There is no doubt that we are paying the ultimate price for the dastardly way we employ animals to our service not to mention the ultra high fast food consumption which is only securing the pockets of opportunistic profiteers. What matters always seems to be the bottom line and the profitable industry that secures the tragic future of these animals. Why should these companies suddenly relinquish billions of dollars when it is such an easy way to make money ? In general the government though vital to our everyday lives in a positive way is ultimately playing devil’s advocate. Shall I mention the crimes of our beloved FDA (Food and Drug Administration)? How a streamlined health care system that profits out of our own suffering only denotes the few crimes that the pharmaceutical companies are responsible for in our society. Let’s not forget how incredibly damaging to the human body certain foods are such as high -fructose corn syrup. The health care issue is a different issue altogether but it parallels the same thing. It reveals a society that is willing to accept the madness of certain conditions so long as the lint in our pockets remains hidden. It reveals the same kind of society that accepts homelessness as a malady of the human condition that can never be remedied. There are no solutions just excuses upon excuses. Norman Mailer once said that a society that is unwilling to live to the nobility of its own values probably deserves its own demise and destruction. This is only something that cannot be conquered at all by legislation but must be eroded over time much the same way a tremendous boulder is shaped by water erosion one raindrop at a time. The Herculean powers that be that have taken over our democracy and installed a secret fascist facsimile of our government have us in a strangled hold. So yes, I would agree by word-of-mouth and educating one another do we relinquish the power of the fast food industry. The government itself does not hold them accountable at all for serving inferior food. Who dares fight now this current version of America which has betrayed its values again and again. What we can do is show personal responsibility to the earth by pursuing healthier lifestyles that in turn coincide so miraculously with preservation of the planet. We must make it more profitable to grow and sell organic foods on the market. Even now this is happening everywhere and this just needs to be commonplace. What I have observed is that organic food though on the rise and highly profitable Is very expensive for the consumer. Why get that bag of edamame when you can get a burger for a 1.00 on their value meal? Whole Foods is one such example. A bit of shopping there can cost a fortune if you are not careful but the good thing is that other run of the mill supermarkets such as Publix are beginning to market somewhat affordable organic food. This is a start. An issue of great importance is the realization that our dependence on the fast food industry ultimately destroys the sustainability of our planet. One day sooner or later this planet will run low on resources and if you think this can’t happen just look at the way population growth is exploding in an exponential way. The dumping of pig fecal matter into the oceans destroys the earth’s ability to regenerate fish. We already fish about 100 million metric tons of fish per year and we are low in every type and stock of fish. Pretty soon there will be no more fish to fish and not to mention how much of the biomass is already gone such as the beautifully bleached coral reefs. All this can be depressing news altogether. It proves the adage that Mohandas Ghandi once expressed and that is that each one of us must become the change that we want to see in the world. It is only by pure collective will and persistence that anything changes pertaining to the human condition. ……………………………………..Angel Pomales Phi 2010
Most Americans chose to eat fast foods because it’s cheap fast and there’s a fast food restaurant almost everywhere you turn. On the other hand Publix is not as close. Most people are often in a rush and eat whatever is there. Besides it’s cheaper to buy a dollar burger at McDonalds than to actually buy salad, salad dressing and vegetables at Publix. Most of America grew up on kid’s meals with free toys so basically fast food is all we know. It’s also harder to go on a diet when everyone in your household is drinking soda and eating burgers. Being healthy is not hard but it’s almost impossible when everyone is eating so unhealthy. Yes it’s wrong what they’re doing to the poor pigs but most people don’t even learn about that process because the government doesn’t want to scare us. It’s a process to actually be completely healthy so America just has to take it one day at a time.
Fast food companies make billions and billions of dollars every year, not only in America but all around the world. People have turn to fast food eating when they are in a hurry and need to fill their stomach with something. Many people actually enjoy fast food. I wonder, if half of the people who eat at fast food restaurants know the nutritional value of the food they are ordering? And if these people know the process in which the meat they are consuming is produced and handled? If places such as McDonalds or Taco Bell would have on the menu the number of calories you are consuming or on each item of food you ordered it stated the nutrition facts and the quality of meat or food you are consuming. I wonder if their percentage of costumers would go down and the amount of money they make would go down. America in general is so obese I believe for many reasons. The main reasons: we are not informed at a young age what is healthy and unhealthy, we are in a rush, and we don’t know the nutritional value of the food we are consuming. All these reasons can be easily resolved. From such a young age we see commercials and different exciting looking advertisements about fast food restaurants that make young kids want to go to those fast food restaurants. At many fast food restaurants they even have “kids meals” that come with toys that make the kids want to go back. Some parents do not take the time to teach their kids about how this food can affect their bodies and make them unhealthy, they instead take their kids to the fast food restaurant they want to go to. Yes, the food does not effect a small kids body as much as an older persons body but if they continue the habit they will end up becoming more effected from this food because of they fact that they started consuming it at such a young age. Knowing what you are putting into your body is key to living a healthy and happy life. Fast food brings you down because it makes you look and feel bad, it might taste good but it is not worth all the side effects that it comes with. Another thing to think about if the condition of the way these animals you have consuming have lived. Unsanitary conditions all packed together, who knows if the tools they use to slaughter these animals are sanitary? Animals that are injected with hormones and all types of drugs to sedate them, all these hormones are going straight into your body. If every one in the world knew the nutrition facts and the process by which the meat goes through to provide the fast food that people love so much, I wonder what percentage of people would still eat fast food?
We choose to eat fast food over something healthier from a brand name such as Publix for a few reasons but regardless of the quantity they still apply. America has increased in obesity rate but we don't see commercials for a raise in American obesity but rather we see a big mac with cheese sprayed with water to give viewers the idea that a McDonalds big mac is succulent and tasty. We choose to spend our hard earned dollars on a burger from Mcdonalds because people believe that they receive value for what their paying for. But what is value? People assume that because it pertains to and enriches our senses then it must be something of value and worth. Sure you might have one or two civilians go into a whole foods and buy some vegetables but we have succumb so much to our own laziness that it's simpler to walk in and ask for a number 5 with large fries. The task at hand is to reach an obtainable goal. Eliminating all fast food restaurants is not realistic but planning accordingly and organizing what we eat and when we eat it is a start. Home cooking a pork will provide more "bang for your buck" with all its protein and nutrition compared to a burger from a fast food joint cooked on a grill basked in grease. Paying attention to what we eat and its later effects is a great start.
