Before making any comments on the "cheap food" article, I have to admit that I am guilty of buying into the convenience and "delicious" addicting taste of fast food restaurants.
I was watching this weekend on the food channel "No Reservations" and my friend and I were discussing how sad it was that in the United States it is almost impossible to find fresh delicious food that is actually harvested and produced in a healthy way. One of the episodes was of a meat factory in Brittany, France;the pigs were cared for personally by a lady who would feed them herself, give them affection and clean them on a regular basis. One of the main focuses of the scene was how clean the smell of the barn was. This is exactly what you will NOT find here in the States.
As many other things in the United Sates, cheap food is a part of the brainwashing that major companies create to feed into "Consumerism" which fuels the wonderful capitalist country we live in. As college students, we are one of the main targets for fast food restaurant marketing. Flashy ideas like "Mc Cafe" and the new smoothies ac McDonalds, make it hard to turn down the inexpensive food at the convenience of five minutes or less to prepare. However the consequences in the long run are deadly, seriously.
Eating fast, "cheap" is just as bad if not worse than Nicotine consumption. The chemicals in the food that is sold at these places in endless and you can go on and on about the negative effects they have to your health.
"Low grade" meat is one of the most disgusting aspects of this industry in my opinion. If anyone has seen the movie "Super Size Me" it shows just how meat is made in these restaurants, which consists of what is left over of the animal and blended in to be cooked and turned into chicken nuggests or a burger.
Although the convenience and inexpensive attraction of this industry might seem appealing, down the road the bills for chemotherapy and medical bills does not come close to making up for it.
If you're considering what to do if you're broke like me, it's very simple. Find what it is that you like and be creative, make your own sandwhiches; try to find meat that is organic (i know it is expensive but you can look for meats in the supermarket that are fresh); look for juices that have the less concentrates and preservatives. This applies to everything you do. If there is a market that you can find, buy produce there. Ultimately if you have the dedication and time you can grow your own food and use natural fertilizer such as fruit skins and peels to supply your produce with rich nutrients.
I’ve been a vegetarian even before I was born. In the womb, I was feed health friendly foods: whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Once I got older and had to go out of my way to purchase food, it became a hassle because it took up too much time, in my book. Sadly, this is the exact mentality of the majority of Americans. We want things now. We’re not thinking primarily about our future. We get extremely aggravated when our desires and needs (hunger in this case) are not met in minutes! Fast food seems to solve all those problems. On the contrary, it may dramatically cause worst problems than the symptoms of hunger. We all know that fast foods are not good for our bodies; we all know that fast food is cheap and yet we simply do not care until our health is at risk. I am still a vegetarian but I still enjoy eating McDonald’s French fries. The taste of fat is addicting to us. Our taste bud feels the fat in our mouths and sends a signal to the brain almost saying, “Yes, this is what I like! Give me more!” Self-control must be practiced and different eating habits must become a part of our daily lives. Health should be of a great concern. Yes, this present economic crisis is an issue but it should not take control of our food habits. Health is more important than spending a little more money at the grocery. In the long run, we all know that a life long period of consuming fast food will cause heart disease, cancers, etc. It would be a wiser choice to consume foods that are beneficent to the body.
The sad truth of why we eat fast food . We hear it everywhere its bad for you, you get obese , heart disease and high cholesterol etc etc. We all know this, but we still wait the 10 minutes in line to get are cholesterol even higher. 1) Its cheap . If you're low on cash the fast food chains offer dozens of quick, cheap meals, but you pay for it with high cholesterol and loads of sugar. 2) Its fast. The pace of life has never been faster, with most of us on the go with our jobs and kids, and we feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day to take the time to make a good home cooked meal. Whether traveling for work or for pleasure, we just don't eat right on the road. People tend to eat at restaurants they recognize and the fast food chains that you see on every other street corner are often the first stop. I personally love to cook I only eat fast food once every two weeks earliest. I’m not really into eating at fast food places. If I go out with friends I eat at diners or restaurants or I make sure to have made food for us by the time we come back from the mall. I wish to all that is holy , that I would like vegetables and be a vegetarian but sadly I’m not and I’ am a carnivore all the way.
I think this post was very interesting in many ways. Before I start, I wanted to say that I been a vegetarian for 5 years already, which I'm very proud of. I decided to do this the minute I found out how bad this poor animals gets treated and killed horribly just to feed us. I want to mention something of the article about the pigs, from the way they get dosed with huge amounts of antibiotic to how unfairly they have to be so close together with the other pigs, so close that their tails need to be cut off. I realize that these foods are very addicted to some of us. Fast food restaurants is been one of the worst places that a person can go and eat because at the same time we're doing many complications to our own bodies, like heart problems, high cholesterol, cancer, etc. Fast food is always been so cheap because the meat they use is one the worst ones. How fast they hand you your food is incredible, of course!, they just heat up the frozen meats in the microwave. That's why I'm a vegetarian and will continue to be like this. I wish every person will do the same thing, so we can all be healthier and not only that but finally letting this animals live happier without the worry of killing them to feed us. I know we can survive without them, there's plenty of other food we can eat, trust me. :)
First of all, this is a great article about "Fast Food". I was born and raised in Peru, so personally my family and I do not eat fast food, so we like to eat organic food and peruvian dishes 5 times a week and italian or vegetables the other 2 days. I totally agreed with saying: "you are what you eat", so as "Americans" we just like killing and damaging our health daily, so we pay the price by going to the doctor by having a "high cholesterol level" or getting a "Colon Cancer" and we wonder why?. I personally recomend everyone to take a Nutrition class so you will learn so much about eating habits, learn what to eat or what not to eat and also how many calories we need to eat per day? which is 2,000 calories and the rest is store in your body as "Fat". I really enjoy that class, and I lost 20 pounds because of it, and it really encouraged me a lot to eat more vegatables and to stop drinking soda (which is 8 teaspoons of sugar)
So the question is what do we do about it? Through advertising, the BIG COMPANIES brainwash our appetite into consuming cheap food (by cheap I mean BAD). Can we do something about it? Of course we can. Modifying eating habits, improving our diets, making choices as to what and what not to eat, teaching our children and friends that a hamburger at McDonalds cannot be our lunch staple.
It would be a great help if the media would expose the names of the companies that use these inhumane tactics to create wealth through misery. I would rather buy from companies that willingly decide to create business without torturing and poisoning our food with antibiotics. We need, as consumers, to pay attention to what we ingest and from whom it comes. It's enlightened self interest. We feed ourselves and our children with what we buy. The real cost of food includes the cost of medical care. Pay more upfront for better quality food, raised humanely with fewer chemicals and you pay less eventually with fewer medical costs. Cheap food, raised in this horrible way, costs plenty. The companies that DON'T do this should find this an advertising boon. Shout it the sky! We'll come and buy. Much needs to be done to educate the public about the food they eat--the abuse of animals, the overuse of antibiotics that threatens everyone's health, the great harm to our environment from factory farms and most importantly, the nutritional costs of these practices. We all suffer the effects of factory farming no matter what we choose to eat. This practice will have to end eventually because it is unsustainable, and these companies know this, but why not try to end it now by not buying foods produced in this way? Journalism can help enormously by shining some light on this subject so that it is common knowledge and not ignored. Ultimately, consumers will be heard by their preferences but they have to know what they are buying.
For one, I believe that if I go out and get myself something from a fast food restaurant I'am adding to the pile of pigs being slaughtered to feed this crazy fast-food-obsession. We know that it's poor quality food, yet these restaurants are packed with more and more customers each day. What could be the reason? I believe it must be denial. By this I mean that we trick our minds into believing that one burger won't kill and there's always tomorrow to eat healthier. We know its harmful to the internal and the external of our bodies. Many people blame it on the time. Perhaps, we should take in consideration slowing it down a bit. According to the statistics on obesity the U.S is 30.6% and Spain is 13.1%. For every SUBWAY there are about ten Mcdonalds with posters all around enticing you to go ahead and feed this unstoppable craving. It's a fight against food every time we step out into U.S steets.
