Fast Food and it's Impact - Research Paper Example

? Fast Food and its Impact FAST FOOD AND its IMPACT “Fast foods”, as the suggests itself means quick food, therefore, fast food is something which can be quickly prepared or cooked and served within minutes to the desired customer. Fast food restaurants have become quite popular over the years because of their quick services and mouth watering tasty flavors. They also cost low as compared to foods in other restaurants and hotels. The low cost of fast foods results from the low cost of its ingredients itself. It is often made up of cheap ingredients such as sugars, fats and high cholesterol meat items. The term ‘fast food’ is defined differently by different people and different dictionaries. The American Dictionary defines it as an inexpensive food while the Legislation passed in the city of Los Angeles defines fast food outlets having minimum items in the menu compared to other restaurants and in which the food is heated quickly before serving the customers. The Legislation says that the outlets do not have any sitting arrangements (Abdollah, 2007). The Census of Retail trade defines fast food outlets in which there are no table services offered (Currie, J., Della, V.S. and Moretti, 2009). The history of the fast food industry is generally thought to be associated with urban development but research proves that the trend has its gist in Rome (with the wine and bread stalls). Research also shows that many Asian cities had noodle and bread stalls as road side attractions for people. History reveals that in Rome, many sitting establishments offered vegetables, breads soaked in wine and other items to its customers. These eventually became successful and popular. The demand gradually rose and the trend of fast food became popular gradually around the globe (Borade, 2011) The second fast food outlet is reported to have been opened in the year 1921. An American company by the name of Whit Castle opened it (National Public Radio, 2002). More than 2 million U.S. workers work in different fast food outlets across the United States including the foods’ preparation units and its services. Fast food restaurants are located in almost every country of the world with the United States being the largest fast food industry in the world (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Fast food restaurants and outlets are on a rise. They are often not covered and are situated in open air with no proper seating arrangements. Fast food restaurants are everywhere these days. For example, MC Donalds, KFC, Burger King and many other franchises have opened up and still new ones are being introduced. These outlets are also opened in locations near petrol pumps, gas stations and utility stores. Foods which they normally serve include potato chips (French fries), hot dogs, sandwiches, nuggets and doughnuts. It is often difficult for a food to be categorized as good or bad but the problems which are associated with fast foods often deem it in a negative way. Fast foods put negative impacts mentally, physically and sometimes emotionally on people who consume it. Fast foods are often high in carbohydrates and fats which increases the cholesterol levels, in turn producing various health problems like high blood pressure, obesity and of course numerous heart diseases. It is thus obvious that these health problems create very serious impacts in the long run. Fast foods also lack main nutrients and essential vitamins that our bodies require on a daily basis (CYWH Staff. 2011). There has been a decline in the number of households which cook fresh food for its members. Due to our psychology, most of us prefer microwave readymade foods and pizzas because ot saves time in this busy every day schedule. Our body functions properly only when we consume healthy foods which are rich in vitamins and essential oils. Junk foods are deprived of those nutrient portions that our bodies require to function properly. It also lacks fresh ingredients like the fresh fruits and vegetables. Moreover, the intake of fibers becomes almost nil with the consumption of junk foods. Fast food raises blood pressure (especially if the person is already diabetic), it increases the cholesterol level, decreases the rate by which food is processed inside the body and thus weakens the immune system. Fast foods also increase sugar levels in the body (White). Since the mid 1970s, obesity and related diseases have shown a large increase. The numbers of fast food restaurants have also been reported to be increased compared to other restaurants according to the Census of Retail Trade (Chou, Grossman and Saffer. 2004). The increases in the supply of fast foods have had a very serious effect on obesity. As fast foods are often unhealthy because of their preparation under unhygienic conditions, the high demands for it are gradually increasing the risk of obesity. Obesity is commonly linked to problems like the hypertension, diabetes and various cardiovascular diseases. Certain cancers have also been related to obesity. This proves that this is indeed a very serious problem to be addressed. Observations and studies have proved that if a fast food restaurant is located within less than a mile of a school, the students of that school are affected by around a 5.2 percent increase in the obesity rate (Currie, Della, and Moretti. 2009). A study proved that teenagers and young adults who consume junk food regularly become a victim of obesity later in their lives. The existence of fast food outlets in the States is the main reason for obesity in around one-third of the adults (Antony. 2010) The most prominent feature for most of the children’s diet these days includes fast foods, like high cholesterol burgers and the French fries. This has become a norm for children throughout the world. A study of around 6212 children in America participating in the Food Intake Survey from 1994 to 1996 showed that 30.3% of the total sample consumed fast food. Both genders showed high rates of fast food consumption, including children from different races and ethnicities. It was observed that children who ate fast food consumed more fats, and less fiber compared to those who did not eat fast food (Bowman, Gormaker, Ebbeling, Pereira and Ludwig. 2004). Childhood obesity which is prevailing around the world and has become a very common problem becomes worst when a person reaches his adulthood. The percentages of children who are overweight have more than doubled, in fact tripled since 1999 (Centers for Disease Control 2001). Children are gradually spending less time outdoors and more times in their homes playing video games. They have also been reported to show lethargic behavior because of this very obesity resulting from fast foods (Chou and Grossman. 