Mohammed Jarra September 5, 2012 PHI 2010 – ( 9.00 - 9.50 ) Well first of all, let us agree to the fact that the world’s population is steadily increasing and less people want to go and farm for their food. One rather let someone else do it for them while one pursue their worldly dreams of possessing materialistic luxuries to satisfy their appetite of what they think will bring them happiness. And by the time they realize it, it’s too late. They live the rest of their lives in misery because “NO AMOUNT OF WEALTH IS EQUAVALENT TO A GOOD HEALTH”. The reason why I said that we leave the food production to someone and that someone is the large cooperation in charge of the food productions in the United States. For example Tyson is one of the largest food cooperation in America. The little back yard farmers cannot handle the massive demand of the population; therefore these cooperation’s took over the business and monopolized the situation to their advantage. But these cooperation’s could only do this because of the manner in which the society is been set up. It is inducted into people’s mind that time is money, and also due to the fact that we have so much bills to pay, and so many materialistic things to buy, you have no choice but to work as much as you can to earn more money to sustain one’s life and desires. Now that we understood why or what caused this larger cooperation’s to take over the food production. The question now is, are they helping or just taking advantage of the situation and making billions of dollars every year at our cost? The answer is clear but it’s up to you to decide. To add more gasoline to the fire, this company products are all processed, which means this food are commercially prepared and designed for ease of consumption. And for these products to have a long shelf life, certain ingredients have to be added, which in turn and in a long run is bad for our health. Processed food also contains additional ingredients such as: fat, lots of sugar, salt, casein and monosodium glutamate. All this ingredients plays a roll in stimulating the brain in wanting more of it, and you can only get it from fast foods. Well let’s talk about price, that is another factor that keeps the population stuck to buying fast food. It has been made very cheap to buy. It is cheaper than the vegetables at Publix and the farmers market and is a great way to keep the population stuck on fast food consumption. All this can be changed by not attacking these big companies but going back to the basic and first changing yourself and your lifestyle. Then speaking to the families and letting them know the disadvantages of depending on fast food and to slow down the process of everyday life ups and downs and not to focus too much on just earning money but to also live your life happily with great health. And with great health you must first consume a well natural balanced diet meal, and you can only get that from slow food. Taking the time to go and shop for natural grown food products to cook at home. That in a long run also saves you money. So I leave you with this question ….is wealth better than health.
Have you ever opened a McDonalds burger and you see its all messy with sauce dripping out the side and the meat doesn’t even looked cooked? Your money was spent on something that looks like it was cooked by a child. Restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC etc. truly do live up there name: fast food. When you have a country that’s constantly on the move like the US and you add a quick and easy solution for food you get the problems that we have today with the obesity and poor diet. Huge corporations like these care more about the money than they do for the well-being of not only the animals processed, but not for the consumers. Very poor housing and lousy hygiene leads to bacteria mixed in the preservatives given to the meat and is unbelievably unhealthy for you. Everything from the mother cattle to the food they eat to the way they’re processed in the factories is designed and used specifically to enhance the portion of meat from this singular animal. They pump gallons of God-knows-what into these animals and everything that’s in them gets passed down into the very burger we bite into. For $3.50 you can buy a big mac from McDonalds and the ingredients in it can be completely different from the guy behind you in line and that’s simply because of inattentiveness of the company and those who run them. At the same time none of these companies would be anywhere without us, the normal population who consumes tons of food a day. For some reason this country is obsessed with always being on the move. Balancing kids and checkbooks is already a handful as is, now if your kids were hungry and you’re the run what would you rather choose: picking out ingredients, then cooking the actual meal, plus cleaning up after or you could go through a drive thru, buy enough food for a cheap price and still make it to your appointment on time. Most people who choose the easy route but if they know where and what the burger had to go through before entering your child’s mouth can really change the aspect. The truth is quick and simple; fast food is a terrible and unhealthy replacement for real food and because America can’t seem to get out of this bad habit, they will continue, as they have, to obesity and other serious health issues.
Although most Americans are aware of how harmful to their health fast food and artificial preservatives can be, it does not stop billions of people from buying these products. The prices may seem low at the moment, but these low quality meals for the price given will rise when the health of the individual worsens in the long run. Parents may believe feeding their child McDonald, Burger King, or Taco Bell will not cause any health problems for their children, but the addiction to the fast food has grown and it is not only affordable. Fast food is also a way people to avoid from having to go to the grocery store, buying every ingredient to make a home cooked meal and taking too much time to make it. From a young age children are exposed to these fast food restaurants and become accustomed to eating it because they receive a toy from eating a meal. For example, my nephew does not like eating anything else that is not pizza or burgers from Burger King, because he became familiar and does not want to expand his taste buds since he has been used to it from a young age. These restaurants with meals filled with unhealthy meats, if it really can be called meat, and ingredients including starch and high fructose corn syrup. These types of foods trick our body and do not nutrition any one at all. Sometimes even after eating fast food your full but after a while you feel hungry again. Some people may believe having injected hormones or injected antibiotic does not harm our body because we are not the ones in taking it but the fact is that we are what we eat. We are eating hormonal injected cow milk and those hormones are entering our bodies affecting our growth and development, generation by generation. All this has given a hypothesis of causing cases of cancer and other diseases. More and more Americans are being diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease and obesity because of the foods with preservatives, lack of nutritional value and unnecessary fats. Few people do not care about what torture the animals go through to get into our stomachs and most people are not aware of what we are putting into our bodies and if they are they will not wake up until they are struggling with their nutrition and life. What will it take for people to become aware of what goes in their body and stays that can be very harmful? -Stephanie Blanco
Eating habits begin in the home, and become a lifelong pattern. When parents feed their children a big Mac that is the worst mistake you can ever do. The United States is a fast paced country and when places like McDonalds and Burger King offer food at less than 10 dollars in less than 15 min, that is what seems more convenient for people on the move. If it weren’t for the people that consume it then fast food restaurants would be out of business, but once they start its hard to quit. There is at least a McDonald’s commercial on every TV channel and when you get coupons sent to your house to get four meals for the price of one people are going to take advantage of that. It’s hard to say no when it is easiest thing to get. Though companies like that don’t care on the harm they are doing to people it’s truly not their fault as it is ours. They just care about getting money just like the rest of America. So it’s truly in our hands to buy healthier food, teach family members a better way to eat and that buying a Big Mac for $3.00 can have more expensive consequences in the long run.
