INTRODUCTION
Fast food is the term given to food, which is prepared and served quickly. This trend first popularized in the 1950s in United States. Any meal, which takes less time for preparation and sold in restaurants or chain outlets, is referred to as fast food. They are packed and catered to consumers in carton boxes and plastic containers, which are comfortable for take-away orders.
Obesity can be explained as a medical state in which, fat accumulates in the body to an extent that it may have adverse effects on health and leads to reduced life expectancy. It can be caused commonly by excessive food intake, lack of physical activity and genetic susceptibility. Few cases of obesity maybe primarily by genes, psychiatric illness, endocrine disorders. Obesity increases the likeliness of heart diseases, sugar, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and certain type of cancers. Only nearly, 1% of the obesity cases are due to genes and other disorders. More calorie intake contributes to major reasons for obesity. A person is said to be obese, if the Body Mass Index (BMI) is above 30 kg/m2. Anything above 40 kg/m2 is considered as Class III obesity. According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (2009-2010), approximately 69% of adults are overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adult Americans considered obese.
WHY FAST FOOD?
In today’s fast-paced world, fast foods have gained massive popularity among both children and adults. On noticing the reasons why fast foods have gained popularity, the important points which top the list are: they are made quickly, vast variety of food, made with standardized products which are distributed to outlets from a central production unit, reasonable prices, easy for take-away, preferred by people who are too busy to cook, children love deep fried/ fat filled food, etc., But many of us forget to notice the health and nutrition values that theses fast foods can provide us. Ultimately, more consumption of fast foods leads to obesity and worst of all; obesity becomes a disease with young children. Obesity at young age will have a great impact on the health of children. It is becoming a serious growing problem in America. Nearly 34% of adults are affected by obesity and one out of every five children is obese.
Today most of the families have become nuclear families and both parents employed, or children are raised in single parent household. In such cases, children really miss the parental love and care during their childhood. Because of which many crimes occur, children become prey to psychiatric illness, behavioral problems in teenagers, etc., These are some of the reasons why children are forced to consume poorly balanced diet and end up in obesity at young age.
Advertisements also play a major role in the increasing popularity of fast food. They mainly target children in order to create and establish the brand at an early age. Some of the most popular brands, which gained very strong recognition with children, are Cheerios, McDonald’s, Pop-Tarts, Coke, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Arby’s, and Subway. Advertising and marketing influence the buying behavior of people. Statistics stated that, in 2004 the total expenditure on different kinds of food including fast food was $11.26 billion. These companies believe on the fact that, an emotional obsession about these foods in childhood, will be carried over to adulthood also. The regular consumption of unhealthy fast food will thereby cause obesity. However, there is no study, which has proved fast food to be the direct cause for obesity in Americans.
FAST FOOD AND CALORIES
A typical fast food meal in United States will include a hamburger, French fries and a soft drink. One meal at the fast food restaurant contains all the calories you will need for an entire day. For eg: If you eat Big Mac, large fries and large coke, you will need to walk for 6 hours non-stop to burn all the calories you gained. It may sound like an exaggeration, but it is true. Most of the food on fast food menu contains sugar. Recent statistics reveals the nutritional value of fast food. (Source: Pew Research Center)
Another study reveals that, during 2007-2010, adults consumed on an average of 11.3% of their total daily calories from fast food. The consumption of calories from fast food significantly decreased with age. No difference was observed by income status in the percentage of calories consumed from fast food among all adults. The percentage of total daily calories from fast food increased with increase in weight status.
A survey in a 2003 issue of “Journal of the American Dietic Association” indicated that, approximately 42% of children and adolescents within the age group of 11-18, consume fast food regularly. Regular intake of fast food will result in gain of extra 6 pounds per year. Children and young adults, who consume fast food regularly, consume very little fruits, vegetables and milk. A fast food pack is filled with calories, total fat, saturated fat and sodium. A large hamburger will approximately have 600 calories and 35 grams of fat, a small fries will have 200 calories and 10 grams of fat, an additional soda with it, and the meal nearly makes 1000 calories. It is not just about the nutrients that are obtained from fast food, but also about the nutrients that are not. Children who eat fast food regularly are less likely to meet their nutrients and fall short with Vitamins A and C.
FAST FOOD AND CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN AMERICA
Childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in America since three decades. In 2010, nearly 18% of American children and young adults between the ages of 6-19 were considered obese. While genetics, individual behavior and surroundings play a role in obesity, rise in consumption of fast foods is partly to be blamed. Being obese in childhood has both short term and long-term impacts. Obese children are more prone to diseases like prediabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart diseases, bone and joint problems. Obesity does not affect physical health alone, but also affects the child’s mental health. They tend to have an inferiority complex and a sense of alienation from their peers.
BAD NUTRITION PRACTICES
When it comes to nutrition, all of us have some bad practices, which are more or less addictive. It is necessary to get rid of them and have healthy practices in order to live a healthy life. Some of the common bad practices are:
- Drinking too much coffee: Coffee can boost alertness, performance and concentration. Too much of caffeine in the body will result in risks of increased heart rate and blood pressure, dehydration.