2006). Through a latest study by the universities of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain, it was found that fast foods are becoming a source of depression as well. It increases the risk of depression by around 50%. The reason behind this is the fats which are commonly found in fast foods. This a serious threat as it was found that the depression rates in Europe were higher than that of the United States even though fat consumption through fast foods is low for Europe compared to America. Lifestyles of 12,000 European volunteers were studied over a period of six consecutive years. None of the volunteers showed any signs of depression at the beginning of the study but at the end, about 657 of them were detected with diseases and depression related outcomes. In the study, volunteers presented up to 48% increase in the risk of depression who consumed fatty fast foods compared to those who did not consume it. It is stated that more a person consumes trans-fats, his risk towards depression increases considerably. If the same study was done on the residents of United States, their risk of depression would have been concluded to be much higher than that the results produced by this study. Volunteers who consumed healthy oils like the fish oils showed a lower risk toward depression. Same was observed with the volunteers consuming olive oil. It has been reported that the lack of the above mentioned healthy oils continue to increase depression among people around the world (Jonathan. 2011). Another study suggests that fast food outlets should give statin drugs for free with their meals. This is suggested to balance out the harmful effects of fast foods. Taking a statin drug with a fast food meal negates the effects of many junk foods that people usually eat about in the fast food restaurants and most of the damage is prevented hence forth. Statin does not negate or counter the harmful effects of junk food to the fullest but it does help in reducing the probability of heart attacks caused by the dangerous ingredients present in most fast foods. Dr. Darrel explained that the risk of heart disease after taking statin drugs decreases by the same degree as the degree by which the risk increases after consuming junk foods. It has been suggested that these statin drugs should be handed out free of cost every time a fast food meal is purchased. The issue has been considered so serious that Dr. Francis has referred to the statin drug as a supplement rather than a drug (Huff. 2010). Some crucial effects of fast foods such as obesity and depression have already been mentioned but the list just continues. If fast foods like burgers, hot dogs and potato fries are consumed on a regular basis, they can increase the risk of type II diabetes. A study regarding this matter proved that after consumption of fast foods by African women, the risk of diabetes in them increased considerably. The study was carried out by Julie R Palmer and her colleagues. Sometimes, only a single meal deal contains a lot of calories which is mostly sufficient for an entire day. About 44,072 subjects were studied by Julie R Palmer and her colleagues. The ages of those subjects were between 30 and 69 years. The participants were shown to be free of diabetes at the beginning of the study. At the end of the study, it was shockingly found out that 2873 of them had developed type II diabetes over a 10 year period. Type II diabetes was found to be increased in women who ate fried junk food and burgers than those who did not eat these. The increase was about 40 to 70 percent. Out of the 2873 women who had unfortunately developed type II diabetes, it was further observed that the levels of blood sugar had risen for women who ate fatty foods like burgers than others who ate other types of fast foods. Consumption of junk food increases the risk of obesity which in turn increases the risk of type II diabetes together with hyper tension (Antony. 2010). The American journal of clinical nutrition has reported that people who consume high levels of calories through fast foods like fries and fried chicken are more than 40% vulnerable to develop the type II diabetes (Huff. 2010) One more study concludes that people who live near fast food chains are more vulnerable to stroke attacks. The quantitative measures have shown that they are as much as 13% more prone than those who do not live near fast food restaurants. This was presented by the International Stroke Conference. The reason being, that people living near consume more fast food items because they get tempted by their advertisements (Adams. 2009). There are now thousands of fast food outlets all over the world. For example, Subway being one of the fastest growing franchises had around 39,129 outlets in about 90 countries according to a study in the year 2009 (subway publication). It has become a norm these days for franchises to open in different parts of the world and in various countries. This increases trade between countries and also proves to be a symbol of ambiance. The political ties also strengthen by the influx of trade through the fast food industries. Although I have included many negative impacts of fast foods, there is still one more left to be highlighted. Food poisoning is on the go these days due to the unhygienic ingredients being used by fast food manufacturers. Around 48 million people get sick from food poisoning every year in the United States of America. To add to this figure, more than 3,000 people die each year from this very problem. These numbers are still less than those which were found out in 1999; about 5,000 deaths per year were recorded because of food poisoning from junk foods. Fast food manufacturers are increasing in numbers and they somehow continue to affect people all round the globe in some way or the other. Many cookies were found to be contaminated by peanut paste in America resulting in bad health of consumers (New York Times. 2010). In accordance with these numerous health related problems, many food chains are trying to review their menus for more healthy food. There are various means by which consumers can keep a check on what they consume. For example, using lighter toppings on pizzas and burgers can cut off the additional oils. This will also help to lighten one’s meal. Using salads with heavy fast foods can prove to be beneficial due to the fresh fruits and vegetables in it. Using ketchup instead of mayonnaise may also help in reducing health problems. Cheese is a major source of fats in fast foods which increases the risk of obesity, thus one should be considerate while consuming food containing cheese. One problem with fast foods through which it is considered unhealthy is the condition in which it is prepared. Choosing fast food meals that are steamed rather than deep fried will surely help in maintaining the much needed balance in diet. It is indeed true that, we on a daily basis eat more food than we used to eat previously. The reason behind this is that the fast food deals are often big in size and one is usually tempted to eat it all. The cheap deals that many fast food restaurants offer tempt customers to buy them instead of cooking healthy foods at their respective homes (CYWH Staff. 2011). WORKS CITED: Abdollah, T (2007). A Strict Order for Fast Food. Los Angeles Times. Adams, M. (2009). Proximity to fast food restaurants boosts risk of stroke. ABC News. Antony, M. (2010). New study finds eating fast foods increases your risk of diabetes. Oxford journals. Borade, G. History of the fast food. Bowman, S.A, Gormaker,S.L., Ebbeling, C.B, Pereira, M.A and Ludwig, D.S. (2004). Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national household survey. Pediatrics, Volume 113. Centre for Young women’s health Staff (2011). Fast food facts. Written at the Children's hospital Boston. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2001). Overweight among our children and adolescents. National center for health statistics. Chou, S., Grossman, M. & Saffer, H (2004). 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