Everyone has a choice, and if a person likes burgers or fries, why should others stop him/her? Some people understand that fast food is not good for health, so they cook at home, or some other places they want. They do it, because that is their choice. In my opinion, the best idea is to explain people that fast food is harmful, that millions of animals are fed by bad foods and we eat their meat. By telling that poor animals are treated bad way will never stop huge companies earning money, it's not their fault. They need money as every other person does. The consumers are not guilty either because they prefer eating out, I repeat, that is their choice. But the problem is that the mass of the population doesn't have an idea of what exactly they are eating, they know nothing about the conditions which animals live in, or about the foods they eat, and antibiotics they are injected. This is the thing that people have to be aware of. Only pure understanding will affect their minds, and then they will probably refuse eating fast food.
Marlon I. Morraz I remember my first Mc. Donald’s burger. It was in Guatemala City while I was visiting an aunt who lived there. I was excited to taste this edible icon from the powerful “Colossus of the North” and try some first world cuisine. I was utterly disappointed to find out that the patty was more of a wafer and the bread was also flat and unappetizing. The taste was no different. Then, I came to the US, the very source of this famed sandwich, and once again I got my hopes up. When I opened the box, I was left wondering where was the succulent patty, crisp vegetables dripping with freshness, and fluffy bread I saw in the commercials. Once again, I was disappointed. I have grown up in Nicaragua, where my uncles owned ranches and thus I have a very decent idea of what meat, poultry and vegetables are supposed to taste like. I have had none of the sort in the vast majority of fast food restaurants. So why do we eat at them? Well, part of the issue might be ignorance—we do not know what the food we eat is really supposed to taste like. However, other factors apply like price and convenience. To most, fast food restaurants are an economic alternative to eating at traditional restaurants and some even replace everyday meals like breakfasts for a visit to the closest fast food restaurant. If one were to buy the individual ingredients for a hamburger at a supermarket and assemble one by himself, the price would be much higher than that at fast food restaurants; even when not using organic ingredients. This lower price, however, is a deception since there are “other ways” in which we pay for this sandwich, including government subsidies and lower quality. However, the most costly is our health. Every time we eat, we are making an investment in ourselves and it behooves us to invest the best we can. Our health depends on that. Even if we are hard pressed because of time and work schedules, we must remember that we work to live and not vice versa. If our priorities are set right, we can and must make the time to get a healthier and more filling meal. As for those who choose to go to a fast food restaurant in order to “avoid fatigue”, I would remind them that it is every individual’s responsibility to safeguard his or her health and wellbeing. Fast food restaurants are business and their job is to provide a good—food. It is not their responsibility to keep us healthy or active. If one is willing to still consume fast food at a great rate, one must at least be educated about what the results will be and assume the consequences. It appears that the paradox of industrial farming is with us for the long run. For now, no other method of production can sustain such a large population as we have now. Fast food chains will continue to make this process ever more available and will tell us that it is still “fresh and wholesome”. However, this does not mean that we have to slavishly accept it as our only means of receiving food. Organic alternatives are available, and local farmer’s markets can provide natural, unprocessed food. Making these choices may entail some sacrifice, but our bodies merit such sacrifice. After all, if we cannot care for ourselves, then what can we care for?
To adjust our eating habits we can substitute all of our favorite fast food meals for healthier and similar items. For example, burger king can be easily replaced with a healthier and tastier baked turkey burger and baked delicious seasoned French fries; this is all made in the comfort of our own home. But why don’t we choose to create our own meals? Well basically because we are lazy and never have time to take care of ourselves the “proper way”. Instead we trust other people to provide us with a meal that can remind us of a home cooked meal in less than 10 minutes. Just being lazy follows up with poor eating habits period because we don’t mind spending money on such “cheap” food. Instead we have the mentality to spend less money on crappy food then to suggest the healthier items that may cost more. Has anybody noticed that every harmful meal is always cheaper than the meal that is always good for you? America has already notice how much we love to penny pinch and that we would do almost anything to leave a store with a great savings deal. But then again do we care; maybe we might not care now but I guarantee you if anyone seen how our food is processed and what’s in it. Then maybe they might just reconsider eating a fast food meal.
It’s our innate nature to like things that are fast and dislike things that are slow. If the Internet takes more that 30 seconds to load up or the traffic signal stays red to long we turn into the hulk. America is a country that’s constantly moving and fast food fits perfectly into that lifestyle. If it hasn’t killed us yet, why should we stop now? The consumption of fast food will probably never seize because we’re addicted. We’re addicted to the great taste that comes at a snap of a finger and at a low price as well. The big companies love that they are making money off our addiction and if that means selling us hormone and artificially flavored food, as long as they know we will eat it, they will sell it. They will continue to come out with things that make out mouth water. All they care about is the money. The side effects of consuming this food will be detrimental in the future but today’s generation lives in the moment. But being a fast paced society is not the only reason why fast food is consumed. Sometimes two dollars is all that we have in our pockets and a growling stomach and golden arches beaming down on us from a across the street. We have no choice. Sometimes its involuntary temptation. Erika Davis MWF 9-9:50
My perspective on this issue is that for many of us, especially those who grew up in lower income brackets, eating McDonald’s or any kind of fast food is not due to a conscious desire to be unhealthy, but rather ignorance toward what a healthier or more convenient choice would be. These companies that produce the meat for our fast food know that Americans aren’t necessarily looking for quality, but just a quick, simple way to get in sustenance for the day. The companies that distribute and advertise these “meals” realize that the market they are trying to corner are merely seeking a quick meal they won’t have to prepare, either because they don’t have the time to, or because they do not have the knowledge as to what constitutes a healthy meal. I’m not going to be overly cynical, but the companies and the advertisers are perpetuating a cycle where people become overly dependent on them for their food, yet the company chooses to not take any responsibility for adverse health effects, because after all, we should know better. It is a vicious cycle, although the information on how to be healthier and prepare food is now available quicker than it has ever been, being more “healthy” is not a viable option for many people, especially those who work all that and survive on the cheapest items at the grocery store. Eating healthy begins with knowledge of food preparation, yet these are not lessons people can or want to apply into their daily lives. Portions have grown as we expect more from our fast food, the campaigns showing their new “healthy” or “lite” portion sizes are all the education some get, and because it is easier to accept that these companies are curbing their unhealthy and cruel practices, many choose to not question the status quo. It is also easy to ignore how cruelly these animals are being treated, I feel like we have become desensitized to these acts of extreme cruelty, especially since the meat conglomerates have many resources in their arsenal to fight these allegations, and to maintain an air or innocence and detachment in the American public. Many of the solutions offered are impractical for families who have working parents or are in the lower 99 percent. Not every family has the access to, or the money for vegetables, we are also lacking the knowledge on how to properly prepare them into a healthy nutritious meal, especially since this usually requires a total overhaul of one’s lifestyle. Seeing the argument from this perspective, I feel that the companies behind the production of the meat should take more responsibility, but this will never happen if we as a public turn a blind eye toward our food choices, mainly because many would like to believe that they are doing nothing wrong and eat this way because of necessity and not choice. For this to happen, I feel like we should also change the media and the way we learn about the environment and our impact on it. Sadly, this is not viable and the necessary change will come at such a slow pace so as to leave a much bigger mark on the environment than we could reverse.