We choose what we eat through what is more convenient to us we have an abundance of fast food because we now have more control over how much we make. The steroids is an example since we have more control over the speed at which we grow our crops and feed certain animals to the point where at 5 months it’s ok to kill them and sell their meat. Since we can control all this it means there is the possibility of having abundance of meat and with the American population the “easier the better”. The easier we can obtain our food and the less it requires from our wallet the better. We can make a difference but it will be difficult to do so because we are in an environment where we are getting more lazy and less productive to ourselves and those who surround us. Parents will prefer to give their child lunch money than wake up and make them breakfast and lunch. So not only are our eating habits affecting us they are also affecting many more generations to come. Making certain decisions to what we eat can make a big difference in our future and our health. People are not blind they know the problems we are having today as a society due to our diet but we reject this idea and make up excuses and place the blame on the government and the advertising. But they don’t understand that if they let their child go out with friends, play sports, or even go for a walk it would decrease the amount of time they spend in front of the TV listening and watching all the advertisements related to fast food. But parents would rather allow the TV to do the babysitting part and this has its downside the child will become less active and be brainwashed by all the commercials being shown.
I didn’t know until now the process this type of food goes through before it gets to us. I knew junk food wasn’t healthy at all, but it wasn’t until now that I understood the reason why. All those hormones, fertilizers, and antibiotics the animals are given to harm our organism, so we can do something about it; we can modify our eating habits. We should have a balanced diet with vegetables, fruits, lacteous, and why not meat, a diet where we get all the nutrients we need from. This doesn’t mean that if you like it, you can’t go to McDonald, Burger King, or Wendy’s not even one day, but you should avoid eating this type of food regularly, in the end, all it does is to damage our health.
I am guilty of making that ten minute line at the McDonald’s in front of the third building. I used to eat there twice a week for almost a year during my lunch time. I gained a bit over ten pounds and I’m sure my cholesterol went up as well. It was easy for me. I would go to school on an empty stomach and by 10 AM my stomach was growling like crazy. So by the time classes were over I’d make line and have a burger. That’s horrible, I know. I have grown accustomed to better eating habits, thanks to a dear friend who had to force me into watching scary videos and documentaries. I can’t say that I will ever stop eating meat; because that’s something I can’t bring myself to do. Even though it’s a bit pricier, I do purchase hormone free meats and organic vegetables. The animals and crops are a lot better taken care of and a lot healthier to consume. The way you decide to cook it is a whole different story. I am proud to say that I lost the ten (and counting) pounds I gained and feeling better than I have in a long time. As for what to do about it, make your own burger at home! Use hormone free turkey instead of beef, use organic veggies. You can cut up a potato and bake it instead of frying it. Trust me, it tastes just as good. If anything, better. Plus a home cooked meal keeps you satisfied longer. It’ll save you money on the long run. Making better choices as to where or what to eat when you’re out with friends can also help those you are with. Them seeing the positive changes in you for eating healthier will make them want to change their eating habits. I think its okay, even though some people might disagree, to eat every once in a while at a fast food restaurant. Kind of like a reward for eating healthy. Eventually, you won’t even want to eat any of that junk. It just takes time and dedication. -Anais Franco
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.
Anasay Sieiro The article posted was completely helpful. I enjoyed reading it. My point is that it is very true that is cheaper to be obese since vegetables don’t fill us up as much as processed aliments which have enormous amounts of calories. But is sad to know that some places we choose to eat , they say for example that their hamburgers are 100% meat, the food these animals eat aren’t 100% organic. So our choices are useless in most of the cases. In my opinion the healthier way to be is by having our own farms, because we can trust no one but ourselves. And by this I know people are going to think of this idea as insane. I wouldn’t even do that in the first place. But we have to keep in mind these persons put weird stuff we don’t even know in what we eat, and WE are the only responsible persons to take care of our health.
It is my belief that human nature gears towards conformity and convenience. The creature that is fast food nurtures itself on the relationship between both of those aspects.
First, there is that inherent drive for that which we enjoy, which pleases us, and the faster we can get it, the better. With this mindset, if I were presented with an option of waiting an hour to buy or prepare a burger, as opposed to picking one up that I would just about equally enjoy at a fast food restaurant, I know that most often than not I would lean towards fast food. I'd go as far to say that even if the fast food was of cheaper quality, I'd still take that over the wait.
Speed, then, the namesake of "fast food", is what truly drives its convenience. It allows for eating, a need, to take a much quicker backseat and allows for us more time to do other things we deem more "important". Now, I ask to myself: is this necessarily a bad thing? No, I think not. Were there food that could be prepared quickly, and have great nutritional value, and dare I say, tasted good, I'm sure many would have few qualms (or would they? :P) with this kind of product. Yet, on a deeper level, it begs the question if, as a society, we've come to view food, subconsciously, as a nuisance of sorts, an itch we need immediately scratched.. but well, this is besides my point..
Here we add conformity to the equation. Since many of us already view food as a last minute "when it comes" sort of thing, and have moved beyond taking chunks of our time towards preparing food various times a day, we take a look at our society from the outside and see just how many are the same way. A multitude of people, where fast food is an almost everyday thing. What happens here? Monkey see, monkey do.
What to do about it? Well, one option is to eat greener, but that itself presents a different array of problems.. This caloric empire is opposed day in and day out by green rebels, but like any breed of rebellion, or anything that isn't the mainstream, it isn't easy. The healthiest foods are at times the most expensive, getting a grip on a quality product can take a lot of time away from your schedule, as any lifestyle choice. Well hey, you say, you don't want to be counter-culture, or at least so extreme. You decide you'll just eat healthier in general; better quality foods, less calories, more vitamins... sadly, the same rules apply. You will still burn more cash from your pocket, unless you aren't tired of buying the same few food items from the same few "deal" spots, and you'll still be eating away time purchasing and preparing, for now and for later. You've turned your back on conformity, and it's denied you convenience. Think about this for a second. You haven't sacrificed convenience, (I mentally italicize "sacrificed" here), not willingly. Mass society has taken it from you, because it does not fit the culture. Sucks, huh?
But what can we expect from corporations that dish out the cheapest product at the fastest rate, sometimes even supplying -at a loss- of profit margin, with special deals in order to lure you in, knowing you won't stop at buying that 1 dollar double cheeseburger, since that McFlurry looks so tempting.. maybe a soda, too. Oh, and would you like some fries with that?
Yes, I eat fast food once in a while because it serves it's purpose, to be served quickly. And it's also everywhere: the t.v., radio, right in the middle of campus... The masterminds behind the fast food restaurants do there job and they do it well, from the nutritioners, the advertisers, to the managers at the actual store. Yet, we could avoid making daily trips there if we realize that our health is in danger. Once we do this, we could begin to take further steps such as paying attention to the things we eat, exercising more often, and maybe even learning how to cook home made meals from scratch. I think that America or shall I say most of America like things done quickly. Everything needs to be quick: We want to finish up school quickly, find jobs quickly, drive quickly, and before we make it home we want to get our dinner quickly from a fast food restaurant and then wake up and do the same thing all over again, of course, quickly. If we just took the time and put in as much effort as we do other things into our health, we could slowly begin to live healthier lives.
