture and society.
In my personal experience my parents raised my brothers and I to eat hearty and healthy. I never had a happy meal until the age of seven. The first time I ever ate a happy meal was great! I felt like I had been missing out on the great taste of life. We all can get a little busy in our everyday life and find that passing through a drive thru is a lot easier than going home and cooking a meal. I strongly believe that choice and motivation come into play. My motivation was my parents, but of course you grow up and start choosing things for yourself. As a teenager I have to admit I ate fast foods more than I thought possible. With the lessons I learned growing up I came to a realization that healthy food was the way to go. For some odd reason as I got older my taste for fast foods slowly faded.
Personally, I think fast food is kind of nasty. You can taste how bad the quality of the meat is. All these big companies have in mind is making money so when they’re selling a hamburger for ninety nine cents you know what kind of meat your getting.
People don’t want to look at the facts they know how bad the food is for you but all they can think about is the short term gain. They’re are people out their who are trying to show how horrid and disgusting fast food can be, but a persons mentality is; they don’t listen to the facts unless it happens to them and then they finally wake up. I think we are going to start seeing how fast food is really affecting people very shortly and it is going to be a sad day when that happens.
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