I feel when it comes to the topic of fast food it all comes down to us. It’s our choice to eat the food of course. Nowadays we eat fast food cause it’s cheap and fast of course, and the fact is a lot of us know it’s bad , but others just don’t know that it’s or don’t want to know ,but on the other hand part of the reason is there’s so many families out there who can’t afford to buy healthier food cause it’s more expensive than to go eat at McDonalds This of course doesn’t apply to everybody cause not everybody is in the same situation . Since were very young we are bombarded with all this information of these fast-food restaurants it’s almost as if were being brainwashed into eating their food, but in the end it’s still our choice on how we choose to give our body nutrition .I feel part of the reason is some people just don’t care they don’t want to change their lifestyle and they want to keep eating whatever they want, but there’s also the group of people who just don’t know what their giving their bodies. We need to inform ourselves education plays a big role in everything there’s many ways to live a healthy lifestyle and so many healthy food choices. At the very end of the day our health is all we got so why not take of it.
The concept of “fast food” has existed since the dawn of civilization, when man developed agriculture. We have been playing around with food for thousands of years- the food we know has been altered so much by humans that it takes more than just sight and taste to identify your regular supermarket fruits and vegetables in the wild. I think it is important for people to realize this concept, that the food industry as a whole has been and will continue to evolve as a byproduct of human evolution. It allows you to see the whole movie, not just the scene or frame that is the fast food industry we have today. The fast food industry may seem unhealthy, unethical or whatever other faults you can find in it and thats good, because we always want to improve and find room for improvement, but its the best it has ever been. We have relatively clean, calorie dense, cheap food available to pretty much anyone in the developed world. Impressive to say the least. That some people abuse it and get fat? That you now have 10% higher chance of a stroke? Small price to pay in my opinion. And it is becoming healthier and cheaper. Comparing fast food today to ten years ago, there are a lot more healthy options now, calorie displays, etc. With the exponential growth of technology and science its only a matter of time until fast food becomes the healthiest, tastiest and cheapest food choice available.
Food, the most heavenly experience known to man, at least to a woman whom has suffered quite the trauma revolving around the most essential part of living, eating. It’s quite ironic how life works when a young girl gains weight from eating her depression and anxiety away to later loose over fifty pounds three years later to a discovered fifteen centimeter tumor in the head of her pancreas. That young girl would be me, far from the average teenager whom belief was she was truly invisible, no task was too great or difficult to conquer and she was completely an independent woman. For that theory long left my though process the moment I woke up from my nine hour Whipple procedure, which consisted of the removal of forty percent of my pancreas, one fourth of my stomach , my duodenum, my gallbladder, and the reconstruction of the anatomy of my digestive tract. I soon became dependent of my family for absolutely everything for I couldn’t even lift a finger on my hand. Two weeks I forgot what food was, for those two weeks after surgery is the eternal black fizz of a the television. Four months spent battling for my health, and longing for a full rack of baby back ribs, I was only able to tolerate if that soups and mashed potatoes. Nutrition became the key to my recovery for an anemic body cannot regain strength without protein and calories. Americans are spoiled with millions of possibilities of what they could have for lunch, they either don’t care or are ignorant to the problems in front of them. I took the simple pleasure of enjoying a meal without consecutively throwing it back up over and over again for granted. One does not know what tomorrow will bring, thus we must treat today is if it were our last. We must take care of the place we live in and those who inhabit our planet with us, including the same meat we eat. I believe in the theory of reincarnation, what is to say when our purpose in this body is fulfilled you the way in which you’ve treated the environment affects what body you inhabit next? What if you were to take life of a pig in a den filled with hundreds of thousands of your brothers in line tightly squeezed awaiting your death. I do not disagree with the circle of life, that there must be prey, and to survive one must have to take life, but where should one draw the line? In life our sole purpose is to learn from our experiences, weather extraordinary or depressing that experience may have been there is a life lesson our soul is meant to absorb, once our existence in many lives has fulfilled its destiny and absorbed true knowledge shall our soul transpire to nirvana- ultimate rest and peace. For hell is here on this planet, the greatest sins are not of those from mistakes but those whom don’t learn from their mistakes and grow from the bitter past. The past is a place where only bitterness lives, and if we continue to massacre our wildlife and ignore our hungry around the world how will our society ever truly progress?
There is no doubt about what i have just read, and how sad it makes me feel. but unfortunately this issue of eating fast food begins at home and with the proper education when child it could be corrected; not because it tastes good and is cheap means is really good for us, I remember when child my dad getting me a happy meal, making me the happiest kid in the world, not knowing all of this before, I thought it was the best food ever in terms of quality and so. but to choose what to eat and what not to eat is a personal decision, or in some cases is how easy and fast it is, when for example you are working and you get home all tired, you just go and get the fastest food you can get, that’s the way human are, we are too comfortable, we like fast food; and there is also an economic reason for this because not everyone can go to Publix and make a good grocery shopping, instead, they buy a dollar cheeseburger in a McDonalds. People reading this type of things should make up their minds and whenever they can, go for the healthy choice that would take a little more time, instead of the fast not healthy food.