wow, for the record, i have stopped eating those types of food since a long time. Macdonals or burger king or anything thats has to do with addictive and bad sourse of nutrition. Even though sometimes i manage to stick in a machicken, i find it to be better than a regular burger, even though it is till bad it is cheap and convenieent, something that most of us can agree to. I asked myself the same question, how is it that we can affort fries coke and the huge burger but cant go to publix and buy a salad or beans or anything else that does not harm us in a ny type of way. I guess that is just us being our selves. Being cheap and stupid. But going a little over the topic i want to say that this weekend was a good weekend for me, i when out, had dinner and when to see resident evil , after the movie i saw this elderly guy searching through the garbage looking for food. i felt horrible, and i though to myself i just spent so much money on a stupid dinner and useless things and here this person is looking for a plate of food to survive on. I felt horrible.. i just had to do something, i saw people giving him dollars and quaters but i though why dont i just buy him food.. at the moment what came to ming was macdonals, so i did, i when to macdonald and bought him a number one. At first i was like food is food.. so i gave him the coke his fries and his burger. After leaving i though wait, did i just really do a good thing or did i just make it worse, maybe he was much better of searching in the garbage then me giving him that type of food. At tis point i just felt bad i just wanted him to eat something. at the end i do not know whether i did a good thing or not but i do know that i chose macdonals because its faster cheap and onvenient, the three best things that we humans choose when it comes down to everything (material or food wise). Iguess sometimes we are deceived or we want to be deceived by the rong things. But then again that is human nature and thats the way it has been for decades, there is no way things will change, at this point everyone is in their own, save yourslelf the trip to the doctor or a nutritionist and start eating better and start adding healthy things to the menu intead of shoosing from the fast food menu. :)
Yes we know fast food is bad for us, yes we know fast food has a negative effect on our environment, but at the end of the day we as the consumers are to blame. We as Americans have become so accustomed to these fast food trends that we now want everything handed to us on a silver platter. We have become so lazy that we can't even prepare our own food, we must go these cheap food empires and even sometimes we have them deliver it so we don't have to leave the convenience of our home.This fast food era is resulting in a domino effect in our society. For example, instead of more walkways and stairs there are escalators and more elevators. Also to be convenient for the consumer, fast food restaurants especially McDonald have almost doubled their locations to shorten the distances to one's home.
Fast food is a quickly spreading epidemic that needs to be stopped as soon as possible. The key to stop the spread is to become more physically active and to change those lazy lifestyles. We need to stop having everything to our convenience and start actually working for what we want.Also nutrition is a major factor, I think that even though healthier foods tend to be more expensive than fast foods but it is definitely worth it in the long run when you don't have to pay for all those heart attacks and strokes.
It is a fact that the levels of obesity in the United States are just horrifying. Eating cheap food is not just going to McDonald's or Burger King is about eating tons and tons of processed food that at the end damage our health. The obesity in this country cannot be blamed just in the industry, but rather on our own choices, because almost every country in the world have these fast food chains. The fast food industry spends 20plus millions of dollars a year in advertisements while the regular industry spends about 1.2, but this is because the more we buy the more they are willing to spend making this an obession in our diet.
There is no other country that has this problem of obesity worst than the U.S. Being from a another country makes you realize and compare how bad our eating habits can be here, I say this because since I live here 3 years ago I have been able to weight what I used to back home where our food is pretty much just organic; there is a huge difference between prices, fast food is really expensive compared to normal food grown by local or nonlocal farmers and the reason for this difference is just that the ingest of fast food is lower.
Its just gross the way food is being processed here, and how they make animals grow is even worst. The problematic is not just about being obese but this kind of food actually damages in the long run even our neurons. The movie "Super Size Me" is a great example. The quality and amount is what makes us fat, if we had a good healthy breakfast we wouldn't be craving for unhealthy snacks in the middle of the morning, the same happens with our lunch, if we had our good portion of vegies and meat, fish or chicken we shouldn't have to have a huge dinner to satisfy our hunger. It is proven that the latest at night you eat the more weight you gain because after that, couple of ours later we go to sleep and our digestive system works at a low pace. So, if we don't realize the damage we are doing to ourselves we are going to end up really unhealthy because sadly for us the industry is not going to change millions and millions of dollars for healthier people and there is no enforced law that could change this.
What is done with the pigs in Iowa is disgraceful yet common in many societies. As for the question of “Why are we so addicted to fast food?” and “Why is America in general- so obese?” there are many patterning factors involved with those questions. First of all “fast food” serves its purpose to be served fast & eaten fast, so that we can get back to our demanding lives in modern, complex and over populated societies.
America & obesity, this topic comes to question because of all the absurd advertisement in commercials for greasy foods, nonetheless being obese is one of the easiest things to do; just eat & don’t exercise. In general that is the cause for obesity for any person anywhere in the planet; it’s simple that’s why it’s so predominant. As Americans what we can do to break the chain is stay away from fast food & focus more on home cooking with low fat and add vegetables; exercise and get involved more with doing things outside instead of being a part of the popular norm of sitting in front of the television to get subliminally attacked by food industries.
Fast food lives up to its name, its food that’s made fast, it’s convenient and it’s cheap. Now a days you can buy fast food just about anywhere at any time. We all know that it’s bad for us, for our health however we are brainwashed into this way of eating, advertisement companies have done their jobs really well, we see and hear about fast food in TV, on the radio, magazines etc.. The sad part is that these fast food companies claim to make their foods with 100% real meat when in reality we all know this is not true and we pay the price in the long run with health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity just to name a few. Therefore it is extremely important that we do something about it, we have to make the decision and commit to changing our eating habits by modifying our diets. Instead of eating out in fast food restaurants choose to make a meal at home, bake or boil meats instead of frying them, have a balanced diet where you include all the nutrients we need like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. There are many healthy food choices that are easily available and if you decide to make these changes in your life you’ll benefit from them, not only you’ll have more energy but you will feel a lot better about your self!
So the question is what do we do about it? Through advertising, the big companies brainwash our appetites and make us have a desire for cheap food (by cheap I mean BAD). Can we do something about it? Of course we can. Modifying eating habits, improving our diets, making choices as to what and what not to eat, teaching our children and friends that a hamburger at McDonalds cannot be our lunch staple are all tactics into having a healthy lifestyle. All the chemicals being pumped into those poor animals is not only abusive but also has negative effects on the body as well. There have been studies suggesting that the stress on the animal eaten will pass on to the one eating the meat of that animal. The majority of us may not see the long term damage the mistreatment of these domesticated animal has on the environment, but these articles as well as many others have demonstrated just a few of the consequences. The run off of semen and chemicals becomes toxic and can later reach its way to the ocean killing marine life. The price of a dollar menu is not worth the price we will all have to pay.
Since I was a little kid, I've heard all kind of rumors about McDonald. Of course most of them false but there is always a little bit of true in everything. And even the food sold is of the worst class of food, there is something unexplainable that makes it irresistible because for me the best french fries of the world are the ones from McDonald, and they are probably not even made from potatoes.
The suffering this animals experience is inhumane and I cannot believe that the US Government hasn't done anything about it. With all the different departments that exists not even one is doing anything about this animals? Well but after all we can expect to have this kind of quality from food that you can buy with just one dollar. With three dollar you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner so switching to another topic, at least in the USA any person ever will be hungry. One single homeless person that ask for money in the street is gonna receive an average of five dollars at the very least, with that they already can eat for the whole day. So in a way this kind of cheap food is beneficial for some people.
There are just so many premises to why this topic in all is becoming worse everyday. Americans themselves are guilty of both ignorance and gluttony. We admire going out and stuffing ourselves with high in fat foods, not to mention some of us take it a bit out of proportion. People either don't have the time and money to eat healthier, or give in to a quick appetite satisfaction. I can admit that many people have low knowledge of how to eat healthy. Food is fuel for your body, meaning that you need to be careful with what you intake. My grandfather is diabetic so you could just imagine how much my family stresses proper eating habits. Sure enough, taking care of yourself and watching your diet will allow you to not have to go through the troubles of being unhealthy. Another subject that I wanted to mention was about the antibiotics and other chemicals that are given to the animals. What other health risks are we being put through? This is something that should be carefully studied and if so, properly taken care of. I surely wouldn't want to affect my health and neither would you, so take some time to find proper diet habits. You will be content you did so.
