Junk Food and its Effects on the People of the United States - Essay Example

Junk Food and its effects on the People of USA Food can be defined as anything taken in by a living organism whether in liquid or solid form to sustain its life, growth, provide energy and repair of the tissues. The way in which each one these will occur is determined by the nutritional value of food taken by an organism. Junk food, which is also referred to as fast food, refers to food that has low nutritional value. However, this food provides/supplies the body with excessive calories, sugars and fats. It is commonly available on the shelves of shops and supermarkets packaged as snacks. This kind of food requires little or no preparation at all. Examples of such foods include; carbonated drinks, salads, pizzas, salted snack foods, gums, fried fast foods among others. In addition, most of these foods are characterized by low or absence of roughage. Discussed in the subsequent paragraphs on the next page are the effects of junk food to the health of an individual, non-health effects and finally the significance of eating nutritional food to the USA citizens. Paper outline I.) Effects of Junk Food on Health A.) Heart disease B.) Obesity C.) Peptic ulcer (also referred to us PUD) D.) Chronic illnesses E.) Depression F.) Impact on learning ability II.) Non health impacts of junk food consumption A.) Effect on the environment B.) Impact on social life C.) Impact on the Economy III.) Significance of consuming nutritional food the USA People A.) Effect on their health B.) Effect on the Economy of the United States C.) Effect on the Agricultural Sector I.) Effects of Junk Food on Health A.) Heart disease Those people who take junk/fast food four or more times in a week are highly susceptible to heart diseases up to 80%. This is due to the presence of too much saturated or trans fats present in most of the foods of this type. These fats, when taken in, lead to clogging of blood vessels (more specifically the arteries) and after a period of time, they stimulate increased cholesterol levels (Schlosser, 13). B.) Obesity This is a term used to refer to the state where one has too much body fats. However, the term ought not to be used as a synonym to overweight. Being overweight refers to the state of someone having too much weight/weight gain. Obesity is escalated by excessive consumption of junk foods with a lot of fats. C.) Peptic ulcer (also referred to us PUD) This is a common ulcer that occurs in an area of the gastrointestinal tract which is often acidic. This results in extreme pain. Even if it is to a small extent, junk foods also aggravate occurrence of the same. The types of junk food associated with this kind of disease are salted snakes, chips and pizzas (Schlosser 16). These foods are characterized by little or complete absence of fiber. By percentage, it is estimated that 2% of the US population comprise of victims of peptic ulcers. It is observed that there are approximately 500,000 new cases of people suffering from the disease annually. D.) Chronic illnesses Junk food is responsible for the escalating rates of illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if the rate at which the current USA citizens are consuming the junk food persists, by the year 2050 about 33.5% of them will be suffering from diabetes (Schlosser, 22). E.) Depression This is mainly stimulated by one’s low self-esteem which can come with the escalated frequency of consumption of junk food. This is brought about due to one gaining unhealthy amount of weight. The loss of self-esteem does not only lead to self-denial but may also lead to serious actions like suicide. F.) Impact on learning ability One of the factors contributing to the success of a learning process is a nutritious diet. Excessive intake of junk food especially the ones with high sugar levels may lead to depletion of energy levels of children and also their ability to remain attentive for a longer period of time. II.) Non health impacts of junk food consumption The impacts of junk food the citizens of the United States of America are not only limited to their health. There are other non-health impacts that accompany the same. Some of them are as outlined under; A.) Effect on the environment Junk food is packed in some wrapping material and it is in most cases bought and consumed from anywhere. Some people tend to discard those wrappings inappropriately leading to environmental pollution (Schlosser 30). With regard to Robert P. Yagelski, “…..modern food system is wasteful and causes environmental damage” (Yagelski, 640). B.) Impact on social life Those people who rely on junk food to curb their hunger get very little time to gather together and share a meal as a family and even if they would gather together, in most cases one will eat his own choice of meal that he would have ordered for. This is clearly brought out by Yagelski, “…….each of us ordered something different is a hallmark of industrial chain, which breaks the family down in to its various demographics and markets separately to each one.” (Yagelski 649). Still on the same note, children of a family that rely on these types of foods will end up not knowing to cook appropriately. This at the end of the day becomes a perpetual problem in the sense that it will be transferred from generation to generation. C.) Impact on the Economy Most of the junk foods are cheaply acquired and hence most people tend to go for them hence reduced purchase of the nutritious foods at various food selling points. This to a greater extent touches the agricultural sector in the sense that it will lower the morale of farmers to produce due to reduced sales. III. Significance of consuming nutritional food the USA People As seen from the preceding section of this document, junk food has a lot more of negatives which has to be avoided by all means. People ought to substitute these kind of foods with nutritional which do have a lot more benefits to an individual. Outlined under are some of the reasons as to why the citizens of the United States of America ought to consume nutritious foods rather than junk foods. A.) Effect on their health Consumption of a nutritious diet will lead to the improvement of the health of the individual. This is because of the presence of the important nutrients that are vital for the proper growth, development and tissue repair. The important nutrients which are usually missing in most of the junk foods but present in nutritious foods include vitamins, proteins, minerals and also roughage. This will also to a reduction in health related problems that would result in wastage of money on medical expenses. B.) Effect on the Agricultural Sector Consumption of a balanced diet will result to a boost in the agricultural production since the USA farmers will have the citizens buying their produce and as a result get motivated to produce even more while at the same time having enough capital to pay wages to their labourers. Yagelski makes it clear; “……large multinational corporations often buy coffee from large coffee growers who employ workers at low wages and sometimes in poor working conditions.” (Yagelski Page 642). C.) Effect on the Economy of the United States Taking of nutritious food will result in one having significant amount of energy and their bodies will also be in a good state hence making them able to be productive. This will be beneficial right from an individual, family level and even the same will stretch to the economic growth of United States of America as a whole. Work Cited Schlosser Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American MealHoughton Mifflin Harcourt: New York. 2012. Yagelski Robert. Reading Our World: conversations in context. New York: Cengage Learning. 2009. Print. Read More