Over the past four decades, obesity and its related conditions have been on a sharp rise in the United States as well all over the world. The percentage of under 20 children who are obese within the U.S population has grown by about 15 percent while that of adults over 20 years of age increased by about 17 percent. Interestingly, over the same period, the joints that sell and distribute fast foods also more than doubled in number. At a time when the fast food business is on the rise and becoming more prevalent, the cases of obesity increased dramatically in the same population (Friedman 341). This can either be coincidental, or there is a correlation between the two. This paper will focus on some of the misconceptions that people have regarding the fast food restaurants, the evidence that is used to link fast foods and obesity, and the truth about where the true blame pertaining the cause of obesity should fall. Moreover, it will enable us realize that as much as fast food restaraunts sell foods linked to obesity, they are not to blame for the presence and rise of obesity within the population.
First, it is important to note that obesity is not necessarily the intake of high-level calory and fat foods, but it is the imbalance between the energy one spends while engaged physical activities and metabolism, and the energy he/ she consumes through what they eat and drink. Therefore, one can be consuming low calory foods, but if they are not well burned up in physical exercises, they build up and increase the risk of obesity. Obesity has been seen to be most prevalent among school going, children. Studies have been conducted to see if there is a link between the proximity of fast food restaurants to schools and obesity among children, and the studies found out that the nearer the fast food restaurant to the schools and neighborhoods, the higher the risk of obesity among the surrounding population (Aviola 121).
As seen earlier, people are increasingly choosing to eat outside their homes. This choice as well as what kind of foods one consumes is dictated by several factors. First, the choices can be behavioral. This is where a person develops a habit of consuming fast foods. It is hard to break away from this kind of practice, and one ends up literary stuck in fast food consumption. The other behaviour that affects diet is snacking. Human beings, studies have shown, can survive with two main meals and one light meal, generally a three-course meal. But many have developed the habit of inter-meal eating. These foods consumed between meals don't get enough time to be digested properly. This also overworks the body system as it always is in the process of digesting foods, this leads to absorption of some foods which are not yet fully absorbed, and they end up being deposited as fats in the body. This increases the chances of obesity because most of these snack foods are high starch and high-fat foods (Friedman 342).
Secondly, the culture in which one grows affects the kind of foods one consumes, for example, whereas crocodiles are detested in some parts of the world, they are a delicacy in other regions. As studies have shown, the consumption of fast foods over the last forty to fifty years has been on a continual increase. Therefore, the modern generation is being brought up in a culture that entails massive consumption of fast foods, and hence, it is easier for them also to pick up the habit of fast food consumption. Thirdly, what the environment offers also affects the food choices that people make. The people who reside in the rural areas have a different kind of environment from the urban dwellers. In upcountry, the food supply is in a larger variety, and mostly well cooked, low fat, and low calories. As the population of the people increases and the since the industrialization era, the urban environments have been on the rise. As more people migrate to dwell in the cities and towns, they fuel the fast food industries as well (Qi 1390).
The major influencing factor on food type selection is the economic factor. Fast foods tend to be cheaper than other foods and hence more enticing to purchase for most city dwellers. For example, fast foods deliver 2 kilocalories at a price ten times lower than that it takes healthier diets to give equivalent calories. Also, these fast food restaurants are usually located near the schools and homes and workplaces; these makes them quite a convenient for people to purchase from, thereby increasing the chances of obesity. Our body composition and weight are determined by genetic and metabolic factors (Richardson 3). These factors are affected by the type of foods we consume, amounts in which they are consumed, as well as the time we consume it. Looking at the trend of these fast foods, the portions in which they are served has been on the rise, and for one reason or the other, human beings tend to finish a meal that they are served, despite them being full, especially if they paid for it. These foods contain little to no vitamins and minerals. They are mostly composed of saturated fat, carbohydrates and sugars. The lack of calcium, zinc, and vitamins in fast foods, make them a health concern to persons of all ages (Offer 301).
There are these pull factors that make people purchase fast foods and then blame them for causing obesity, such as the low prices, high instant calory compositions, and appealing outlook and advertisements. There are also push factors that have led people to consume these foods, these include socioeconomic factors, the convenience of accessing them and cooking, they consume less time and the busy schedules of the day to day activities. On the flip side, though, anyone can see the dark side of fast foods if they are keen enough on their health. Most people do not take thought about what they consume and how it affects them in the long run. For most people, what doesn't kill you instantly is not poison. Some also choose to neglect advice against the unhealthy diets. This defence could be because they are addicted to such meals and them don't want to let go of the habits and cultural norms (Offer 305).
Even though the policy makers and restaurant managers have their part to play, the individuals bear the larger part of the blame. No one ever forces another to spend their cash on purchasing any given item. There have been many campaigns to sensitize and encourage people to watch their weight through what they consume and their exercises. The health tips that encourage people to look at the times that they eat, the quantity of foods they eat as well as the combinations of foods they take to ensure a balanced diet with all components in sufficient supply. The majority of the population know the impact of fast foods since it is even in our curriculums, but that goes unheeded by many as they are enticed to unhealthy foods. Therefore, as much as fast food restaurants are to blame for the types of foods they offer, the blame falls on those that purchase it. So obesity in an individual is not the responsibility of the restaurant, but of oneself.
Works Cited
Alviola, Pedro A., et al. "The effect of fast-food restaurants on childhood obesity: a school level analysis." Economics & Human Biology 12 (2014): 110-130.
Friedman, Jeffrey M. "Obesity: Causes and control of excess body fat." Nature 459.7245 (2009): 340-342.
Garcia, Ginny, Thankam S. Sunil, and Pedro Hinojosa. "The fast food and obesity link: consumption patterns and severity of obesity." Obesity surgery 22.5 (2012): 810-818.
Offer, Avner, Rachel Pechey, and Stanley Ulijaszek. "Obesity under affluence varies by welfare regimes: the effect of fast food, insecurity, and inequality." Economics & Human Biology 8.3 (2010): 297-308.
Qi, Qibin, et al. "Sugar-sweetened beverages and genetic risk of obesity." New England Journal of Medicine 367.15 (2012): 1387-1396.
Richardson, Andrea S., et al. "Neighborhood fast food restaurants and fast food consumption: a national study." BMC Public Health 11.1 (2011): 1-10