It is almost our duty as Americans to consume fast food. As a country that is constantly growing, we need things that can keep up with us. And lets all be honest here, who has the time to go to the grocery store every week and prepare home cooked meals every day. Fast food companies know this and they not only appeal to our hectic schedules by providing food in a matter of minutes, but they also do this at a remarkable price. Sure maybe we are eating the bottom of the barrel and consuming thing that to some is equivalent to the things we expel from our hindquarters, but hey it’s the price we pay for all of this. We are self consumed with technology and the great pursue of the bigger, better and faster. We make these choices to live in technological world and must realize many scarifies follow. We always have the choice to eat at home, make better decisions and be better people. The question is are we?
During the summer I read a book titled “Nickled and Dimed”: on Not Getting by in America”. In short, it covered a social experiment in which the author assumed labor-intensive jobs and lived in the conditions millions of low-wage, working-class Americans endure daily. One of the main points she wrote about was the unhealthy diet she *had* to consume, due to the financial situation. With little time or energy to cook between jobs (and a severe lack of funding), the author had to primarily eat foods from fast food restaurants. I recall vividly how she described how the food provided little nourishment, only enough energy “to get by” and move from one task to the next.
Many people who purchase unhealthy meals from fast food restaurants are so preoccupied with bills, wages, and social issues that it’s difficult for them to worry about the nutritional value of their meals. I am unable to formulate a solution to this problem. With so many people just trying to get by, they unwittingly send a message that there is no need for change as they increase the gross revenues of such transnational corporations as McDonald’s or Burger King. Advertisements bombard television networks during commercial breaks and the “Dollar Menus” are nothing if not tempting. If fertilizer and antibiotics are not used in meat production, fast food companies would most likely have to increase their costs to cover the difference in loss of production. However, when we look at the current situation with thousands of marine animals dying due to the rainwater run-off of such chemicals, it is dire to that end, as well.
Even if there is a way to persuade the majority of consumers to stop purchasing fast food, how many of them would be able to afford healthy alternatives that don’t negatively impact the environment. The Whole Foods Store has quality products, but with many of them bearing a price tag that many low-wage workers could not afford. Fruits and vegetables are especially overpriced when they are not in season.
To find a solution to this issue, we must find the source. To this end, I must ask: How did this cycle begin, and how can we undo it?
My family has always felt it important to have a sustainable organic diet. We by far are not vegetarian, but we were always taught to by organic meats and vegetables (whole foods was my second home growing up.) It does become costly at times, but we have always felt it an investment to our longevity and overall physiological health to eat mostly foods that were sustainably or wild raised and produced without chemicals, hormones, or pesticides. There are many ways to try to make a difference so everyone can develop these habits, but many times they wont work. If someone's taste, body, and budget is used to fast foods that pose health hazards, it will always be more convenient for that person to have fast food and satisfy their cravings.
These big companies perform near magic in their marketing and advertising departments, considering everything that the typical american encounters in the media. In a day, a person will probably see enough advertisements for fast food thats cheap, that they wont even recognize it, taking it as a norm of roaming the streets.
Changing diet habits is up to the individual. The ability to say NO is a powerful one, especiall to something so addicting and satisfying like a BigMac. The repercussions eventually catch up though, and those pigs meat that was not given enough nutrition with corn and slaughtered at a mere five months will devastate long term activities in the consumer, because its not natural or organic to consume that.
Bing raised to eat meat anywhere and anytime I found this quite repelling. I wish I could say that I had no idea this was going on but I did I wish I could simply say "stop" and things like this would no longer happen to animals because it's not just pigs. Cows and chickens are also raised in similar fashions. However our economic system has made it so that cheap food that can kill you is easier to obtain than healthier food wish costs quite a lot. Putting an end to this won't be coming anytime soon, as long as the masses want it "they" will make it. This is not a task an individual can fight it will take an entire country.
I have to admit I am guilty of having a bad eating habit and I am twice as guilty for eating at Burger King today at lunch. But after reading all of those articles I promise to start eating healthy food and exercising more than what I usually do. This is not the first time I hear about how animals like pigs and chickens are treated and all the preservatives that are being injected to them. But I never actually paid much attention to it. I did decrease the amount of times I eat at a fast food restaurant, but now I have made the choice to stop completely. I think that what they are doing in the state of Colorado by adding more biking, hiking and jogging trails to the state parks is a project that should be implemented on all states. Also educating people more on nutrition and motivating them somehow to be more active are great ideas to decrease the obesity percentage in the United States.
Americans live busy and fast paced lives. The average mother drops off the kids at school, goes to work, picks up the kids, gets home, cooks, cleans, puts the kids to bed, etc. It seems that there is never time to make a decent nutritious meal for any time of day. Fast foods are cheap, convenient, and does take the load off but is it really worth it? The three leading causes of death in the United States are nutrition related. If people ate healthier they would live longer happier lives. The conditions in which those pigs live are very sad and disturbing. People need to be aware of what they really put into their mouths. Advertising to the public about healthy foods would be a good way to start. Just like the anti drug and smoking commercials we see on a daily basis. If we saw more of what fast foods really are and how they affect us, many would think twice next time about picking up that burger.
To admit I'm one that likes to buy fast food. And mostly all americans are as well. In a way we all have a fault, cause some time we don't want to cook, when you come back home from a long day. We just buy fast food for the family but some people dont take inconsideration, what kind of meat we are putting in our mouth. speacially from McDonalds. Like what kind of meat we are eating, however how the economy is right now, people are buyin cheap cause not everyone can buy good quiality meat nor vegetables, they just want to save their money. Even college student they just buy McDonalds or any other fast food, it's just good for their pockets. As for me fast food is addicting cause you know it taste good and is fast. Now we have to make an effort to realize that we have to eat good for our health and we can teach other people how to eat right.
I've always heard the talk about fast food being bad for you but I never paid much attention to it. This article helps show just how harmful our dependency on fast food can become. We can blame the greedy corporations who look for the quickest and cheapest way to make a product so they can profit off of it but we also have to blame ourselves for continuing to buy from these fast food restaurants. The restaurants make the food available quickly, cheap, and tasty for the most part but it's not good for you in the long run just like the article states. Fortunately more and more information is coming out to help educate us on just how dangerous eating too much fast food can be for you.
Americans' love of the free market can best be observed through one of the deadliest and most addicting products on the market: fast food. Due to relentless advertising by the mega corporations behind producers such as McDonald's and Burger King, Americans are driven by convenience and fallacious arguments into buying these death meals. As a result, The United States is on the verge of an obesity epidemic which is claiming more lives each year through related diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, and diabetes. Continuing to fan the flames of their own downfall, Americans spend untold amounts of money at fast food chains buying cheaply produced food. One would think that the quality of these meals is due to some sort of incompetency on the part of the producers who probably have little supplies for high demand. Unfortunately, the fact is that more and more farmland and cattle ranches are owned by less entities, paving the way for super corporations to control the discourse on what Americans can eat. Said corporations, driven completely by profit, cut costs where ever they see fit, whether it be packing its animals in inhumane settings (veal industry) or undermining small farmers to purchase only their products for farming (it's easy to point at Monsanto). Sure, you might be against fast food and never purchase anything from McDonald's, but that beef you just bought at the supermarket most likely comes from the very same farm that supplies the fast food chain. By genetically modifying their crops and cattle, farmers are also setting the stage for super viruses to mutate and spread among an ignorant population which is more absorbed in their short term interest of filling their stomachs than thinking ahead and eating healthy, nutrient enriched food. The only way Americans can shake their fatty food stupor would be by educating the masses on the benefits of buying organic foods, preferably grown in the city so as to also decrease the carbon footprint created by transporting and storing said food. By supporting one's local economy rather than a huge corporation located in Iowa controlled by three people, one is able to live a healthier lifestyle with better quality foods while also increasing the standard of living surrounding them by pumping capital into a much smaller network which continually flows and improves every aspect it encounters.
32 comments:
Before making any comments on the "cheap food" article, I have to admit that I am guilty of buying into the convenience and "delicious" addicting taste of fast food restaurants.
