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PEOPLE CRAVE FOR FAST FOOD

A Research Paper Presented to

The English Resource Center

School of Multimedia Arts

Asia Pacific College

Magallanes, Makati

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements of the Course

ERESWRT – Research Writing

Trisha Dianne I. Yalong

April 2014

CHAPTER I

Introduction

A. Background of Study

People are fond of eating to different kinds of places. And mostly, they tend to pick elegant restaurants because it is a different way of eating experience. People think that whenever they hear “fine dining” it is some sort of high class restaurants because of the formality it gives starting from the service until the way they design or cook their food.

From an article entitled, "What is Fine Dining?” by Lorri Mealey.  According to it, fine dining is one of the most expensive type of restaurant because of it’s formality in serving and making the dishes to the customers. It is very elegant compared to other types of restaurants or food places.

Mealey said, " It brings to mind all kinds of images, from crisp white table cloths to waiters in tuxedos. Fine dining, just as the name suggests, offers patrons the finest in food, service and atmosphere.” (http://restaurants.about.com/od/restaurantconcepts/a/Fine_Dining.htm)

Since people love eating in fine dining areas, they simply would love to bring their family most probably when there are significant events in their lives they would love to celebrate. So not only the adults are the ones being able to experience a formal way of eating, but even their children.

From an article entitled, “Children and fine dining, who determines what is appropriate” by Cristine Struble. It stated that, workers should treat the way customers should be treated. Whether they’re young or not, there should be nothing controversial about it since they are still customers and they pay the workers so they should at least be treated the way all customers are treated. It is a matter of equality of every customer to be given respect to the workers. And it also said that since it is fine dining, even younger people should be treated in a more elegant and formal way since they were there to experience a true fine dining way of eating.

Struble said, “Bringing children to upscale or fine dining restaurants can be controversial. Again, I do not believe the age of a guest should be the determining factor.” (http://www.examiner.com/article/children-and-fine-dining-who-determines-what-is-appropriate).

People are commonly more interested in experiencing new things. That’s why they would pick different kinds of restaurants to eat in. And from that, the fine dining restaurants are usually being the ones people would love to eat in since it is very unusual, and they would have a lot of difference compared to other restaurants. From that also, there could be a big increase from contributing in eating in fine dining restaurants.

And from an article entitled, “Fine-dining restaurants poised for growth in 2014” by Bret Thorn. It said that, fine dining has a big increase compared to the past years. It means that people still tend to contribute in elegant dining nowadays. It also said that people tend to eat in fine dining restaurants mostly when they are new to some place to try to taste the different dishes in a more formal way.

Thorn stated, “For many restaurants, 2013 was a challenging year, as consumers, facing higher payroll taxes and feeling a continued unease about the future, were cautious about discretionary spending.” (http://nrn.com/fine-dining/fine-dining-restaurants-poised-growth-2014).

Eating in fine dining restaurants may be a new and different experience compared to usual eating outlets. However, the researcher observes that people still pick and crave for fast food restaurants even though it could bring a lot of problems to their health.  There are some reasons why people can’t seem to avoid eating fast foods although fine dining is more special and elegant.

Knowing on why people are craving for fast food can help others to know the idea on why and how could the craving thing happen. People will know on when to stop and how to stop eating fast food. It can help a person to stop doing things that makes them into eating fast foods.

The purpose of making this paper is to help readers to have an idea about the bad effects of fast food, and to help readers to know on how to stop craving for fast foods.

B. Statement of the Problem.

This study aims to answer the question:

1. Why do people crave for fast food?

C. Significance of Study.

College student  of Psychology. This research paper would be able to help or become a basis for students in college who are taking up Bachelor of Science in Psychology. This way, they could understand more deeply the causes on why people still crave for fast food, even though them knowing the bad effects.

Parents. This research paper would help parents to have an idea on what effects can fast food bring to their family.

Teenagers.  This research paper would be able to help them in controlling their food because fast food can harm their health.

Future researchers. This study could help some scientists find a new way to help people avoid eating at fast food restaurants.

D. Scope and Delimitation.

This study focuses on the reasons on why people still craves for fast food even though they know that negative effects of eating fast food.

This study will no longer tells about the history or the fast food. It will only focus on the reason on why people crave for fast food.

E. Materials and Methods.

This paper consists of articles gathered from the internet that is all about fast food.

This paper will be analyzed by indicating the studies that have been done by some researchers and nutritionists.

F. Definition of Terms.

1. Fast food. Is  the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low food preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away. (http://www.statisticbrain.com/fast-food-statistics/)

2. Obesity. A condition that is characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body and that in an adult is typically indicated by a body mass index of 30 or greater. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/obesity)

3. Poised.  A marked by balance or equilibrium, Marked by easy composure of manner or bearing (http://www.merriam-webster.com/poised)

4. Cardiovascular Disease. A disease of the heart or blood vessels. (http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=cardiovascular%20disease)

5. To take dinner –often used with on, to give a dinner to. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dine)

6. Cancer. A malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/cancer)

CHAPTER 2

DISCUSSION

Why do people crave for fast food?