- Eating after dinner: Many of us like to treat ourselves with some high calorie snacks after dinner. But late night snacking is a quick way to gain weight.
- Skipping breakfast: A research says, those who skip breakfast make poor choices of food all through the day and tend to gain weight compared to those eat healthy breakfast.
- The mid-day snack: It is usually in the late afternoons that people have a craving for sweets or anything starchy. This mid-day treat might give a good feel temporarily, but the cycle of energy and blood sugar fluctuation will kick-start and result in weight gain.
- Not drinking enough water: Most of the time, water is being replaced by a soda or a soft drink, which easily adds up calories to the body and result in dehydration.
Nutritionists blame the government for invoking bad eating habits. Reason behind it is that, we require more potassium, dietary fibers, vitamin D and calcium and get fewer calories from saturated fat and added sugar. But a research shows that an average consumer has to pay an additional $380 just to raise the consumption of potassium from current average of 2800 mg to the desired amount of 3500 mg. This is far cheaper to get fatty foods, sodium rather than fruits and veggies. Eric Schlosser in his book “Fast Food Nation” states that annual health care cost in United States stemming from obesity is almost $240 billion, which indicates a very risky future.
HOW TO BRING DOWN OBESITY RATES AND REDUCE FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION?
Policymakers state that an aggressive action is to be taken to control the obesity epidemic in United States. Ann Ferris, Ph.D., a professor in medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center and director for the Center for Public Health and Health Policy, is conducting a study to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among low- income preschoolers, who have higher consumption rates and higher rates of obesity compared to those of high- income families. A school recently established a policy banning vending machines, and limiting snacks to fruits and vegetables. “Students are not allowed to have soda, and teachers are requested not to use sweets as reward in class.”, said Giraud, one of the teachers. Many schools, local governments and hospitals around the country have implemented similar policies to reduce the increasing rates of obesity. Several state and local governments have started implementing an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Researchers say, governments can help reduce obesity by providing supermarkets and farmers’ markets with incentives to offer healthier food in low-income areas, because low-income families are more prone to obesity.
Apart from the government policies and actions, each individual should take steps to reduce obesity or over weight. Some of the steps are:
- Take out time to set a plan for meals that can be quickly made at home
- Plan and have a set of healthy snacks on-hand
- Buy lean meat and fish. Try to eat fish at least 3 times a week
- Bring home fruits and vegetables.
- Gain knowledge and compare food labels (nutrition details)
- Find a good time of day to exercise. Exercise is essential for weight management.
In work places, health of employees can be taken care of by banning soda and coffee vending machines and replace it with fresh juice or green tea. Limit snacks to salt-free nuts, fruits, vegetables rather than fries and pastries. An awareness session can be arranged to educate all people about the risks of obesity and how to stay healthy.
A healthy, balanced diet is the key to healthy body. Eating a balanced diet means choosing food from all food groups. It also includes consumption of saturated fats, Trans fat, cholesterol, salt, sugar and alcohol in moderate quantities. Balanced diet is required to take in all the nutrients that the body needs at recommended levels. Obesity is not connected just with the physical body health; it is also connected to the mental health of a person. Stress and pressure can result in weight gain, though food consumption is less. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that there is no stress or any issues that bothers the mind and health. If under pressure, take time to calm down yourself by doing things, which you really enjoy. It may be activities like listening to music, going on a ride or holiday, speaking to someone, playing, exercising, spending quality time with family, etc., A healthy body and healthy mind keeps a person happy.
The key to success is to achieve a balance between the calories consumed and calories used up. Experts suspect that, a person gets more prone to diseases when the body weight is slightly more than the ideal weight. Some of these conditions have long-term effects on their health. Healthy diet and regular adequate physical activity are necessary for the maintenance of good health through the life course. Overall, 2.7 million deaths are due to low fruit and vegetable intake, and 1.9 million deaths due to physical inactivity. Unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are major factors for the likeliness of chronic diseases. The reasons for reduction in physical activity of people maybe blamed partially on the growing technologies and trends. Very few children walk or cycle to school. Most of the time is spent sitting at home playing games, eating, watching TV, using elevators, using cars for transportation, etc., There are also evidences to show that increasing levels of physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic diseases like osteoarthritis, diabetes, heart diseases, etc., to a considerable level. Physical activity need not necessarily be expensive. Walking is the most recommended form of physical activity, which is free, can be done in urban areas, parks or anywhere feasible rather than going to gym or pools or any other specific facilities. Experts recommend half hour of moderate-intensity walking on most of the days. It gives energy to work and keeps oneself active all through the day. Physical activity can also help preventing wrong habits and behavior with children and young adults.
REFERENCES
Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among U.S. adults, 1999-2010. JAMA 307(5):491-7.2012.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-are-obsessed-with-fast-food-the-dark-side-of-the-all-american-meal/
http://www.lynchburgbusinessmag.com/mag/healthcare/fighting-the-trend-how-to-reduce-our-obesity-rate/
http://www.statisticbrain.com/fast-food-statistics/
National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Schlosser Eric, “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal”. 2001
U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2010.