17 comments:
There is no doubt that we are paying the ultimate price for the dastardly way we employ animals to our service not to mention the ultra high fast food consumption which is only securing the pockets of opportunistic profiteers. What matters always seems to be the bottom line and the profitable industry that secures the tragic future of these animals. Why should these companies suddenly relinquish billions of dollars when it is such an easy way to make money ? In general the government though vital to our everyday lives in a positive way is ultimately playing devil’s advocate. Shall I mention the crimes of our beloved FDA (Food and Drug Administration)? How a streamlined health care system that profits out of our own suffering only denotes the few crimes that the pharmaceutical companies are responsible for in our society. Let’s not forget how incredibly damaging to the human body certain foods are such as high -fructose corn syrup. The health care issue is a different issue altogether but it parallels the same thing. It reveals a society that is willing to accept the madness of certain conditions so long as the lint in our pockets remains hidden. It reveals the same kind of society that accepts homelessness as a malady of the human condition that can never be remedied. There are no solutions just excuses upon excuses. Norman Mailer once said that a society that is unwilling to live to the nobility of its own values probably deserves its own demise and destruction. This is only something that cannot be conquered at all by legislation but must be eroded over time much the same way a tremendous boulder is shaped by water erosion one raindrop at a time. The Herculean powers that be that have taken over our democracy and installed a secret fascist facsimile of our government have us in a strangled hold. So yes, I would agree by word-of-mouth and educating one another do we relinquish the power of the fast food industry. The government itself does not hold them accountable at all for serving inferior food. Who dares fight now this current version of America which has betrayed its values again and again. What we can do is show personal responsibility to the earth by pursuing healthier lifestyles that in turn coincide so miraculously with preservation of the planet. We must make it more profitable to grow and sell organic foods on the market. Even now this is happening everywhere and this just needs to be commonplace. What I have observed is that organic food though on the rise and highly profitable Is very expensive for the consumer. Why get that bag of edamame when you can get a burger for a 1.00 on their value meal? Whole Foods is one such example. A bit of shopping there can cost a fortune if you are not careful but the good thing is that other run of the mill supermarkets such as Publix are beginning to market somewhat affordable organic food. This is a start.
An issue of great importance is the realization that our dependence on the fast food industry ultimately destroys the sustainability of our planet. One day sooner or later this planet will run low on resources and if you think this can’t happen just look at the way population growth is exploding in an exponential way. The dumping of pig fecal matter into the oceans destroys the earth’s ability to regenerate fish. We already fish about 100 million metric tons of fish per year and we are low in every type and stock of fish. Pretty soon there will be no more fish to fish and not to mention how much of the biomass is already gone such as the beautifully bleached coral reefs. All this can be depressing news altogether. It proves the adage that Mohandas Ghandi once expressed and that is that each one of us must become the change that we want to see in the world. It is only by pure collective will and persistence that anything changes pertaining to the human condition. ……………………………………..Angel Pomales Phi 2010
Most Americans chose to eat fast foods because it’s cheap fast and there’s a fast food restaurant almost everywhere you turn. On the other hand Publix is not as close. Most people are often in a rush and eat whatever is there. Besides it’s cheaper to buy a dollar burger at McDonalds than to actually buy salad, salad dressing and vegetables at Publix. Most of America grew up on kid’s meals with free toys so basically fast food is all we know. It’s also harder to go on a diet when everyone in your household is drinking soda and eating burgers. Being healthy is not hard but it’s almost impossible when everyone is eating so unhealthy. Yes it’s wrong what they’re doing to the poor pigs but most people don’t even learn about that process because the government doesn’t want to scare us. It’s a process to actually be completely healthy so America just has to take it one day at a time.
Fast food companies make billions and billions of dollars every year, not only in America but all around the world. People have turn to fast food eating when they are in a hurry and need to fill their stomach with something. Many people actually enjoy fast food. I wonder, if half of the people who eat at fast food restaurants know the nutritional value of the food they are ordering? And if these people know the process in which the meat they are consuming is produced and handled? If places such as McDonalds or Taco Bell would have on the menu the number of calories you are consuming or on each item of food you ordered it stated the nutrition facts and the quality of meat or food you are consuming. I wonder if their percentage of costumers would go down and the amount of money they make would go down. America in general is so obese I believe for many reasons. The main reasons: we are not informed at a young age what is healthy and unhealthy, we are in a rush, and we don’t know the nutritional value of the food we are consuming. All these reasons can be easily resolved. From such a young age we see commercials and different exciting looking advertisements about fast food restaurants that make young kids want to go to those fast food restaurants. At many fast food restaurants they even have “kids meals” that come with toys that make the kids want to go back. Some parents do not take the time to teach their kids about how this food can affect their bodies and make them unhealthy, they instead take their kids to the fast food restaurant they want to go to. Yes, the food does not effect a small kids body as much as an older persons body but if they continue the habit they will end up becoming more effected from this food because of they fact that they started consuming it at such a young age. Knowing what you are putting into your body is key to living a healthy and happy life. Fast food brings you down because it makes you look and feel bad, it might taste good but it is not worth all the side effects that it comes with. Another thing to think about if the condition of the way these animals you have consuming have lived. Unsanitary conditions all packed together, who knows if the tools they use to slaughter these animals are sanitary? Animals that are injected with hormones and all types of drugs to sedate them, all these hormones are going straight into your body. If every one in the world knew the nutrition facts and the process by which the meat goes through to provide the fast food that people love so much, I wonder what percentage of people would still eat fast food?
We choose to eat fast food over something healthier from a brand name such as Publix for a few reasons but regardless of the quantity they still apply. America has increased in obesity rate but we don't see commercials for a raise in American obesity but rather we see a big mac with cheese sprayed with water to give viewers the idea that a McDonalds big mac is succulent and tasty. We choose to spend our hard earned dollars on a burger from Mcdonalds because people believe that they receive value for what their paying for. But what is value? People assume that because it pertains to and enriches our senses then it must be something of value and worth. Sure you might have one or two civilians go into a whole foods and buy some vegetables but we have succumb so much to our own laziness that it's simpler to walk in and ask for a number 5 with large fries. The task at hand is to reach an obtainable goal. Eliminating all fast food restaurants is not realistic but planning accordingly and organizing what we eat and when we eat it is a start. Home cooking a pork will provide more "bang for your buck" with all its protein and nutrition compared to a burger from a fast food joint cooked on a grill basked in grease. Paying attention to what we eat and its later effects is a great start.
