Should Fast Food Be Banned?
Human’s lives have changed over years and the nature of their actions. In these recent years, the cycle of life has become fast and time is almost out of peoples’ hands. The reason behind this fact is the cost of living is becoming higher. People have to work for many hours because nowadays’ life is becoming difficult. Therefore, the way of life must change to keep up with this style of life. Food was one of the main things that got changed because of this matter.New methods offood preparation were created and ways of cooking have changed mostly in bad ways. The reason behind this is to have the food ready in a fast way, so people don not worry about loosing their time waiting for food to be ready. However, these ways caused a lot of health problems such as obesity and diseases. A question was asked and became an issue for many people, should fast food be banned or not?
Let's take an overview of what fast food contains and how they prepare the food for customers. A burger patty from McDonald’s, for example, has a lot of calories. Besides, burger patties from these restaurants are not only meat. It mixed between mashed bones, fat, and a lot of chemicals to make the meat looks better and taste good. Also, it is a way to save a lot of raw meat so they can have a lot of burger patties product.This way is more useful for those restaurants like McDonald’s and others who follow this matter. The benefits they can get is that they can sell burgers with less cost. And thus, people with limited income are more accessible and affected by these products.
Fast food initially seemed an ideal food for children. A large number of children have taken fast food as a daily meal. An unusual number of children were being admitted with some diseases such as bloody diarrhea, obesity, and diabetes. Many people do not understand what it means to eat healthily. Fast food restaurants often create situations where people think they are eating healthy food but really are not-- for instance, McDonalds’ salads are just as bad for the consumer as their hamburgers when the salad dressing is used (Ritzer).
Children who eat too much fast food-- and the issue of families who eat a lot of fast food-- is not as black and white as it may seem. Of course, some families have the means and the access to healthy food and choose to eat fast food instead; however, in many places in the United States, fast food is the only option for parents.
There is plenty of information available to consumers about the nature of fast food. However, consumers are unable or unwilling to act on this information-- either because the fast food is too easy to consume or because they have become numb to the reality of having so much fast food present in their communities. This consumer-- this world-weary, jaded, ever-connected consumer-- is the new face of the target market for the McDonaldized world. It is hard to reach a customer that is apparently consumed with apathy and disenchantment; it’s not enough to provide a service anymore. The customer wants to be wooed. However, there are a plethora of ways in which corporate entities “woo” their customers. Ritzer suggests that this is called “Starbuckization,” the process by which the customer asks for more, expects more, and then sacrifices the intimacy of the mom-and-pop storefront. Starbucks offers all the things that McDonald’s does-- fast service, an addictive product, and quick customer turn-around, while also offering something McDonald’s cannot: a comfortable atmosphere and the illusion of an individualized customer experience. Starbucks gives individuals more choices in how they want their food and drink prepared, while still managing to keep costs low and control over the various aspects of production high.
Even if parents cannot take the time time cook fresh meals for their children, there must be a better alternative than processed fast food. Children are still developing, and they need good nutrients to do so; education for children and adults on proper nutrition is of paramount importance in the long run. Children should not be allowed to eat unhealthy foods at school, and schools should provide children with healthy lunch options to ensure that children are not eating poorly at school. Indeed, fast food restaurants have been known to partner with schools to ensure that they can provide their addictive, unhealthy food directly to students, thus ensuring that students become even more reliant on their food for sustenance as time goes on.
Some people ask what the problem is with fast food: why does it make you fat? Some fast foods are obviously unhealthy, as they are fried in fats or covered in sugar. However, other fast foods are less easily recognizable as unhealthy, and it is important to recognize the unhealthy parts of fast food to make good choices regarding what to eat. The first and most important thing to understand is that fast food has hidden calories everywhere. Salads from fast food restaurants are not healthy if they are covered in dressing; the dressing from fast food restaurants are full of sugars and other carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, in their simple form, are often eaten to excess by individuals in the western world; simple carbohydrates are found in sugars, sweets, and breads like white bread (McPhail, Chapman, and Beagan). The problem with carbohydrates is that they are “fast” energy for the body. It takes little time for the body to digest these nutrients and turn them into usable energy.
