Fast food has become an inseparable part of our lives. Why not? It’s cheap, fast and it even tastes good. It is the perfect solution when one has no time to shop for food, find a decent recipe and prepare a nice home-cooked lunch or dinner. Although most people are well aware of the dangerous of junk food consumption, they still regularly use it because of its convenience. Such fast food restaurants as McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Arby’s, KFC and many more are spreading all over the country like mushrooms after a rain. Something that was once created as an occasional problem solver has turned into a regular habit. More and more Americans today consume junk food every day. Moreover, it has become their main source of nutrition. Fast food brings us more harm than benefit. Regular consumption of foods served in fast food restaurants may lead to obesity, health problems and may even shorten life spans. And this is just the beginning. In order to live one’s life to the fullest potential, one must limit junk food intake as it not only has a negative physical effect but also can turn into something similar to an addiction. The disadvantages of fast food are numerous.
Most of fast food is deep fried and, consequently, it is loaded with fats and calories. Most people today are not professional athletes and so cannot physical burn off the amount of calories consumed during one of these meals. Moreover, there is a good reason that sportsmen live on special diets. Their body has to be full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to help them train at their full potential. Here arises a logical question. If a person is not an athlete, does he not require the nutrients they do? Of course he does. In order to live one’s life to the fullest one needs to have a healthy body. Achieving such a goal with regular junk food consumption is impossible. Moreover, the more greasy foods are consumed, the more fat is gained. And the more fat enters t the body, the more weight is put on. Regular fast food consumption unavoidably leads to obesity. No wonder that with the increasing number of fast food restaurants also increases the number of overweight people in the United States. This is a pressing issue. Obesity is not only about looking physically bad. It first and foremost affects our health. Excess weight increases one’s risk of health disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, respiratory problems and even cancer.
The cooking methods used in fast food restaurants can have a destructive effect on our body systems. Cholesterol and high salt intake contribute to various cardiovascular health problems. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established a direct connection of between sodium intake and levels of blood pressure. One can’t but mention that sodium comes first and foremost from restaurants foods, fast food occupying the first place. Most types of drinks offered in such places are high in sugar. This is true not only for soda and milkshakes but also for many other foods from the menu, for example, coleslaw, french toast, cheeseburgers, not to mention the deserts. Regular overconsumption of sugar can lead to problem with blood sugar levels in the body. Once a critical point is reached, this may lead to diabetes. Although there exist many methods to keep this disease at bay, none can cure it forever. Once it comes into the body, it stays there forever and takes full control of one’s live, leaving the person to play the role of its slave. Even curable diseases, such as a flu or a cold, prevent us from doing what we want and when we want to, but imagine just how restricted our life becomes when one constantly have to think about one’s blood sugar or blood pressure levels.
Fast food not only limits lifestyles but also shortens whole life spans. There is almost nothing that junk food can give to our body, apart from the feeling of satisfaction. It proves us with very little vitamins, nutrients or minerals. If anything, it only litters our bodies with unnecessary and sometimes even dangerous substances. It is rarely made from whole grains or fresh fruits and vegetables. No wonder do people say “when one works in a fast food restaurant, he will never be able to eat there again”. By substituting healthy food with junk food one not only looses what good could have come, but also add substances which have a negative influence on the body. Without the needed nutrients the body cannot be the needed “battery”. Sometimes a goal cannot be reached because of physical incapacity. Without the needed vitamins the body cannot function well, and so one must adjust to his or her physical capabilities and miss out on many things in life. Apart from already not being able to do as desired, one’s life span is also growing smaller and smaller. This makes the time to reach any goal even shorter. Then why are people still eating junk food?
To get the best from life, one has to let himself be able to do so, and fast food consumption is yet another obstacle on the road to success. Of course going out once in a while is acceptable. This way, it turns into a treat and a special night, perhaps even as a reward. However, with regular fast food consumption people not only loose the chance to experience memorable events but are also getting more and more used to living a passive lifestyle. It is time to put an end to this. Fast food not only brings obesity and health problems but it also prevents one from being able to choose from anything in life. So, be smart and do everything possible to keep all options open. There is a whole world out there up for grabs.