Mohammed Jarra
September 5, 2012
PHI 2010 – ( 9.00 - 9.50 )
Well first of all, let us agree to the fact that the world’s population is steadily increasing and less people want to go and farm for their food. One rather let someone else do it for them while one pursue their worldly dreams of possessing materialistic luxuries to satisfy their appetite of what they think will bring them happiness. And by the time they realize it, it’s too late. They live the rest of their lives in misery because “NO AMOUNT OF WEALTH IS EQUAVALENT TO A GOOD HEALTH”.
The reason why I said that we leave the food production to someone and that someone is the large cooperation in charge of the food productions in the United States. For example Tyson is one of the largest food cooperation in America. The little back yard farmers cannot handle the massive demand of the population; therefore these cooperation’s took over the business and monopolized the situation to their advantage. But these cooperation’s could only do this because of the manner in which the society is been set up. It is inducted into people’s mind that time is money, and also due to the fact that we have so much bills to pay, and so many materialistic things to buy, you have no choice but to work as much as you can to earn more money to sustain one’s life and desires.
Now that we understood why or what caused this larger cooperation’s to take over the food production. The question now is, are they helping or just taking advantage of the situation and making billions of dollars every year at our cost? The answer is clear but it’s up to you to decide. To add more gasoline to the fire, this company products are all processed, which means this food are commercially prepared and designed for ease of consumption. And for these products to have a long shelf life, certain ingredients have to be added, which in turn and in a long run is bad for our health. Processed food also contains additional ingredients such as: fat, lots of sugar, salt, casein and monosodium glutamate. All this ingredients plays a roll in stimulating the brain in wanting more of it, and you can only get it from fast foods.
Well let’s talk about price, that is another factor that keeps the population stuck to buying fast food. It has been made very cheap to buy. It is cheaper than the vegetables at Publix and the farmers market and is a great way to keep the population stuck on fast food consumption.
All this can be changed by not attacking these big companies but going back to the basic and first changing yourself and your lifestyle. Then speaking to the families and letting them know the disadvantages of depending on fast food and to slow down the process of everyday life ups and downs and not to focus too much on just earning money but to also live your life happily with great health. And with great health you must first consume a well natural balanced diet meal, and you can only get that from slow food. Taking the time to go and shop for natural grown food products to cook at home. That in a long run also saves you money.
So I leave you with this question ….is wealth better than health.
Have you ever opened a McDonalds burger and you see its all messy with sauce dripping out the side and the meat doesn’t even looked cooked? Your money was spent on something that looks like it was cooked by a child. Restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC etc. truly do live up there name: fast food. When you have a country that’s constantly on the move like the US and you add a quick and easy solution for food you get the problems that we have today with the obesity and poor diet. Huge corporations like these care more about the money than they do for the well-being of not only the animals processed, but not for the consumers. Very poor housing and lousy hygiene leads to bacteria mixed in the preservatives given to the meat and is unbelievably unhealthy for you. Everything from the mother cattle to the food they eat to the way they’re processed in the factories is designed and used specifically to enhance the portion of meat from this singular animal. They pump gallons of God-knows-what into these animals and everything that’s in them gets passed down into the very burger we bite into. For $3.50 you can buy a big mac from McDonalds and the ingredients in it can be completely different from the guy behind you in line and that’s simply because of inattentiveness of the company and those who run them.
At the same time none of these companies would be anywhere without us, the normal population who consumes tons of food a day. For some reason this country is obsessed with always being on the move. Balancing kids and checkbooks is already a handful as is, now if your kids were hungry and you’re the run what would you rather choose: picking out ingredients, then cooking the actual meal, plus cleaning up after or you could go through a drive thru, buy enough food for a cheap price and still make it to your appointment on time. Most people who choose the easy route but if they know where and what the burger had to go through before entering your child’s mouth can really change the aspect. The truth is quick and simple; fast food is a terrible and unhealthy replacement for real food and because America can’t seem to get out of this bad habit, they will continue, as they have, to obesity and other serious health issues.
Although most Americans are aware of how harmful to their health fast food and artificial preservatives can be, it does not stop billions of people from buying these products. The prices may seem low at the moment, but these low quality meals for the price given will rise when the health of the individual worsens in the long run. Parents may believe feeding their child McDonald, Burger King, or Taco Bell will not cause any health problems for their children, but the addiction to the fast food has grown and it is not only affordable. Fast food is also a way people to avoid from having to go to the grocery store, buying every ingredient to make a home cooked meal and taking too much time to make it. From a young age children are exposed to these fast food restaurants and become accustomed to eating it because they receive a toy from eating a meal. For example, my nephew does not like eating anything else that is not pizza or burgers from Burger King, because he became familiar and does not want to expand his taste buds since he has been used to it from a young age. These restaurants with meals filled with unhealthy meats, if it really can be called meat, and ingredients including starch and high fructose corn syrup. These types of foods trick our body and do not nutrition any one at all. Sometimes even after eating fast food your full but after a while you feel hungry again. Some people may believe having injected hormones or injected antibiotic does not harm our body because we are not the ones in taking it but the fact is that we are what we eat. We are eating hormonal injected cow milk and those hormones are entering our bodies affecting our growth and development, generation by generation. All this has given a hypothesis of causing cases of cancer and other diseases. More and more Americans are being diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease and obesity because of the foods with preservatives, lack of nutritional value and unnecessary fats. Few people do not care about what torture the animals go through to get into our stomachs and most people are not aware of what we are putting into our bodies and if they are they will not wake up until they are struggling with their nutrition and life. What will it take for people to become aware of what goes in their body and stays that can be very harmful?
-Stephanie Blanco
Eating habits begin in the home, and become a lifelong pattern. When parents feed their children a big Mac that is the worst mistake you can ever do. The United States is a fast paced country and when places like McDonalds and Burger King offer food at less than 10 dollars in less than 15 min, that is what seems more convenient for people on the move. If it weren’t for the people that consume it then fast food restaurants would be out of business, but once they start its hard to quit. There is at least a McDonald’s commercial on every TV channel and when you get coupons sent to your house to get four meals for the price of one people are going to take advantage of that. It’s hard to say no when it is easiest thing to get. Though companies like that don’t care on the harm they are doing to people it’s truly not their fault as it is ours. They just care about getting money just like the rest of America. So it’s truly in our hands to buy healthier food, teach family members a better way to eat and that buying a Big Mac for $3.00 can have more expensive consequences in the long run.