This, however, begs the question of why quick energy is a bad thing. The truth is that nutritional science is one of the most complex, highly-contested forms of science; scientists are constantly discovering new things about the body and the way it works. However, there are a few things that are generally accepted about simple carbohydrates. The first is that simple carbohydrates cause the blood’s insulin levels to spike (Ritzer). Occasional spikes in insulin levels-- to control the body’s blood sugar levels-- are not a bad thing. However, when insulin spikes repeatedly and the body begins to become insulin resistant, the individual is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening disease (Ritzer).
Good examples of healthy foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as lean cuts of meat. Lean cuts of meat are cuts of meat without a lot of fat on them; these cuts can be less tasty than other kinds of meat, but with proper cooking, these cuts of meat can be just as good as other kinds. Often, people think that just because they are eating vegetables, they are eating healthily; however, this is not the case. Vegetables that have been fried or have been cooked in butter or cream are not healthy choices, and should be avoided.
If an individual must go to a fast food restaurant, are there healthy options? Fast food is never the best choice, but there are some options for people that are better than others. For instance, grilled chicken with a lettuce wrap is much better than a burger with a bun; salad without the dressing is better than salad with the dressing, as well. Being aware of what foods are being placed in one’s body is important insofar as remaining healthy is concerned. Some fast food restaurants are better than others, as well; restaurants like Chipotle and Subway, which offer the customer more choices about what they are eating are commonly better than restaurants like McDonalds.
All the grease and oil in fast foods are also problematic for individuals, particularly people with other health problems. While children may be able to eat fast food and get away with it for a while, adults do not have the same recovery time that children do, and often find that their health problems worsen as they get older as a result of all the fast food they consume. Fast food that is drenched in oils may cause an increase in blood pressure or cholesterol levels, causing heart problems for adults who eat too much of it.
Fast food is an incredibly dangerous thing, and more education for the public at large is needed on the subject. People need to understand exactly what they are putting into their bodies with fast food; as long as they continue to eat huge amounts of fast food without considering the health consequences, society’s obesity problem will continue to grow.
22 September 2014
Fast Food Should be Banned: A Persuasive Essay
Most people think they understand what healthy food is, and what foods are completely unhealthy and should be avoided. Some foods are easy, like McDonalds or other types of fast foods and junk foods; everyone knows that these foods are not good for people in excess, and that people should not be eating them every day. However, some foods that people eat every day are unhealthy, and they may not even know it. Most people do not know how to look at and understand nutrition labels, and this is another key aspect to understanding what food is healthy and what foods are unhealthy. However, this begs the question-- if something is unhealthy, does that mean that it should or must be banned for the safety of others?
Obesity is a major health concern for most countries in the western world today, and fast food is to blame for a large number of the obesity issues that countries face. Many people who are obese do not, in fact, get the proper nutrients in their diet, because they eat so many processed foods and foods that have the nutrients stripped from them (McPhail, Chapman, and Beagan). In the United States, the cheapest food available for purchase is food like fast food; this food is high in fat and high in refined carbohydrates, meaning that eating too much of food like this can cause obesity, diabetes, and even heart disease (McPhail, Chapman, and Beagan). Instead of eating processed fast foods and other junk foods, people should be eating more freshly-cooked meals; however, this can be difficult when parents are working hard to support their families and they do not have time to cook fresh meals (McPhail, Chapman, and Beagan).
Children who eat too much fast food-- and the issue of families who eat a lot of fast food-- is not as black and white as it may seem. Of course, some families have the means and the access to healthy food and choose to eat fast food instead; however, in many places in the United States, fast food is the only option for parents. Children are targeted by fast food companies in the hopes that they will begin to consume the fast food young, and remain customers for the rest of their lives.
There is plenty of information available to consumers about the nature of fast food. However, consumers are unable or unwilling to act on this information-- either because the fast food is too easy to consume or because they have become numb to the reality of having so much fast food present in their communities. The customer wants to be wooed. However, there are a plethora of ways in which corporate entities “woo” their customers. Ritzer suggests that this is called “Starbuckization,” the process by which the customer asks for more, expects more, and then sacrifices the intimacy of the mom-and-pop storefront. Starbucks offers all the things that McDonald’s does-- fast service, an addictive product, and quick customer turn-around, while also offering something McDonald’s cannot: a comfortable atmosphere and the illusion of an individualized customer experience. Starbucks gives individuals more choices in how they want their food and drink prepared, while still managing to keep costs low and control over the various aspects of production high.
