Healthy Fast Food Development - Research Paper Example

? Healthy Fast Food al Affiliation The fast foods available at most outlets fail to meet the healthy standards of nutritional meals. With the cheap products ready at the cafeterias, restaurants, and already processed junk food in the shopping malls, the society ends up consuming a lot of unhealthy prepared fast foods, either with high salt, sugar, trans fats, or chemical additives, which are a hazard to their health. The young people are highly exposed to these foods than the adults, and as a result, the number of diseases ranging from cardiovascular, heart and kidney diseases has intensified, due to lack of taking control measures in consuming the unregulated fast food. Though the fast foods can be associated and blamed to the food industry, home made fast foods can be a good substitute, but if similarly uncontrolled, risk of feeding on unhealthy foods still remains. For a healthy fast food, the ingredients used need to be controlled substantially; the consumers should also plan on consuming healthily, by ensuring they eat correct portions of balanced diet in the fast foods as a healthy behavior. People should not be controlled by the flavors, sweetness or preference, but rather by making correct choices for their healthy diets. Keywords: Health, Fast Food, Junk Food, Sugar, Salt, Trans Fat, Saturated Fats, Balanced Diet, Chemicals, Additives, Ingredients, Diseases Introduction The norm of the modern society has been accessing fast foods to save time in their activities. Students and employees prefer to have meals that can be prepared and served quickly, without even paying attention to how it was prepared, the ratio, and ingredients used in the ready product. On top of the preparation criterion, these fast foods target a wide range of people and seem to be located in accessible places, near schools, companies, busy streets and town centers, where the population is relatively large to promote the fast food business. As a result, the fast food restaurants acquire high proportion of their product consumptions, where the customers’ preference even dictates how, what, and intensity of the products they prepare. Eating fast food once in a while is not a problem, but why the society or families cannot take time to prepare their own healthy meals is not an excuse to have reckless habits of consuming fast food. There are lots of healthy effects on high consumption of fast foods, especially problems that affect the physical health of the consumers. Although the manufactures and preparing restaurants have of recent been aware of consumer group movements, against their sales of unhealthy food, much lies with the consumers to ensure what they consume is nutritious and healthy. Unhealthy drinks and food should be avoided for their safety. Safe Ingredients Chemicals: Most of the available fast foods on the market are prepared with additional chemicals that are dangerous to consumers’ health. The past generations could afford to make fast food without chemical additives and lead a healthy, satisfied life. Unlike the past society, the chemicals used today in the fast foods were not available and though the technology was not advanced as it is today, the meals were tasty and healthy. There are lots of foods in the fast food industry that are prepared using chemicals to make the food appealing, add flavor and even preserve them, attracting the people to buy the foods. As a result, people end up consuming processed fast foods containing lots of toxins and chemicals, such as (Monosodium glutamate (MSG), Aspertame, 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PHIP), sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, sweetening and coloring chemicals whose accumulation in the body have a negative effect if not flushed out (Strauss, 2012). Just because the food is appealing does not make it healthy, and given the opportunity, the society and the fast food industry should avoid preparing their food on their menus with such chemicals. Fast foods can be made healthier and appealing even without using chemicals in the modern fast food preparation. The ingredients; raw products from the farms and animal have themselves been produced using the modern chemical infused methods, hence adding more to the fast food would be chemical effects when consumed. Most of the fast foods available in the market, fries, bakery products, and processed foods have several chemical components. Having boiled or chemical free foods (without additives) could be considered by many uncivilized, but as much as people can avoid chemically made fast foods, it would be healthy and a preventive measure of exposure to certain carcinogenic products. One way to avoid such fast foods is to take time and prepare own food, as well as checking the labels for chemical components used in the packed food. According to Hipp, with the proper information and the best choice, people can avoid unhealthy chemicals, and fast foods made from chemicals by choosing healthy substitutes, without compromising their health due to compounds used (2008). If children, especially the young infants can survive by consuming foods without chemicals for their health, the same should be followed in preparing the tasty fast foods, such as grilled chicken and burgers, preferred by many in restaurants. At least homemade healthy foods can be prevented from most synthetic chemicals used in the fast foods Trans fat: Healthy fast foods need to have very low levels of Trans fats, and if possible labeled for consumers’ awareness. High levels of Trans fats in fast foods have been a problem the fast food chains have failed to regulate the industry, and as more profits flow in their companies for the high society consumption, the people are left with other expenses of having to monitor their health from the negative effects, caused by the accumulation of these fats. The fried potato chips, chicken, and snacks available in the food chains are loaded with high proportions of Trans fats, especially formed during food processing (hydrogenation) than it exist naturally from the animal products. Healthy fast foods should have limited Trans fats as a healthy diet, which involves controlling dietary cholesterol and saturated fats (FDA, 2013). Although the packaging of the fast foods could read low or no trans fats, the consumers should make an effort to switch from the hydrogenated oil and fat foods, even if it involves methods of boiling, steaming, or grilling, rather than frying with the oils at home. Making homemade food could be quite expensive for those who are always in a rush or needing to avoid expenses for kitchen shopping. However, they end up consuming unhealthy fast foods made with Trans fats that are even cheaper than alternative unsaturated oils. Their health is being compromised, because they end up buying the cheap fast food as displayed in the restaurants and shopping malls. According to Hoeger, W. and Hoeger, S., foods