TIGblogs - Nancy

Cravings attack anytime you pass by fast food restaurants like McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, etc. What might grab our full attention is the cheap price, how it’s made quicker than cooking at home, or can be eaten on the go. Eating too much of this “wonderful” delight can speed your way to an unhealthy life. Too much is bad for your body causing obesity and other hard hitting diseases. However, why do we keep buying it, eating more, and not stop?

Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity, a study of 6,212 youngsters found (“Fast Food Linked to Child Obesity”). Kids are the target mainly since they get easily bargained by the interesting toys, colorful boxes, and fun play rooms found in fast food restaurants. Telling a child no when asked for a simple Happy Meal would break their little hearts for a measly treat. Turning down a small meal is unusual since parents don’t think of fast food as a bad thing for their young ages. School lunch in schools is also an issue in feeding the right food for kids.”Mendoza and con-investigators found that only 3 percent of the kids’ meals offeres at these eateries met by seven key standards set by the National School Lunch Program for meals intended for children in kindergarten through third grade” (Wood).

For teens and adults, how are they persuaded by fast food as easily as children? Food if food, if It’s quick the better. College teens “don’t” have time to cook a meal as usual and can’t afford buying too many groceries at this stage. The easy way out and be full is just buying out of the dollar menu or a less than six dollar meal. But is it bad eating it once in a while? No. There is no such thing as a “bad” food. All foods can fit into a healthy meal plan. It's true that fast food is usually high in fat, calories, cholesterol, and sodium, but eating fast food every once in a while is not going to cause you problems (“Fast Food Facts”). However, if too much is consumed daily, there’s a high chance of having heart problems, high blood pressure, and of course being obese.

Is there anything healthy in these menus instead of milkshakes and fries? Yes, but it’s not too healthy either. Salads, sandwiches, subs, yogurts, grilled chicken, fruit, and other less fattening options are available. Fountain drinks are less tall and oils used on fries and burgers are less thick. Kid’s meals are now offered with fruit, low-fat milk, rather than soda and fries. This change is gradual, but a good step towards change in eating better. If fast food joints keep up with the changes, less people would be at risk of being overweight.

So in the end, is fast food good or bad? Too much at a regular pace is certainly an unhealthy way to live. People need to watch what they eat and be aware what is in the food they consume. Once in a while, fast food is alright to enjoy if it is not a daily trip to McDonalds or Wendy’s. Even if healthier options are on the menu now, it does not mean that it is safe to overdo it.

Works Cited

Wood, Marcia. “Kids, Fast Food, and Obesity.” 0002161X, Oct2009, Vol. 57, Issue 9. (2008)

<http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/fast_food.html.>.

Holguin, Jaime. “Fat Food Linked to Child Obesity.” CBC News Online. CBC News. Chicago. 5 Jan. 2003. Dec. 2010.

<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591325.shtml. >.