Everyone has a choice, and if a person likes burgers or fries, why should others stop him/her? Some people understand that fast food is not good for health, so they cook at home, or some other places they want. They do it, because that is their choice. In my opinion, the best idea is to explain people that fast food is harmful, that millions of animals are fed by bad foods and we eat their meat. By telling that poor animals are treated bad way will never stop huge companies earning money, it's not their fault. They need money as every other person does. The consumers are not guilty either because they prefer eating out, I repeat, that is their choice. But the problem is that the mass of the population doesn't have an idea of what exactly they are eating, they know nothing about the conditions which animals live in, or about the foods they eat, and antibiotics they are injected. This is the thing that people have to be aware of. Only pure understanding will affect their minds, and then they will probably refuse eating fast food.
Marlon I. Morraz
I remember my first Mc. Donald’s burger. It was in Guatemala City while I was visiting an aunt who lived there. I was excited to taste this edible icon from the powerful “Colossus of the North” and try some first world cuisine. I was utterly disappointed to find out that the patty was more of a wafer and the bread was also flat and unappetizing. The taste was no different. Then, I came to the US, the very source of this famed sandwich, and once again I got my hopes up. When I opened the box, I was left wondering where was the succulent patty, crisp vegetables dripping with freshness, and fluffy bread I saw in the commercials. Once again, I was disappointed. I have grown up in Nicaragua, where my uncles owned ranches and thus I have a very decent idea of what meat, poultry and vegetables are supposed to taste like. I have had none of the sort in the vast majority of fast food restaurants.
So why do we eat at them? Well, part of the issue might be ignorance—we do not know what the food we eat is really supposed to taste like. However, other factors apply like price and convenience. To most, fast food restaurants are an economic alternative to eating at traditional restaurants and some even replace everyday meals like breakfasts for a visit to the closest fast food restaurant. If one were to buy the individual ingredients for a hamburger at a supermarket and assemble one by himself, the price would be much higher than that at fast food restaurants; even when not using organic ingredients. This lower price, however, is a deception since there are “other ways” in which we pay for this sandwich, including government subsidies and lower quality. However, the most costly is our health. Every time we eat, we are making an investment in ourselves and it behooves us to invest the best we can. Our health depends on that. Even if we are hard pressed because of time and work schedules, we must remember that we work to live and not vice versa. If our priorities are set right, we can and must make the time to get a healthier and more filling meal. As for those who choose to go to a fast food restaurant in order to “avoid fatigue”, I would remind them that it is every individual’s responsibility to safeguard his or her health and wellbeing. Fast food restaurants are business and their job is to provide a good—food. It is not their responsibility to keep us healthy or active. If one is willing to still consume fast food at a great rate, one must at least be educated about what the results will be and assume the consequences.
It appears that the paradox of industrial farming is with us for the long run. For now, no other method of production can sustain such a large population as we have now. Fast food chains will continue to make this process ever more available and will tell us that it is still “fresh and wholesome”. However, this does not mean that we have to slavishly accept it as our only means of receiving food. Organic alternatives are available, and local farmer’s markets can provide natural, unprocessed food. Making these choices may entail some sacrifice, but our bodies merit such sacrifice. After all, if we cannot care for ourselves, then what can we care for?
To adjust our eating habits we can substitute all of our favorite fast food meals for healthier and similar items. For example, burger king can be easily replaced with a healthier and tastier baked turkey burger and baked delicious seasoned French fries; this is all made in the comfort of our own home. But why don’t we choose to create our own meals? Well basically because we are lazy and never have time to take care of ourselves the “proper way”. Instead we trust other people to provide us with a meal that can remind us of a home cooked meal in less than 10 minutes. Just being lazy follows up with poor eating habits period because we don’t mind spending money on such “cheap” food. Instead we have the mentality to spend less money on crappy food then to suggest the healthier items that may cost more. Has anybody noticed that every harmful meal is always cheaper than the meal that is always good for you? America has already notice how much we love to penny pinch and that we would do almost anything to leave a store with a great savings deal. But then again do we care; maybe we might not care now but I guarantee you if anyone seen how our food is processed and what’s in it. Then maybe they might just reconsider eating a fast food meal.
It’s our innate nature to like things that are fast and dislike things that are slow. If the Internet takes more that 30 seconds to load up or the traffic signal stays red to long we turn into the hulk. America is a country that’s constantly moving and fast food fits perfectly into that lifestyle. If it hasn’t killed us yet, why should we stop now? The consumption of fast food will probably never seize because we’re addicted. We’re addicted to the great taste that comes at a snap of a finger and at a low price as well. The big companies love that they are making money off our addiction and if that means selling us hormone and artificially flavored food, as long as they know we will eat it, they will sell it. They will continue to come out with things that make out mouth water. All they care about is the money. The side effects of consuming this food will be detrimental in the future but today’s generation lives in the moment. But being a fast paced society is not the only reason why fast food is consumed. Sometimes two dollars is all that we have in our pockets and a growling stomach and golden arches beaming down on us from a across the street. We have no choice. Sometimes its involuntary temptation. Erika Davis MWF 9-9:50
My perspective on this issue is that for many of us, especially those who grew up in lower income brackets, eating McDonald’s or any kind of fast food is not due to a conscious desire to be unhealthy, but rather ignorance toward what a healthier or more convenient choice would be. These companies that produce the meat for our fast food know that Americans aren’t necessarily looking for quality, but just a quick, simple way to get in sustenance for the day.
The companies that distribute and advertise these “meals” realize that the market they are trying to corner are merely seeking a quick meal they won’t have to prepare, either because they don’t have the time to, or because they do not have the knowledge as to what constitutes a healthy meal. I’m not going to be overly cynical, but the companies and the advertisers are perpetuating a cycle where people become overly dependent on them for their food, yet the company chooses to not take any responsibility for adverse health effects, because after all, we should know better. It is a vicious cycle, although the information on how to be healthier and prepare food is now available quicker than it has ever been, being more “healthy” is not a viable option for many people, especially those who work all that and survive on the cheapest items at the grocery store. Eating healthy begins with knowledge of food preparation, yet these are not lessons people can or want to apply into their daily lives. Portions have grown as we expect more from our fast food, the campaigns showing their new “healthy” or “lite” portion sizes are all the education some get, and because it is easier to accept that these companies are curbing their unhealthy and cruel practices, many choose to not question the status quo.