that contain hydrogenated fat, partially hydrogenated oil and trans fatty acids ought to be avoided, because they can cause elevation of the LDL cholesterol either in high or similar proportions as caused by saturated fats; effects of heart diseases and formation of gallstones could result from the lowering of the LDL cholesterol and increase in triglycerides, which are also caused by trans fats (2012). Unless, most the people’s preference; commonly sold fast foods in the outlets has substantially reduced the amounts of industrial produced trans fats, their prepared foods will remain unhealthy for consumption with regard to health damage. Trans fats have always been known to be high in calories; meaning the more the intake, just like all the other fats, it could result in excess weight gain over a short period of time. This is what many are avoiding, especially when it leads to obesity. To keep fit healthy fast foods should be made free of saturated and Trans fats if difficult to regulate in food preparations. High Sugar and Salt Content The food industry has for a long time been making sweetened fast foods that target younger people more than the adults. Companies spend lots of money advertising, promoting,. and marketing sugary brands of products and other junk foods that are unhealthy for the kids, let alone the adults (Prevention Institute, n.d.). Fast foods do not necessarily have to be unhealthy, but considering the trend the preparations and manufacturing is following, most consumers end up purchasing products with either the high sugar or salt contents in the food and drinks. To have healthy fast foods, order those with low salt, or sugar contents: in any case if drinks or the food can be ordered plain, the consumer can control the contents themselves. Sometimes the choices available make people feed on unhealthy meals, but forgoing the preference and making right choices would preserve their health. Though the Sodas and other sweet drinks are at their exposure, they do not satisfy in the long run; instead, choosing a low sugar fruit juice, low fat milk, water, or diet soda would steer a healthy lifestyle, if one depends on fast foods (Palo Alto Medical foundation, 2013). The beverages are often consumed, but people should consider the sugar level they take, especially now that the quantities in the least packages have been added. Sweetness and sugar are not healthy, when uncontrolled and should be limited in intake. The salt in the correct proportions is important for any human health. This is not the case any way, with the modern society consuming almost two times more than what is required, through the fast foods. Salt consumption dictates the frequency of beverage and water consumption, because as one takes more salty foods, the thirst generated cause more intakes of sweet beverages if not water. The fast foods can be healthy if they do not have excessive quantities of salt. The processed junk foods and fast food in restaurants and cafeterias are potential high salt products, hence, there is a need for the consumers to flee from them, if the producers cannot lower the sodium use, else people end up suffering from hypertension, which is a potential risk of kidney failure, cardiovascular diseases, and heart attacks among other illnesses (Smith, 2012). Low salt content fast food may lack the taste in the high salted ready meals, but with time, one can adjust to such foods and live healthy in the long run. Rationing It is not about preference, but more on the choice made. Any food (whether fast foods or nutritional diets) remains unhealthy, if consumed in high proportions. Sometimes the problem may not be with the fast food, but with the people consuming them. It is obvious that the tastier it becomes, the more the desire to grab a bigger size; meaning if it contained high sugar, salts or fat contents, the more the consumer ingests in their bodies. As much as the society blames the fast food industries, some home made meals are no better; therefore, holding themselves accountable to what they consume and in what ration, taking fast food in moderation (eating appropriate proportions of the fast food sizes) and choosing to eat healthy is vital for a prolonged life (Johansen, 2012). People should be responsible healthy food consumers, and take little portions of the fast food at their exposure as a healthy diet. Fast food should be consumed as part of the extras, given a chance they take them once in a while, on an irregular basis allowing substitutes of better moderated nutritional food made at homes. This could be one way of avoiding to consume one type of nutrients like fats, proteins, or carbohydrates alone as sold in fast food outlets. Conclusion In relation to the appropriate proportions of fast food, in terms of size and balanced diet nutritionally, consumers need to eat mindfully, watching the sugar and salt levels they take, as well as the content of extra details served in their food. Some of the products that dress their ordered fast foods are excess calories and fats, which should be avoided. As a recommendation, no matter the type of food taken, body exercise should be part of the healthy lifestyle. Consumers should also ensure they have adequate information before consuming any fast or healthy food as a precaution. It provides counsel and makes them responsible for what they take. The fast food industry should also take measures to produce healthy fast foods with regulated ingredients, especially on sugars, salts, Trans fats and additives, and reliable information about consumer choice. Lack of consideration of these factors is what makes most of the fast foods unhealthy. Reference List FDA. (2013 March, 13). Talking About Trans Fats: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm079609.htm Hipp, E. (2008). Fighting Invisible Tigers: Stress Management for Teens. Buckingham: Accessible Publishing System PTY, LTD. Hoeger, W. W. K., and Hoeger, S. A. (2012). Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning Johansen, L. T. (2012). Non Fiction: Fast Food Vindication. Retrieved from http://fastfoodvindication.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TheBarrettCompany_Johansen_final_10-21-12.pdf Palo Alto Medical foundation. (2013). Fast Food. Retrieved from http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/nutrition/fastfood.html Prevention Institute. (n.d). The Facts on Junk Food Marketing and Kids. Retrieved from http://www.preventioninstitute.org/focus-areas/supporting-healthy-food-a-activity/supporting-healthy-food-and-activity-environments-advocacy/get-involved-were-not-buying-it/735-were-not-buying-it-the-facts-on-junk-food-marketing-and-kids.html Smith, A. F. (2012). Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat, Volume 2. California: ABC-CLIO Strauss, P. (2012, April 29). Dangerous Chemicals in Fast Food Other Than MSG. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/484086-dangerous-chemicals-fast-food-other-msg/ Read More