I was watching this weekend on the food channel "No Reservations" and my friend and I were discussing how sad it was that in the United States it is almost impossible to find fresh delicious food that is actually harvested and produced in a healthy way. One of the episodes was of a meat factory in Brittany, France;the pigs were cared for personally by a lady who would feed them herself, give them affection and clean them on a regular basis. One of the main focuses of the scene was how clean the smell of the barn was. This is exactly what you will NOT find here in the States.
As many other things in the United Sates, cheap food is a part of the brainwashing that major companies create to feed into "Consumerism" which fuels the wonderful capitalist country we live in. As college students, we are one of the main targets for fast food restaurant marketing. Flashy ideas like "Mc Cafe" and the new smoothies ac McDonalds, make it hard to turn down the inexpensive food at the convenience of five minutes or less to prepare. However the consequences in the long run are deadly, seriously.
Eating fast, "cheap" is just as bad if not worse than Nicotine consumption. The chemicals in the food that is sold at these places in endless and you can go on and on about the negative effects they have to your health.
"Low grade" meat is one of the most disgusting aspects of this industry in my opinion. If anyone has seen the movie "Super Size Me" it shows just how meat is made in these restaurants, which consists of what is left over of the animal and blended in to be cooked and turned into chicken nuggests or a burger.
Although the convenience and inexpensive attraction of this industry might seem appealing, down the road the bills for chemotherapy and medical bills does not come close to making up for it.
If you're considering what to do if you're broke like me, it's very simple. Find what it is that you like and be creative, make your own sandwhiches; try to find meat that is organic (i know it is expensive but you can look for meats in the supermarket that are fresh); look for juices that have the less concentrates and preservatives. This applies to everything you do. If there is a market that you can find, buy produce there. Ultimately if you have the dedication and time you can grow your own food and use natural fertilizer such as fruit skins and peels to supply your produce with rich nutrients.
I’ve been a vegetarian even before I was born. In the womb, I was feed health friendly foods: whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Once I got older and had to go out of my way to purchase food, it became a hassle because it took up too much time, in my book. Sadly, this is the exact mentality of the majority of Americans. We want things now. We’re not thinking primarily about our future. We get extremely aggravated when our desires and needs (hunger in this case) are not met in minutes! Fast food seems to solve all those problems. On the contrary, it may dramatically cause worst problems than the symptoms of hunger. We all know that fast foods are not good for our bodies; we all know that fast food is cheap and yet we simply do not care until our health is at risk. I am still a vegetarian but I still enjoy eating McDonald’s French fries. The taste of fat is addicting to us. Our taste bud feels the fat in our mouths and sends a signal to the brain almost saying, “Yes, this is what I like! Give me more!” Self-control must be practiced and different eating habits must become a part of our daily lives. Health should be of a great concern. Yes, this present economic crisis is an issue but it should not take control of our food habits. Health is more important than spending a little more money at the grocery. In the long run, we all know that a life long period of consuming fast food will cause heart disease, cancers, etc. It would be a wiser choice to consume foods that are beneficent to the body.
The sad truth of why we eat fast food . We hear it everywhere its bad for you, you get obese , heart disease and high cholesterol etc etc. We all know this, but we still wait the 10 minutes in line to get are cholesterol even higher. 1) Its cheap . If you're low on cash the fast food chains offer dozens of quick, cheap meals, but you pay for it with high cholesterol and loads of sugar. 2) Its fast. The pace of life has never been faster, with most of us on the go with our jobs and kids, and we feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day to take the time to make a good home cooked meal. Whether traveling for work or for pleasure, we just don't eat right on the road. People tend to eat at restaurants they recognize and the fast food chains that you see on every other street corner are often the first stop. I personally love to cook I only eat fast food once every two weeks earliest. I’m not really into eating at fast food places. If I go out with friends I eat at diners or restaurants or I make sure to have made food for us by the time we come back from the mall. I wish to all that is holy , that I would like vegetables and be a vegetarian but sadly I’m not and I’ am a carnivore all the way.
I think this post was very interesting in many ways. Before I start, I wanted to say that I been a vegetarian for 5 years already, which I'm very proud of. I decided to do this the minute I found out how bad this poor animals gets treated and killed horribly just to feed us. I want to mention something of the article about the pigs, from the way they get dosed with huge amounts of antibiotic to how unfairly they have to be so close together with the other pigs, so close that their tails need to be cut off. I realize that these foods are very addicted to some of us. Fast food restaurants is been one of the worst places that a person can go and eat because at the same time we're doing many complications to our own bodies, like heart problems, high cholesterol, cancer, etc. Fast food is always been so cheap because the meat they use is one the worst ones. How fast they hand you your food is incredible, of course!, they just heat up the frozen meats in the microwave. That's why I'm a vegetarian and will continue to be like this. I wish every person will do the same thing, so we can all be healthier and not only that but finally letting this animals live happier without the worry of killing them to feed us. I know we can survive without them, there's plenty of other food we can eat, trust me. :)
First of all, this is a great article about "Fast Food". I was born and raised in Peru, so personally my family and I do not eat fast food, so we like to eat organic food and peruvian dishes 5 times a week and italian or vegetables the other 2 days. I totally agreed with saying: "you are what you eat", so as "Americans" we just like killing and damaging our health daily, so we pay the price by going to the doctor by having a "high cholesterol level" or getting a "Colon Cancer" and we wonder why?. I personally recomend everyone to take a Nutrition class so you will learn so much about eating habits, learn what to eat or what not to eat and also how many calories we need to eat per day? which is 2,000 calories and the rest is store in your body as "Fat". I really enjoy that class, and I lost 20 pounds because of it, and it really encouraged me a lot to eat more vegatables and to stop drinking soda (which is 8 teaspoons of sugar)
So the question is what do we do about it? Through advertising, the BIG COMPANIES brainwash our appetite into consuming cheap food (by cheap I mean BAD). Can we do something about it? Of course we can. Modifying eating habits, improving our diets, making choices as to what and what not to eat, teaching our children and friends that a hamburger at McDonalds cannot be our lunch staple.
It would be a great help if the media would expose the names of the companies that use these inhumane tactics to create wealth through misery. I would rather buy from companies that willingly decide to create business without torturing and poisoning our food with antibiotics. We need, as consumers, to pay attention to what we ingest and from whom it comes. It's enlightened self interest. We feed ourselves and our children with what we buy. The real cost of food includes the cost of medical care. Pay more upfront for better quality food, raised humanely with fewer chemicals and you pay less eventually with fewer medical costs. Cheap food, raised in this horrible way, costs plenty. The companies that DON'T do this should find this an advertising boon. Shout it the sky! We'll come and buy. Much needs to be done to educate the public about the food they eat--the abuse of animals, the overuse of antibiotics that threatens everyone's health, the great harm to our environment from factory farms and most importantly, the nutritional costs of these practices. We all suffer the effects of factory farming no matter what we choose to eat. This practice will have to end eventually because it is unsustainable, and these companies know this, but why not try to end it now by not buying foods produced in this way? Journalism can help enormously by shining some light on this subject so that it is common knowledge and not ignored. Ultimately, consumers will be heard by their preferences but they have to know what they are buying.
For one, I believe that if I go out and get myself something from a fast food restaurant I'am adding to the pile of pigs being slaughtered to feed this crazy fast-food-obsession. We know that it's poor quality food, yet these restaurants are packed with more and more customers each day. What could be the reason? I believe it must be denial. By this I mean that we trick our minds into believing that one burger won't kill and there's always tomorrow to eat healthier. We know its harmful to the internal and the external of our bodies. Many people blame it on the time. Perhaps, we should take in consideration slowing it down a bit. According to the statistics on obesity the U.S is 30.6% and Spain is 13.1%. For every SUBWAY there are about ten Mcdonalds with posters all around enticing you to go ahead and feed this unstoppable craving. It's a fight against food every time we step out into U.S steets.