Some people ask what the problem is with fast food: why does it make you fat? Some fast foods are obviously unhealthy, as they are fried in fats or covered in sugar. However, other fast foods are less easily recognizable as unhealthy, and it is important to recognize the unhealthy parts of fast food to make good choices regarding what to eat. The first and most important thing to understand is that fast food has hidden calories everywhere. Salads from fast food restaurants are not healthy if they are covered in dressing; the dressing from fast food restaurants are full of sugars and other carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, in their simple form, are often eaten to excess by individuals in the western world; simple carbohydrates are found in sugars, sweets, and breads like white bread (McPhail, Chapman, and Beagan). The problem with carbohydrates is that they are “fast” energy for the body. It takes little time for the body to digest these nutrients and turn them into usable energy.
Good examples of healthy foods include fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as lean cuts of meat. Lean cuts of meat are cuts of meat without a lot of fat on them; these cuts can be less tasty than other kinds of meat, but with proper cooking, these cuts of meat can be just as good as other kinds. Often, people think that just because they are eating vegetables, they are eating healthily; however, this is not the case. Vegetables that have been fried or have been cooked in butter or cream are not healthy choices, and should be avoided.
This, however, begs the question of why quick energy is a bad thing. The truth is that nutritional science is one of the most complex, highly-contested forms of science; scientists are constantly discovering new things about the body and the way it works. However, there are a few things that are generally accepted about simple carbohydrates. The first is that simple carbohydrates cause the blood’s insulin levels to spike (Ritzer). Occasional spikes in insulin levels-- to control the body’s blood sugar levels-- are not a bad thing. However, when insulin spikes repeatedly and the body begins to become insulin resistant, the individual is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening disease (Ritzer).
Does this mean that fast food should be banned? Some cities in the United States are imposing bans on certain types of foods, or imposing higher taxes based on the nutritional content of foods. However, it seems as though fast food-- and the choice to eat fast food as an adult-- should be left up to the individual. Every adult should be allowed to make his or her own choices regarding food. However, what does need to change is the way that these fast foods are marketed towards children. Today, children are often the target of marketing for fast food restaurants and other unsafe junk foods, and this type of marketing must not be allowed to continue unabated.
Fast food initially seemed an ideal food for children. A large number of children have taken fast food as a daily meal. An unusual number of children were being admitted with some diseases such as bloody diarrhea, obesity, and diabetes. Some of them hospitalized and some others died. Part of the problem is that many people have a very poor understanding of what it means to eat healthy; fast food restaurants are notorious for creating situations in which people think they are eating healthy food but really are not. McDonald’s has taken a brilliant marketing strategy-- hooking children first on the brand, then on the cheap, tasty food-- and extended it around the entire globe.
Advertising makes the issue of fast food much worse, particularly in terms of children. Children are unique susceptible to fast food advertisements: they are colorful, interesting, and contain children having fun. Children see these advertisements and commonly want to experience these things for themselves. Advertisements for fresh food are typically much less appealing to children, and as a result, children are less likely to whine and complain about wanting to eat fresh foods.
Let's take an overview of what fast food contains and how they prepare the food for customers, and then apply that to children. A burger patty from McDonald’s, for example, has a lot of calories. Besides, burger patties from these restaurants are not only meat. It mixed between mashed bones, fat, and a lot of chemicals to make the meat looks better and taste good. Also, it is a way to save a lot of raw meat so they can have a lot of burger patties product.This way is more useful for those restaurants like McDonald’s and others who follow this matter. The benefits they can get is that they can sell burgers with less cost. And thus, people with limited income are more accessible and affected by these products.
Fast food should be banned in places like schools and other locations where children are present. Obesity is a huge problem in today’s world, and we must be careful to stave off the worst effects of it. Children are much more susceptible to the messages that fast food companies display, but they are also much more flexible, and can easily turn an unhealthy lifestyle into a more healthy one. Adults should be free to make choices regarding their bodies, but it is the responsibility of adults to take care of the children and ensure that they are living the healthiest lifestyles that they can.
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