The Problem of Fast Food and Its Impact on a Healthy Lifestyle - Essay Example

Fast Food and a Healthy Life As more is learned and admitted about today’s food industry and America’s consumption habits, it must be realized that fast food and a healthy life style just don’t mix. The consumption of junk food has expanded at a rapid pace during the past half century and the consequence of convenience has been the rapid expansion of the nation’s collective waistline. Junk foods in the form of fast-food, crowd every major intersection in every city, town and hamlet in America and many other countries. Science has proven that eating junk foods on a regular basis, as most of us do, causes weight gain at the least and more serious obesity in every one of five Americans. More than just being a crime of the fast food industry, though, Americans have come to expect increasingly larger portion sizes at all restaurants, leading them to consume unhealthy quantities of food at a meal. Obesity is a major health concern though no one seems to be sounding the alarm. If one wishes to live a healthy lifestyle, fast food restaurants and oversized portions must be avoided. One of the common characteristics of fast food is that it is high in caloric content and low in nutritional value. Unfortunately, not many people are aware of this fact and many are easily swayed by the high quality appeals of the fast food industry. “Health experts believe that constant promotion of high-calorie food is contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States by encouraging preferences for junk food and contributing to poor eating habits” (Byrd-Bredbenner & Grasso, 2000). With a burger joint on every corner and a hectic American lifestyle plus the added bonus of small prizes to hook children while they’re young, it is difficult to avoid the allure of the fast food choice. Lifestyle preferences such as video game junkie and overeating on a regular basis, not surprisingly, contribute to weight gain. “Eating a diet in which a high percentage of calories come from sugary, high-fat, refined foods promotes weight gain” (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). Fast food consumption and lack of exercise are the major controllable factors in obesity. Inordinate amounts of time spent on the computer, watching television and playing video games leads to higher rates of obesity. “Over nine million children between the ages of six and 19 are overweight” (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). Obesity initiates public humiliation which can be very harmful, often causing serious psychological damage that may last a lifetime. The physical problems introduced by obesity are even more severe. The condition dramatically lowers quality of life as well as life expectancy. Obese people suffer from a greater number of illnesses, stress-related problems in their bones, joints and back regions and are generally more lethargic than those who are not overweight. Obesity is linked with at least 30 adverse health conditions. Arthritis of the knees, back, hips and hands are common problems of the obese further reducing their enjoyment of life. Breast cancer is twice as common among the obese. In addition, the veins of the obese are more constricted which slows oxygen to the tissues of the body and prompts complaints of breathing problems, sleepiness and general fatigue (“Fast Food,” 2003). However, it isn’t always lifestyle choices that lead children to eating too much fast food junk. Sometimes, they don’t have a choice. “Fast food industries are a regular presence in school cafeterias. Industry has programs where employees regularly word with high school students, influencing course offerings through monetary support to the schools.” (Poetter et al, 2004:126). The rate of obesity among youths is more than twice what it was just two decades ago. “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” (“Fast Food,” 2003). Some schools are attempting to wean its kids off junk foods by removing candy and soda machines in addition to providing meals that nourish the body not just satisfy the appetite. However, this is the exception, not the rule. Junk foods remain in the majority of schools for economic reasons. Parents are allowing their school systems to choose financial considerations ahead of the children’s health. “The students may be junk food junkies, but the schools are hooked, too, increasingly dependent on the revenue that soda and candy machines bring in each year” (Nakamura, 2001). To encourage better diet choices, there is a new national initiative growing to change the practice of school lunch options as well as new laws requiring restaurants, including fast food restaurants, to provide nutritional information about the foods they serve. At the same time, a new food pyramid has been put in place that not only redistributes the food categories of our old food pyramid into more energetic vertical bands, but also graphically illustrates the importance of activity to a healthy lifestyle, as discussed in the article “New Food Pyramid” (Klotter, 2005). The vertical color bands of the new pyramid represent the various food groups including grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, dairy, and meat and beans. “To emphasize the need for physical activity, one side of the pyramid shows a runner ascending a set of steps” (Klotter, 2005). The new pyramid also places emphasis on whole grains as opposed to refined grains, reduces the size of the recommended number of servings of each food group, increases the level of fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations and introduces a change in attitudes toward saturated fats. The new food pyramid does warn against trans fats but cite experts who modify the warnings: “trans fats are uniquely bad for you because they raise LDL and triglycerides while reducing HDL” (Willett & Stampfer, 2002 cited in Klotter, 2005). Both the new and the old food pyramids place emphasis on a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. This emphasis is a means of trying to combat against the high rate of heart disease in America, but there remains a great deal of confusion regarding the proportions of serving sizes and how that relates to age, gender and activity levels. A study reported in Scientific American indicated the pyramid was successful as it was discovered that “men and women who were eating in accordance with the new pyramid had a lower risk of major chronic disease. This benefit resulted almost entirely from significant reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease – up to 30 percent for women and 40 percent for men” (Willett & Stampfer, 2003). Yet, consideration still must be made for individual differences in gender, age, and other factors. The convenience of junk foods is literally killing Americans yet the response to the crisis has been slow and sluggish. In some ways, Americans may not even feel they have a choice between fast food and eating healthy or may feel the two are interchangeable. Food portions, including the fast food ‘super-size’ meals, have grown to incredible proportions, encouraging overeating while lifestyles are becoming increasingly sedentary. Several moves have been taken to counter this trend including changing school lunch options, laws requiring a more educated public and the introduction of new food recommendations distributed in the visual format of a food pyramid that introduces the importance of exercise. However, healthier lifestyles must be adopted one person at a time, one day at a time. Efforts of education and getting healthier food choices into the hands of Americans must continue with greater energy moving into the future. Works Cited Byrd-Bredbenner C & Grasso D. “Commercials During 1992 and 1998.” Journal of School Health. Vol. 70, (2000), pp. 61-65. “Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity.” CBS News. (January 5, 2003). April 25, 2010 Klotter, Jule. “New Food Pyramid.” Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. July 2005. Nakamura, David. “US Schools Hooked on Junk Food Proceeds.” (February 27, 2001). Common Dreams.org. April 25, 2010 “Overview of Obesity.” Cardiovascular Diseases. University of Virginia Health System. (January 22, 2007). April 25, 2010 Poetter, Thomas S.; Thomas Lee Goodney & Jennifer L. Bird. Critical Perspectives on the Curriculum of Teacher Education. University Press of America, 2004. Willett, Walter C. & Stampfer, Meir J. “Rebuilding the Food Pyramid.” Scientific American. January 2003. April 25, 2010 Read More