We choose what we eat through what is more convenient to us we have an abundance of fast food because we now have more control over how much we make. The steroids is an example since we have more control over the speed at which we grow our crops and feed certain animals to the point where at 5 months it’s ok to kill them and sell their meat. Since we can control all this it means there is the possibility of having abundance of meat and with the American population the “easier the better”. The easier we can obtain our food and the less it requires from our wallet the better. We can make a difference but it will be difficult to do so because we are in an environment where we are getting more lazy and less productive to ourselves and those who surround us. Parents will prefer to give their child lunch money than wake up and make them breakfast and lunch. So not only are our eating habits affecting us they are also affecting many more generations to come. Making certain decisions to what we eat can make a big difference in our future and our health. People are not blind they know the problems we are having today as a society due to our diet but we reject this idea and make up excuses and place the blame on the government and the advertising. But they don’t understand that if they let their child go out with friends, play sports, or even go for a walk it would decrease the amount of time they spend in front of the TV listening and watching all the advertisements related to fast food. But parents would rather allow the TV to do the babysitting part and this has its downside the child will become less active and be brainwashed by all the commercials being shown.
I didn’t know until now the process this type of food goes through before it gets to us. I knew junk food wasn’t healthy at all, but it wasn’t until now that I understood the reason why. All those hormones, fertilizers, and antibiotics the animals are given to harm our organism, so we can do something about it; we can modify our eating habits. We should have a balanced diet with vegetables, fruits, lacteous, and why not meat, a diet where we get all the nutrients we need from. This doesn’t mean that if you like it, you can’t go to McDonald, Burger King, or Wendy’s not even one day, but you should avoid eating this type of food regularly, in the end, all it does is to damage our health.
I am guilty of making that ten minute line at the McDonald’s in front of the third building. I used to eat there twice a week for almost a year during my lunch time. I gained a bit over ten pounds and I’m sure my cholesterol went up as well. It was easy for me. I would go to school on an empty stomach and by 10 AM my stomach was growling like crazy. So by the time classes were over I’d make line and have a burger. That’s horrible, I know. I have grown accustomed to better eating habits, thanks to a dear friend who had to force me into watching scary videos and documentaries. I can’t say that I will ever stop eating meat; because that’s something I can’t bring myself to do. Even though it’s a bit pricier, I do purchase hormone free meats and organic vegetables. The animals and crops are a lot better taken care of and a lot healthier to consume. The way you decide to cook it is a whole different story. I am proud to say that I lost the ten (and counting) pounds I gained and feeling better than I have in a long time.
As for what to do about it, make your own burger at home! Use hormone free turkey instead of beef, use organic veggies. You can cut up a potato and bake it instead of frying it. Trust me, it tastes just as good. If anything, better. Plus a home cooked meal keeps you satisfied longer. It’ll save you money on the long run. Making better choices as to where or what to eat when you’re out with friends can also help those you are with. Them seeing the positive changes in you for eating healthier will make them want to change their eating habits. I think its okay, even though some people might disagree, to eat every once in a while at a fast food restaurant. Kind of like a reward for eating healthy. Eventually, you won’t even want to eat any of that junk. It just takes time and dedication.
-Anais Franco
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.
Anasay Sieiro
The article posted was completely helpful. I enjoyed reading it. My point is that it is very true that is cheaper to be obese since vegetables don’t fill us up as much as processed aliments which have enormous amounts of calories. But is sad to know that some places we choose to eat , they say for example that their hamburgers are 100% meat, the food these animals eat aren’t 100% organic. So our choices are useless in most of the cases. In my opinion the healthier way to be is by having our own farms, because we can trust no one but ourselves. And by this I know people are going to think of this idea as insane. I wouldn’t even do that in the first place. But we have to keep in mind these persons put weird stuff we don’t even know in what we eat, and WE are the only responsible persons to take care of our health.
It is my belief that human nature gears towards conformity and convenience. The creature that is fast food nurtures itself on the relationship between both of those aspects.
First, there is that inherent drive for that which we enjoy, which pleases us, and the faster we can get it, the better. With this mindset, if I were presented with an option of waiting an hour to buy or prepare a burger, as opposed to picking one up that I would just about equally enjoy at a fast food restaurant, I know that most often than not I would lean towards fast food. I'd go as far to say that even if the fast food was of cheaper quality, I'd still take that over the wait.
Speed, then, the namesake of "fast food", is what truly drives its convenience. It allows for eating, a need, to take a much quicker backseat and allows for us more time to do other things we deem more "important". Now, I ask to myself: is this necessarily a bad thing? No, I think not. Were there food that could be prepared quickly, and have great nutritional value, and dare I say, tasted good, I'm sure many would have few qualms (or would they? :P) with this kind of product. Yet, on a deeper level, it begs the question if, as a society, we've come to view food, subconsciously, as a nuisance of sorts, an itch we need immediately scratched.. but well, this is besides my point..
Here we add conformity to the equation. Since many of us already view food as a last minute "when it comes" sort of thing, and have moved beyond taking chunks of our time towards preparing food various times a day, we take a look at our society from the outside and see just how many are the same way. A multitude of people, where fast food is an almost everyday thing. What happens here? Monkey see, monkey do.
What to do about it? Well, one option is to eat greener, but that itself presents a different array of problems.. This caloric empire is opposed day in and day out by green rebels, but like any breed of rebellion, or anything that isn't the mainstream, it isn't easy. The healthiest foods are at times the most expensive, getting a grip on a quality product can take a lot of time away from your schedule, as any lifestyle choice.
Well hey, you say, you don't want to be counter-culture, or at least so extreme. You decide you'll just eat healthier in general; better quality foods, less calories, more vitamins... sadly, the same rules apply. You will still burn more cash from your pocket, unless you aren't tired of buying the same few food items from the same few "deal" spots, and you'll still be eating away time purchasing and preparing, for now and for later. You've turned your back on conformity, and it's denied you convenience. Think about this for a second. You haven't sacrificed convenience, (I mentally italicize "sacrificed" here), not willingly. Mass society has taken it from you, because it does not fit the culture. Sucks, huh?
But what can we expect from corporations that dish out the cheapest product at the fastest rate, sometimes even supplying -at a loss- of profit margin, with special deals in order to lure you in, knowing you won't stop at buying that 1 dollar double cheeseburger, since that McFlurry looks so tempting.. maybe a soda, too. Oh, and would you like some fries with that?
Yes, I eat fast food once in a while because it serves it's purpose, to be served quickly. And it's also everywhere: the t.v., radio, right in the middle of campus... The masterminds behind the fast food restaurants do there job and they do it well, from the nutritioners, the advertisers, to the managers at the actual store. Yet, we could avoid making daily trips there if we realize that our health is in danger. Once we do this, we could begin to take further steps such as paying attention to the things we eat, exercising more often, and maybe even learning how to cook home made meals from scratch. I think that America or shall I say most of America like things done quickly. Everything needs to be quick: We want to finish up school quickly, find jobs quickly, drive quickly, and before we make it home we want to get our dinner quickly from a fast food restaurant and then wake up and do the same thing all over again, of course, quickly. If we just took the time and put in as much effort as we do other things into our health, we could slowly begin to live healthier lives.
