Death by Fast Food

Just by a show of hands, who eats fast food at least once a week?

Well that’s nice, because you’re killing yourselves.

That’s right. Every day, millions of dollars are funneled into the fast food industry in exchange for sub-par food that barely meets FDA requirements. That isn’t even made up; I’m pretty sure that you all remember the lawsuit against Taco Bell – even though the suit lost, Taco Bell stated that their taco meat consists of “88% meat and 12% signature recipe.” I don’t know about you, but even at that, it doesn’t sound appealing or healthy. Fast food is like a tick – it sucks on our finances, and will ruin us when we least expect it to happen.

The question is, “Why?” Why do so many of us eat fast food, even though we’re aware that it’s unhealthy? What causes us to want more of it? More importantly, how can we stop this?

Sure, fast food can make you gain a few pounds, but what many of the general populace doesn’t understand is that fast food is directly linked to an array of health risks and conditions. The increased oil and fat content might taste great, but these are just some of the ingredients that add to the myriad of health issues. Different studies in Sweden showed that one month of increased fast food consumption lead to the inflammation and permanent scarring in some of the test subjects’ livers, and diets similar to fast foods increased the presence of chemicals known to cause Alzheimer’s. And if that isn’t enough, other studies, including one by The American Heart Association, have shown a doubling of the risk of abnormal glucose control – factors in type-2 diabetes and heart disease. With all of this overwhelming data, it’s hard to understand why people don’t stop eating fast food; my guess is that it’s due to the familiarity we feel from fast food.

Fast food is ingrained into modern society, like a parasite attaches itself to a host. Each chain has its own style of radiantly lit signs, attracting customers like flies to a lamp. Their logos appear ubiquitously – everywhere from the newspaper to enormous billboards on the highway. It’s no wonder that they spend almost 10 billion dollars per year just for their ad campaigns. I have to give them credit - they are effective at brainwashing Americans by the thousands, convincing them to keep on buying fast food. Morgan Spurlock, the creator of Supersize Me, proved this by quizzing young children on pictures of well-known figures. Nearly all of them recognized Ronald McDonald, but less than half recognized our President. This kind of familiarity will undoubtedly lead to them to have a higher preference for fast food. It’s sad really, how much of a grip these companies have on our way of life.

We also buy fast food because it’s cheap - cheap and easy to get. There are literally dozens of fast food chains in every city throughout the United States. Didn’t bring your lunch to work? Don’t have anything left in the fridge? Not a problem. There’s probably a McDonald’s within a five-minute drive from you, and your meal will cost you less than ten dollars. It’s this availability – the idea that you’re always in close proximity of this kind of food – that causes the problem. Why would I prepare myself a nice meal in thirty minutes when I could go to the local Burger King and be done eating in thirty minutes? This is the American mentality. This is what we must fight – the inherent laziness that causes Americans to take the easy way out – to choose fast food over a balanced, healthy meal.

We can still fight the battle against fast food – maybe not completely clean our system of the companies, but force them to healthier standards for all Americans. We’ve already taken steps towards this in recent years – by forcing them to show the nutrition facts of their menu, more citizens are able to think among the lines of, “Hey, this isn’t good for me. I don’t think I should be eating this,” and refrain from eating the less-than-healthy items. The problem is that many people don’t read the nutrition facts. However, researchers from Texas State University have a good idea – simply marking healthier items with a heart symbol caused consumers to pick healthier items, more so than items with their nutrition information added. One little heart symbol - that’s all that we need to save our own hearts in years to come.

Fast food companies are the tapeworm of America – willingly, we eat fast food, only to crave even more – it’s a vicious cycle that will repeat itself indefinitely until all of us, as Americans, rise up and stop it. We can’t just protest fast foods, we have to physically stop purchasing all forms of it – only then will the money stop flowing to the companies. Only then will they realize that they have to change, or die. Remember, every little act counts.

Bibliography:

Karolinska Institutet. "Fast Food A Potential Risk Factor For Alzheimer’s." ScienceDaily, 28 Nov. 2008. Web.

Schlosser, Eric. Americans Are Obsessed with Fast Food: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. CBS HealthWatch. Broadcast. 11 Feb. 2009

Crosta, Peter M. “Liver Damaged By Too Much Fast Food And Too Little Exercise.” Medical News Today, 15 Feb. 2008. Web. .

American Heart Association. "Fast Food And 'The Tube': A Combo For Heart Disease Risk." ScienceDaily, 10 Mar. 2003. Web. .

Stutts, Mary Ann, Gail M. Zank, Karen H. Smith, and Sally A. Williams. “Nutrition Information and Children’s Fast Food Menu Choices.” The Journal of Consumer Affairs Spring 2011: 52-86

Super Size Me. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Perf. Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, and Lisa Ganjhu. Kathbur Pictures, 2004. DVD.

"McDonald's Posts Sizzling 80% Profit Rise in 2008." Breitbart.com. 26 Jan. 2009. Web. .

"Taco Bell Meat: 88 Percent Beef, 12 Percent "Signature Recipe" | Fox News." Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos. NewsCore, 28 Feb. 2011. Web.