Fast Food Health Effects - Essay Example

Fast Food Health Effects Fast foods can be defined as food products that are readily available and affordable providing an easy alternative to home cooking. These have become the nutritional option of choice for many because of their busy lifestyles, since many people in today’s first paced world especially in metropolitan areas, rarely have time to cook a homemade meal (“Fast Foods”). Taking advantage of this, many fast food outlets have been opened all over the country and one can almost always get a several fast food place around every block like MacDonald’s and other joints as well , and hundreds of hotdog stands in every other town. However, fast foods have been proven to have a myriad of effects both positive and negative, while the culture of fast foods is considered to have revolutionized the feeding habits of the American public, it has come under harsh criticism because of the detrimental health effects they have on health among them obesity and diabetes. However, being cognizant of this, the fast food outlets have become more sensitive to the nutritional needs of consumers and have included “health” fast foods in their menus and even going as far as regulating the amount of salt one can consume. Health Effects of Fast Foods Considering the low pricing, people are often encouraged to buy fast foods and consume them on a regular basis. However, regular consumption of fast foods often results in obesity especially in children, bearing in mind that many of eth foods are high calories such a fries and chicken, which is often deep fried, as result the may end up consuming more calories than their bodies can burn. As a result, their body fat will increase and this will lead to weight gain, and this often has detrimental health effect on the consumer. People with office jobs are more prone to this since they spend all day sitting down and eat packed sandwiches, fries and sodas, due to lack of physical activity, they quickly gain weight and in many cases, this portends health complications in posterity. Consumption of fast foods on a regular basis especially foods rich in simple sugars can lead to insulin resistance; this occurs when the pancreas is not transforming sugars into carbohydrates and energy. Insulin resistance is a precise to diabetes type 2 that occurs when the levels of blood sugar increases (Trembla). This often results to ill health, and one becomes prone to other health complications since diabetes weakens the body’s immunity. This is made worse if someone was already overweight, since it becomes hard for them to engage in physical exercise, which is important for someone suffering for this type of diabetes. The animal fats normally present in fast foods are a major contributor to build up of plaque in the arteries, as a result, this clogging, one becomes prone to arterial and cardiovascular diseases such as arteries. Such conditions occur because of the consequent restriction of blood flow to the heart due to among other things, hardening of the arteries. Furthermore, the overconsumption of fast food especially with animal fat leads to a buildup of LDL also known as bad cholesterol, this reduces the elasticity of the arteries and the heart is forced to compensate for this by pumping harder than normal, as a result, it becomes weak and one becomes a candidate for heart attacks, which are often fatal. Foods like margarine increase the risk of one getting cancer and coronary diseases. Fast foods often contain foods high in sodium, besides many fast food outlets supply saltshakers that people can add to their food, and many actually do so out of habit and, as a result acclimatize their systems to high sodium intake. As a result, they run a high risk of getting high blood pressure that is often fatal if it is not identified and treated soon enough. This becomes clear when one contrasts the dietary guide for Americans, which stipulated that a healthy adult’s sodium intake should be kept below 2300 mg of salt with the KFCs meatball marinara which contains around 2580 mgs of salt (Dray). Scientists have made connections between a poor diet, and many types of cancer, bearing in mind those most fast foods are deficient in fruits, vegetables and/or whole grain. Regular consumption of the same means you are deprived of the important vegetables and fruits, which supply your body with minerals vitamins and antioxidants, which protect the body from developing cancer. According to Corporate Accountability International, Obesity has also been found to contribute to cancers such as cancer of eth colon, kidney and uterus. Many types of cancer are related to eating a poor diet and since fast food is often deficient in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, regular causes one to have inadequate supplies of nutrients like fiber, vitamins and antioxidants that protect you against developing cancer. According to a study published in Journal gut magazine, too much fast foods and not enough exercise can lead to liver problems. The researchers put the participants in the study on a, heavy fast food diet, and restricted their exercise; the final result was considerable depreciation of their livers, which was attributed to the combination of fast food and little exercise (Crosta 2008). Nonetheless, despite the many negative effects, attributed to there are a few upsides to it one of the advantages of fast food is that due to the presence of simple sugars, one can keep a constant supply of energy in their system. Consequently, fast foods, should they be consumed in moderation, are quite good for the health and keeping up ones energy levels. Red meat, which is a common part of fast foods such as spare ribs and burgers, is actually a very health source of proteins in the body provided it is not taken in excess. Diabetic patients with low blood sugar are also advised to consume fast foods like sodas and sweets in controlled amounts since the constituent sugars, which can be easily broken down, are vital in helping bring up the levels of sugar in their blood. Furthermore, due to the public the public awareness on the negative effects of fast foods, many firms dealing with them are adjusting their produce to make it healthier. As a result, they are increasing the vegetable content in fast food and several low calories and sugar free products have been manufactured to ensure the health of the consumers is not compromised; examples include the recently launched coke zero by the Coca-Cola Company, which is one of the leading soft drink producers. The new coca cola contains no sugar at all; hence, one can enjoy it even if they are diabetic and if they are not, they will not have to fear it will increase their chances of falling getting it. Conclusion Ultimately, fast foods are here to stay, and they have become ingrained in modern eating culture as evidenced by the constant supply that speaks volumes about the demand. However, the effects of fast-foods remain primary negative especially because they are consumed in excess and the contents of these foods is often full of saturated fats leading to many of the aforementioned negative effects. This is not to mean that fast foods are all bad, as demonstrated there are positive aspects to them, and it is up to the consumers to make wise easting choices since when one consumes say, a chicken burger, at least once a week they will be unlikely to become obese as result of the same. However, someone else consuming it every day of the week will most likely suffer some negative side effects, which might include weight gain. Thus, fast foods should be consumed in moderation so one enjoy the upsides and stay clear of the negative effects one’s health. Works Cited Trembla, Louise. “Negative Health Effects of Fast Food on Children.” Livestrong .com. 16, January 2011. Web. 14 October 2012. Dray, Sarah “Health Risks from Eating Fast Food” live strong .com. 4 January, 2011. Web. 14 October 2012.< http://www.livestrong.com/article/349592-health-risks-from-eating-fast-food/> “Fast Foods.” New York Times. October 14, 2012. Web .14 October 2012. Crosta, M. Peter. “Liver Damaged By Too Much Fast Food and Too Little Exercise” Medical News Today. 15 Feb 2008. Web 14 October 2012. Read More