ALFREDO GONZALEZ MWF 9:0O AM
wow, for the record, i have stopped eating those types of food since a long time. Macdonals or burger king or anything thats has to do with addictive and bad sourse of nutrition. Even though sometimes i manage to stick in a machicken, i find it to be better than a regular burger, even though it is till bad it is cheap and convenieent, something that most of us can agree to. I asked myself the same question, how is it that we can affort fries coke and the huge burger but cant go to publix and buy a salad or beans or anything else that does not harm us in a ny type of way. I guess that is just us being our selves. Being cheap and stupid. But going a little over the topic i want to say that this weekend was a good weekend for me, i when out, had dinner and when to see resident evil , after the movie i saw this elderly guy searching through the garbage looking for food. i felt horrible, and i though to myself i just spent so much money on a stupid dinner and useless things and here this person is looking for a plate of food to survive on. I felt horrible.. i just had to do something, i saw people giving him dollars and quaters but i though why dont i just buy him food.. at the moment what came to ming was macdonals, so i did, i when to macdonald and bought him a number one. At first i was like food is food.. so i gave him the coke his fries and his burger. After leaving i though wait, did i just really do a good thing or did i just make it worse, maybe he was much better of searching in the garbage then me giving him that type of food. At tis point i just felt bad i just wanted him to eat something. at the end i do not know whether i did a good thing or not but i do know that i chose macdonals because its faster cheap and onvenient, the three best things that we humans choose when it comes down to everything (material or food wise). Iguess sometimes we are deceived or we want to be deceived by the rong things. But then again that is human nature and thats the way it has been for decades, there is no way things will change, at this point everyone is in their own, save yourslelf the trip to the doctor or a nutritionist and start eating better and start adding healthy things to the menu intead of shoosing from the fast food menu. :)
ALFREDO GONZALEZ MWF 9:00 AM
Yes we know fast food is bad for us, yes we know fast food has a negative effect on our environment, but at the end of the day we as the consumers are to blame. We as Americans have become so accustomed to these fast food trends that we now want everything handed to us on a silver platter. We have become so lazy that we can't even prepare our own food, we must go these cheap food empires and even sometimes we have them deliver it so we don't have to leave the convenience of our home.This fast food era is resulting in a domino effect in our society. For example, instead of more walkways and stairs there are escalators and more elevators. Also to be convenient for the consumer, fast food restaurants especially McDonald have almost doubled their locations to shorten the distances to one's home.
Fast food is a quickly spreading epidemic that needs to be stopped as soon as possible. The key to stop the spread is to become more physically active and to change those lazy lifestyles. We need to stop having everything to our convenience and start actually working for what we want.Also nutrition is a major factor, I think that even though healthier foods tend to be more expensive than fast foods but it is definitely worth it in the long run when you don't have to pay for all those heart attacks and strokes.
It is a fact that the levels of obesity in the United States are just horrifying. Eating cheap food is not just going to McDonald's or Burger King is about eating tons and tons of processed food that at the end damage our health. The obesity in this country cannot be blamed just in the industry, but rather on our own choices, because almost every country in the world have these fast food chains. The fast food industry spends 20plus millions of dollars a year in advertisements while the regular industry spends about 1.2, but this is because the more we buy the more they are willing to spend making this an obession in our diet.
There is no other country that has this problem of obesity worst than the U.S. Being from a another country makes you realize and compare how bad our eating habits can be here, I say this because since I live here 3 years ago I have been able to weight what I used to back home where our food is pretty much just organic; there is a huge difference between prices, fast food is really expensive compared to normal food grown by local or nonlocal farmers and the reason for this difference is just that the ingest of fast food is lower.
Its just gross the way food is being processed here, and how they make animals grow is even worst. The problematic is not just about being obese but this kind of food actually damages in the long run even our neurons. The movie "Super Size Me" is a great example. The quality and amount is what makes us fat, if we had a good healthy breakfast we wouldn't be craving for unhealthy snacks in the middle of the morning, the same happens with our lunch, if we had our good portion of vegies and meat, fish or chicken we shouldn't have to have a huge dinner to satisfy our hunger. It is proven that the latest at night you eat the more weight you gain because after that, couple of ours later we go to sleep and our digestive system works at a low pace. So, if we don't realize the damage we are doing to ourselves we are going to end up really unhealthy because sadly for us the industry is not going to change millions and millions of dollars for healthier people and there is no enforced law that could change this.
- Oscar Garay MWF 9AM
What is done with the pigs in Iowa is disgraceful yet common in many societies. As for the question of “Why are we so addicted to fast food?” and “Why is America in general- so obese?” there are many patterning factors involved with those questions. First of all “fast food” serves its purpose to be served fast & eaten fast, so that we can get back to our demanding lives in modern, complex and over populated societies.
America & obesity, this topic comes to question because of all the absurd advertisement in commercials for greasy foods, nonetheless being obese is one of the easiest things to do; just eat & don’t exercise. In general that is the cause for obesity for any person anywhere in the planet; it’s simple that’s why it’s so predominant. As Americans what we can do to break the chain is stay away from fast food & focus more on home cooking with low fat and add vegetables; exercise and get involved more with doing things outside instead of being a part of the popular norm of sitting in front of the television to get subliminally attacked by food industries.
- Oscar Garay MWF 9AM
Fast food lives up to its name, its food that’s made fast, it’s convenient and it’s cheap. Now a days you can buy fast food just about anywhere at any time. We all know that it’s bad for us, for our health however we are brainwashed into this way of eating, advertisement companies have done their jobs really well, we see and hear about fast food in TV, on the radio, magazines etc.. The sad part is that these fast food companies claim to make their foods with 100% real meat when in reality we all know this is not true and we pay the price in the long run with health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity just to name a few. Therefore it is extremely important that we do something about it, we have to make the decision and commit to changing our eating habits by modifying our diets. Instead of eating out in fast food restaurants choose to make a meal at home, bake or boil meats instead of frying them, have a balanced diet where you include all the nutrients we need like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. There are many healthy food choices that are easily available and if you decide to make these changes in your life you’ll benefit from them, not only you’ll have more energy but you will feel a lot better about your self!
So the question is what do we do about it? Through advertising, the big companies brainwash our appetites and make us have a desire for cheap food (by cheap I mean BAD). Can we do something about it? Of course we can. Modifying eating habits, improving our diets, making choices as to what and what not to eat, teaching our children and friends that a hamburger at McDonalds cannot be our lunch staple are all tactics into having a healthy lifestyle. All the chemicals being pumped into those poor animals is not only abusive but also has negative effects on the body as well. There have been studies suggesting that the stress on the animal eaten will pass on to the one eating the meat of that animal. The majority of us may not see the long term damage the mistreatment of these domesticated animal has on the environment, but these articles as well as many others have demonstrated just a few of the consequences. The run off of semen and chemicals becomes toxic and can later reach its way to the ocean killing marine life. The price of a dollar menu is not worth the price we will all have to pay.
Since I was a little kid, I've heard all kind of rumors about McDonald. Of course most of them false but there is always a little bit of true in everything. And even the food sold is of the worst class of food, there is something unexplainable that makes it irresistible because for me the best french fries of the world are the ones from McDonald, and they are probably not even made from potatoes.
The suffering this animals experience is inhumane and I cannot believe that the US Government hasn't done anything about it. With all the different departments that exists not even one is doing anything about this animals? Well but after all we can expect to have this kind of quality from food that you can buy with just one dollar. With three dollar you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner so switching to another topic, at least in the USA any person ever will be hungry. One single homeless person that ask for money in the street is gonna receive an average of five dollars at the very least, with that they already can eat for the whole day. So in a way this kind of cheap food is beneficial for some people.
There are just so many premises to why this topic in all is becoming worse everyday. Americans themselves are guilty of both ignorance and gluttony. We admire going out and stuffing ourselves with high in fat foods, not to mention some of us take it a bit out of proportion. People either don't have the time and money to eat healthier, or give in to a quick appetite satisfaction. I can admit that many people have low knowledge of how to eat healthy. Food is fuel for your body, meaning that you need to be careful with what you intake. My grandfather is diabetic so you could just imagine how much my family stresses proper eating habits. Sure enough, taking care of yourself and watching your diet will allow you to not have to go through the troubles of being unhealthy. Another subject that I wanted to mention was about the antibiotics and other chemicals that are given to the animals. What other health risks are we being put through? This is something that should be carefully studied and if so, properly taken care of. I surely wouldn't want to affect my health and neither would you, so take some time to find proper diet habits. You will be content you did so.