It is also easy to ignore how cruelly these animals are being treated, I feel like we have become desensitized to these acts of extreme cruelty, especially since the meat conglomerates have many resources in their arsenal to fight these allegations, and to maintain an air or innocence and detachment in the American public.
Many of the solutions offered are impractical for families who have working parents or are in the lower 99 percent. Not every family has the access to, or the money for vegetables, we are also lacking the knowledge on how to properly prepare them into a healthy nutritious meal, especially since this usually requires a total overhaul of one’s lifestyle.
Seeing the argument from this perspective, I feel that the companies behind the production of the meat should take more responsibility, but this will never happen if we as a public turn a blind eye toward our food choices, mainly because many would like to believe that they are doing nothing wrong and eat this way because of necessity and not choice. For this to happen, I feel like we should also change the media and the way we learn about the environment and our impact on it. Sadly, this is not viable and the necessary change will come at such a slow pace so as to leave a much bigger mark on the environment than we could reverse.
-Marianny De Leon (MWF 9-9:50)
I feel when it comes to the topic of fast food it all comes down to us. It’s our choice to eat the food of course. Nowadays we eat fast food cause it’s cheap and fast of course, and the fact is a lot of us know it’s bad , but others just don’t know that it’s or don’t want to know ,but on the other hand part of the reason is there’s so many families out there who can’t afford to buy healthier food cause it’s more expensive than to go eat at McDonalds This of course doesn’t apply to everybody cause not everybody is in the same situation . Since were very young we are bombarded with all this information of these fast-food restaurants it’s almost as if were being brainwashed into eating their food, but in the end it’s still our choice on how we choose to give our body nutrition .I feel part of the reason is some people just don’t care they don’t want to change their lifestyle and they want to keep eating whatever they want, but there’s also the group of people who just don’t know what their giving their bodies. We need to inform ourselves education plays a big role in everything there’s many ways to live a healthy lifestyle and so many healthy food choices. At the very end of the day our health is all we got so why not take of it.
Eloy Fernandez-
The concept of “fast food” has existed since the dawn of civilization, when man developed agriculture. We have been playing around with food for thousands of years- the food we know has been altered so much by humans that it takes more than just sight and taste to identify your regular supermarket fruits and vegetables in the wild. I think it is important for people to realize this concept, that the food industry as a whole has been and will continue to evolve as a byproduct of human evolution. It allows you to see the whole movie, not just the scene or frame that is the fast food industry we have today.
The fast food industry may seem unhealthy, unethical or whatever other faults you can find in it and thats good, because we always want to improve and find room for improvement, but its the best it has ever been. We have relatively clean, calorie dense, cheap food available to pretty much anyone in the developed world. Impressive to say the least. That some people abuse it and get fat? That you now have 10% higher chance of a stroke? Small price to pay in my opinion.
And it is becoming healthier and cheaper. Comparing fast food today to ten years ago, there are a lot more healthy options now, calorie displays, etc. With the exponential growth of technology and science its only a matter of time until fast food becomes the healthiest, tastiest and cheapest food choice available.
Food, the most heavenly experience known to man, at least to a woman whom has suffered quite the trauma revolving around the most essential part of living, eating. It’s quite ironic how life works when a young girl gains weight from eating her depression and anxiety away to later loose over fifty pounds three years later to a discovered fifteen centimeter tumor in the head of her pancreas. That young girl would be me, far from the average teenager whom belief was she was truly invisible, no task was too great or difficult to conquer and she was completely an independent woman. For that theory long left my though process the moment I woke up from my nine hour Whipple procedure, which consisted of the removal of forty percent of my pancreas, one fourth of my stomach , my duodenum, my gallbladder, and the reconstruction of the anatomy of my digestive tract. I soon became dependent of my family for absolutely everything for I couldn’t even lift a finger on my hand. Two weeks I forgot what food was, for those two weeks after surgery is the eternal black fizz of a the television. Four months spent battling for my health, and longing for a full rack of baby back ribs, I was only able to tolerate if that soups and mashed potatoes. Nutrition became the key to my recovery for an anemic body cannot regain strength without protein and calories. Americans are spoiled with millions of possibilities of what they could have for lunch, they either don’t care or are ignorant to the problems in front of them. I took the simple pleasure of enjoying a meal without consecutively throwing it back up over and over again for granted. One does not know what tomorrow will bring, thus we must treat today is if it were our last. We must take care of the place we live in and those who inhabit our planet with us, including the same meat we eat. I believe in the theory of reincarnation, what is to say when our purpose in this body is fulfilled you the way in which you’ve treated the environment affects what body you inhabit next? What if you were to take life of a pig in a den filled with hundreds of thousands of your brothers in line tightly squeezed awaiting your death. I do not disagree with the circle of life, that there must be prey, and to survive one must have to take life, but where should one draw the line? In life our sole purpose is to learn from our experiences, weather extraordinary or depressing that experience may have been there is a life lesson our soul is meant to absorb, once our existence in many lives has fulfilled its destiny and absorbed true knowledge shall our soul transpire to nirvana- ultimate rest and peace. For hell is here on this planet, the greatest sins are not of those from mistakes but those whom don’t learn from their mistakes and grow from the bitter past. The past is a place where only bitterness lives, and if we continue to massacre our wildlife and ignore our hungry around the world how will our society ever truly progress?
There is no doubt about what i have just read, and how sad it makes me feel. but unfortunately this issue of eating fast food begins at home and with the proper education when child it could be corrected; not because it tastes good and is cheap means is really good for us, I remember when child my dad getting me a happy meal, making me the happiest kid in the world, not knowing all of this before, I thought it was the best food ever in terms of quality and so. but to choose what to eat and what not to eat is a personal decision, or in some cases is how easy and fast it is, when for example you are working and you get home all tired, you just go and get the fastest food you can get, that’s the way human are, we are too comfortable, we like fast food; and there is also an economic reason for this because not everyone can go to Publix and make a good grocery shopping, instead, they buy a dollar cheeseburger in a McDonalds. People reading this type of things should make up their minds and whenever they can, go for the healthy choice that would take a little more time, instead of the fast not healthy food.
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