English 100
March 19th , 2014
If you ever asked your father or your mother about their favorite dish they probably replied their favorite food is the one that their mother made for them at home. Because back in the day there weren’t so many restaurants or fast food chains around and the concept of dining out was not popular back then. A decade ago Fast food Nation, a book by Eric Schlosser, was published in which he wrote, “In 1970, Americans spent about 6 billion on fast food; in 2001, they spent more than $110 billion. Americans now spend more money on software, or new cars. Often, they spend extra on fast food instead of books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music combined.”(page 3). There are several reasons why this modification has occurred which would be outlined in this essay along with the serious effects of this move towards fast food on individuals and society. The culture of fast food was initially a means to make life easier for working individuals, but this stream of unhealthy food has done much to worsen circumstances by becoming the cause of unhealthy habits and lifestyle.
One of the many reasons that fast food has become so popular is the change in lifestyle. People have started working long hours; there are longer shifts and extended school hour for student. They don’t have time to go to the grocery store and prepare their meals so fast food became very convenient for busy people. Women that used to stay at home and take care of the family are joining the workforce and consequently they don’t have enough of the time to cook for their family. Another reason is the internet; media and constant advertising has influenced people and makes them want to become part of this new trend and follow it as much as possible. (Quirk, Shae E., Lana J. Williams, Adrienne O'neil, Julie A. Pasco, Felice N. Jacka, Siobhan Housden, Michael Berk, and Sharon L. Brennan., 2013)
This change in diet also has some serious negative effects. By regularly eating fast food, we expose ourselves to a number of health risks. An average fast food lunch contains 827 calories in total and some of them even have 1000 calories. Considering that the average adult female only needs 2400 calories per day and average adult male needs 3000 calories per day, consuming excess calories puts you on the risk of weight gain and weight related health problem such as obesity. These people will automatically become less productive and have a bunch of health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Another outcome of fast food culture is the loss of family tradition such as eating together for Sunday dinner. So parents and their children have less time to talk now. Fast food has also been liked to depression by most researchers. Compared to people who eat little or no fast food at all, people who eat fast food on a daily basis are 51 percent more likely to develop depression, although, but this hasn’t been fully proven yet. (Freedman, David H., 2014)
It the end fast food might be convenient and tasty addition to the daily diet, but people really shouldn’t consider fast food as a regular meal because behind all of that they enormous also have health and social effects. I think people should really go back to family tradition, eat together as a family and add some exercise to their daily routine so they can live healthier and happier life.
Works Cited
Freedman, David H. "How Junk Food Can End Obesity." Atlantic Monthly July 2013: 68-89. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.
Quirk, Shae E., Lana J. Williams, Adrienne O'neil, Julie A. Pasco, Felice N. Jacka, Siobhan Housden, Michael Berk, and Sharon L. Brennan. "The Association between Diet Quality, Dietary Patterns and Depression in Adults: A Systematic Review." BMC Psychiatry. Biomedcentral.com, 2013. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation : The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.