It is almost our duty as Americans to consume fast food. As a country that is constantly growing, we need things that can keep up with us. And lets all be honest here, who has the time to go to the grocery store every week and prepare home cooked meals every day.
Fast food companies know this and they not only appeal to our hectic schedules by providing food in a matter of minutes, but they also do this at a remarkable price. Sure maybe we are eating the bottom of the barrel and consuming thing that to some is equivalent to the things we expel from our hindquarters, but hey it’s the price we pay for all of this. We are self consumed with technology and the great pursue of the bigger, better and faster. We make these choices to live in technological world and must realize many scarifies follow. We always have the choice to eat at home, make better decisions and be better people. The question is are we?
During the summer I read a book titled “Nickled and Dimed”: on Not Getting by in America”. In short, it covered a social experiment in which the author assumed labor-intensive jobs and lived in the conditions millions of low-wage, working-class Americans endure daily. One of the main points she wrote about was the unhealthy diet she *had* to consume, due to the financial situation. With little time or energy to cook between jobs (and a severe lack of funding), the author had to primarily eat foods from fast food restaurants. I recall vividly how she described how the food provided little nourishment, only enough energy “to get by” and move from one task to the next.
Many people who purchase unhealthy meals from fast food restaurants are so preoccupied with bills, wages, and social issues that it’s difficult for them to worry about the nutritional value of their meals. I am unable to formulate a solution to this problem. With so many people just trying to get by, they unwittingly send a message that there is no need for change as they increase the gross revenues of such transnational corporations as McDonald’s or Burger King. Advertisements bombard television networks during commercial breaks and the “Dollar Menus” are nothing if not tempting. If fertilizer and antibiotics are not used in meat production, fast food companies would most likely have to increase their costs to cover the difference in loss of production. However, when we look at the current situation with thousands of marine animals dying due to the rainwater run-off of such chemicals, it is dire to that end, as well.
Even if there is a way to persuade the majority of consumers to stop purchasing fast food, how many of them would be able to afford healthy alternatives that don’t negatively impact the environment. The Whole Foods Store has quality products, but with many of them bearing a price tag that many low-wage workers could not afford. Fruits and vegetables are especially overpriced when they are not in season.
To find a solution to this issue, we must find the source. To this end, I must ask: How did this cycle begin, and how can we undo it?
My family has always felt it important to have a sustainable organic diet. We by far are not vegetarian, but we were always taught to by organic meats and vegetables (whole foods was my second home growing up.) It does become costly at times, but we have always felt it an investment to our longevity and overall physiological health to eat mostly foods that were sustainably or wild raised and produced without chemicals, hormones, or pesticides. There are many ways to try to make a difference so everyone can develop these habits, but many times they wont work. If someone's taste, body, and budget is used to fast foods that pose health hazards, it will always be more convenient for that person to have fast food and satisfy their cravings.
These big companies perform near magic in their marketing and advertising departments, considering everything that the typical american encounters in the media. In a day, a person will probably see enough advertisements for fast food thats cheap, that they wont even recognize it, taking it as a norm of roaming the streets.
Changing diet habits is up to the individual. The ability to say NO is a powerful one, especiall to something so addicting and satisfying like a BigMac. The repercussions eventually catch up though, and those pigs meat that was not given enough nutrition with corn and slaughtered at a mere five months will devastate long term activities in the consumer, because its not natural or organic to consume that.
Bing raised to eat meat anywhere and anytime I found this quite repelling. I wish I could say that I had no idea this was going on but I did I wish I could simply say "stop" and things like this would no longer happen to animals because it's not just pigs. Cows and chickens are also raised in similar fashions. However our economic system has made it so that cheap food that can kill you is easier to obtain than healthier food wish costs quite a lot. Putting an end to this won't be coming anytime soon, as long as the masses want it "they" will make it. This is not a task an individual can fight it will take an entire country.
I have to admit I am guilty of having a bad eating habit and I am twice as guilty for eating at Burger King today at lunch. But after reading all of those articles I promise to start eating healthy food and exercising more than what I usually do. This is not the first time I hear about how animals like pigs and chickens are treated and all the preservatives that are being injected to them. But I never actually paid much attention to it. I did decrease the amount of times I eat at a fast food restaurant, but now I have made the choice to stop completely. I think that what they are doing in the state of Colorado by adding more biking, hiking and jogging trails to the state parks is a project that should be implemented on all states. Also educating people more on nutrition and motivating them somehow to be more active are great ideas to decrease the obesity percentage in the United States.
Americans live busy and fast paced lives. The average mother drops off the kids at school, goes to work, picks up the kids, gets home, cooks, cleans, puts the kids to bed, etc. It seems that there is never time to make a decent nutritious meal for any time of day. Fast foods are cheap, convenient, and does take the load off but is it really worth it? The three leading causes of death in the United States are nutrition related. If people ate healthier they would live longer happier lives. The conditions in which those pigs live are very sad and disturbing. People need to be aware of what they really put into their mouths. Advertising to the public about healthy foods would be a good way to start. Just like the anti drug and smoking commercials we see on a daily basis. If we saw more of what fast foods really are and how they affect us, many would think twice next time about picking up that burger.
To admit I'm one that likes to buy fast food. And mostly all americans are as well. In a way we all have a fault, cause some time we don't want to cook, when you come back home from a long day. We just buy fast food for the family but some people dont take inconsideration, what kind of meat we are putting in our mouth. speacially from McDonalds. Like what kind of meat we are eating, however how the economy is right now, people are buyin cheap cause not everyone can buy good quiality meat nor vegetables, they just want to save their money. Even college student they just buy McDonalds or any other fast food, it's just good for their pockets. As for me fast food is addicting cause you know it taste good and is fast. Now we have to make an effort to realize that we have to eat good for our health and we can teach other people how to eat right.
I've always heard the talk about fast food being bad for you but I never paid much attention to it. This article helps show just how harmful our dependency on fast food can become. We can blame the greedy corporations who look for the quickest and cheapest way to make a product so they can profit off of it but we also have to blame ourselves for continuing to buy from these fast food restaurants. The restaurants make the food available quickly, cheap, and tasty for the most part but it's not good for you in the long run just like the article states. Fortunately more and more information is coming out to help educate us on just how dangerous eating too much fast food can be for you.
Americans' love of the free market can best be observed through one of the deadliest and most addicting products on the market: fast food. Due to relentless advertising by the mega corporations behind producers such as McDonald's and Burger King, Americans are driven by convenience and fallacious arguments into buying these death meals. As a result, The United States is on the verge of an obesity epidemic which is claiming more lives each year through related diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, and diabetes. Continuing to fan the flames of their own downfall, Americans spend untold amounts of money at fast food chains buying cheaply produced food. One would think that the quality of these meals is due to some sort of incompetency on the part of the producers who probably have little supplies for high demand. Unfortunately, the fact is that more and more farmland and cattle ranches are owned by less entities, paving the way for super corporations to control the discourse on what Americans can eat. Said corporations, driven completely by profit, cut costs where ever they see fit, whether it be packing its animals in inhumane settings (veal industry) or undermining small farmers to purchase only their products for farming (it's easy to point at Monsanto). Sure, you might be against fast food and never purchase anything from McDonald's, but that beef you just bought at the supermarket most likely comes from the very same farm that supplies the fast food chain. By genetically modifying their crops and cattle, farmers are also setting the stage for super viruses to mutate and spread among an ignorant population which is more absorbed in their short term interest of filling their stomachs than thinking ahead and eating healthy, nutrient enriched food. The only way Americans can shake their fatty food stupor would be by educating the masses on the benefits of buying organic foods, preferably grown in the city so as to also decrease the carbon footprint created by transporting and storing said food. By supporting one's local economy rather than a huge corporation located in Iowa controlled by three people, one is able to live a healthier lifestyle with better quality foods while also increasing the standard of living surrounding them by pumping capital into a much smaller network which continually flows and improves every aspect it encounters.
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