Fast Food Reality

Have you ever asked yourself why are there so many fat people out there? No? Yes? This writer has, and this writer would like to know what the reasons are. It is hard to know all the reasons, but most of them are obvious. We are what we eat. This is one of the simplest reasons, and this writer believes it is right. Most of obese people have bad nutrition habits such as high fat level food intake. According to the United States government, the number of overweight Americans is higher than ever before. A 1991 study found that one-third of U.S. adults are obese. One of the reasons for this percentage is the frequent consumption of fast food. The American fast food is not healthy and most of it leads to obesity and might cause cardiovascular problems. It also contributes to polluting the environment. Another reason is that millions of cows, chickens, and pigs are killed every year to satisfy hungry people. Fast food is not good for our health and for our environment.

Most of American fast food is unhealthy, high in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol, but generally low in the nutrients a growing body needs. Do you know how many grams of fat a burger contains? No, right? The reason is because fast food is not often labeled with nutrition facts, but people do not care about it, they just want something fast to eat. The problems begin when the intake of fast food is frequent or almost every day. It is really easy, cheap, and of course fast going to any fast food restaurant or drive through and buy a burger and fried chips, but is it good for your health? The response is No. This does not mean fast food is bad. But it does mean you should fit fast food into a balanced healthy diet. “Research shows that eating too much high-fat foods contributes to high blood cholesterol levels. This can cause hardening of the arteries, coronary disease and stroke. High-fat diets may also contribute to a greater risk for some types of cancer, particularly cancers of the breast and colon”.(Fast food facts-internet) Eating disorders associated with a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity, and obesity is expensive. As an example most of the diseases above-mentioned are directly related to obesity. Realize that it is still possible to eat fast food occasionally and follow sensible diet.

Fast food also contributes polluting the environment. Just think that for a second how much garbage do fast food restaurants throw away every day. It is a lot. And where it comes from? This is an easy question. It comes from every wrapped burger, straw, or chips and drinks containers. Just imagine thousands of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and so on are sold every day in United States, so a lot of garbage is collected every day, but just a small part of it is recycled.

Another reason of why fast food pollutes the environment is beef. In the United States beef is king. The Western World has a love affair with beef. But how many people are aware that the real costs of the cattle culture are animal suffering, global hunger and poverty, and environmental devastation. More than 6.7 billion-hamburgers were sold last year at fast food restaurants. Beef has been central to the American experience. The relationship between beef and the environment pollution is that cattle raising is a primary factor in the destruction of the world’s remaining tropical rain forests. They graze on nearly 24 percent of landmass of the planet and consume enough grain to feed hundreds of millions of people. The burning of tropical forests to clear land for pasture releases millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. There are currently 1.28 billion cattle populating the Earth. Cattle are also a major cause of global warming.(Rifkin) They emit methane, a potent global warming gas, blocking heat from escaping the Earth’s atmosphere.

One more reason is our dependence on animals for food and the profoundly inhumane and unhealthy conditions under they are currently raised. Beef, pork, turkey, and chicken meat are the main ingredient in fast food menus, but just a few people know how these animals are treated before they are killed and be part of our meal. Mass-produced chickens (around 99% of the market) spend their lives in huge windowless sheds. Many dead and dying birds go unnoticed to discompose in the litter on the shed floor. Most poultry are killed by electric stunning plus neck cutting. They are just animals people think, but the reality is that those animals also feel as human beings.

The owners of fast food restaurants say it has positive side also. It is really convenient predictable and fast because out there you can find a fast food restaurant anywhere and it is cheap. Fast food has become a part of the busy American lifestyle. People who work full time and have no time to go home and cook, or students living at the dormitories who do not have the facilities for cooking are just examples of why people eat fast food. “There are more than 300,000 fast food restaurants in the U.S.” (Fast food facts-internet) and is an important source of employment. But anyway fast food is not the best election for a lunch meal. Healthier choices can be made to help make a healthier body such as eating in vegetarian restaurants or regular restaurants stead of eating fast food every day.

This writer conclusion is that even with some positives aspect fast food should be avoided to conserve better our environment and our health. It is your choice to continue eating fast food or not.

Works-Cited

Rifkin, Jeremy. Beyond Beef: The Rise and Fall of the

Cattle Culture. Mammersmit, London: Thorsons, 1994.

B. Elizabeth. “How much fat is in Fast Food?”

Netscape. Internet. 7 Oct. 1998. Available:

http://www.parkmaitland.org/sciencefair/elizabethcarly.html.

London Greepeace History.” The inside Story”.

Netscape. Internet. 7 Oct. 1998. Available:

http://muu.lib.hel.fi/McSpotlight/media/books/fawn.html.

Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. “Fast Food Facts”.

Netscape. Internet. 7 Oct. 1998. Available:

http://www.olen.com/food/book.html.