Definition and different kinds of fast food

Fast food can be a quick, easy and cost effective way to feed the whole family. Due to recent bad publicity over nutritional value, most modern fast food chains offer a selection of healthy choices with their menu. Fast food is usually based on traditional dishes, cooked using production line techniques to reduce preparation time and cost.

According to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary, Fast food is (a) “of, relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly” ; (b) “designed for ready availability, use, or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance”(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast-food).

However, an article written by Davy Shanks entitled: “Different kinds of fast food” states that there are four common kinds of fast food; First, American style fast food defined the genre across the globe. Brands such as McDonalds, Subway and Burger King have set the standard for streamlined service at low prices. Second, Italian Food is famous for its ‘all you can eat’ buffet lunches which feature not only pizza, but pasta and salads. Third, Mexican food focus on tacos, burritos, enchiladas and fajitas. Lastly, Asian food is one of the least healthy choices as most menu options will be fried in oil rather. Asian fast food also frequently contains MSG.  

Shank said, “Fast food can be a quick, easy and cost effective way to feed the whole family”  (http://www.ehow.com/info_8210451_different-kinds-fast-foods.html).

When people all over the world are looking for a quick, easy meal to grab on the go, fast food is the common solution. With the efficient service, low prices and casual atmosphere, fast food seems like the ideal.

Reasons why people crave fast food

A. Economically priced food

One of the main reasons people flock to fast food restaurants is because they are often seen as an economic and hassle-free way to enjoy a meal. The way fast food chain keeps their prices relatively low is by producing their food on a large scale. This reduces the cost of purchasing and preparing the food, and means that they can afford to charge relatively-low prices whilst still maintaining a significant profit margin. There is a lot of criticism out there aimed at the way the fast food industry is run. One particular target of contempt is the wage structure of many fast food companies where executives and owners of companies earn huge sums, whilst many of their employees work for a minimum hourly rate. The researchers show that it is really economical in fast food.

An author named Polly Noble wrote an article entitled “10 reasons you crave junk food, how to stop them” according to the article, Processed foods are created in such a thing that you will crave them again and again.

 Polly said “If you have a food that you say you can’t live without, and then it has ingredients that is creating an opiate effect that you are addicted to”  (http://pollynoble.com/2013/08/10-reasons-you-crave-junk-food-how-to-stop-them-book-giveaway/).

Foods are created in such way that you will crave them again and again.

B.    Speed and efficiency of service

Speed of fast food by mass producing a relatively small menu, fast food restaurants are able to provide warm meals very quickly without encountering a significant loss through wastage. The idea of being able to order at a counter, receive your meal within seconds, and not have to worry about waiting to be seated, served or asking for a cheque means that fast food restaurants are often the first choice for many diners who are in a rush.

Sara Clark wrote a study named “Why do we eat so much fast food?” that shows that there are some things we seem to like about our fast food. It clearly states that most of people know that fast food is bad for them but they keep on eating it all over again because their bodies and mind craved the taste. Also they created what they described as a pleasure chemicals in people inclined to addiction.  Also it’s convenient. Unlike before most moms were at home with their kids and could spend time preparing their every day’s meal. But nowadays both parents are out at work so they have no time to cook some traditional food after their office schedules.

Clark said, “Fast food is cheap, it’s tasty and it saves time.” (http://www.fastfoodnation.co.uk/fast-food-environment.html_).

Eating fast food is not good to us especially in our health. Most of us know that it can cause to obesity, heart problems and diabetes but we’ve keep on eating it all over again because we became addicted to it.

C. Brand Familiarity 

Fast food brands. The branding of fast food chains is a major factor in their success. Imagine being out on the road, or wondering about an unfamiliar town or country. If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, you may want to play it safe and stick to what you know.

Fast food companies have built an industry of making sure they are what we know through aggressive advertising and marketing strategies. Essentially, knowing what you’re going to get from a fast food brand means you are more likely to pick them over a competitor you don’t know anything about.

An author named Dr. Jonny Bowden wrote an article entitled “Fast food advertising familiarity making kids fat?” According to it, people who recognized the most TV ads were over twice as likely to be obese compared with people who couldn’t recall as many ads. The researchers showed that young adults still images from fast food TV ads. They digitally removed the brands, so participants had no written cues what fast food restaurant these commercials advertised.

Bowden said, “Simply recognizing these commercials proved the key factor whether young adults had a weight problem.” (http://jonnybowdenblog.com/fast-food-obesity/).

We all  know how hard it can be to encourage young adults to eat healthy, particularly when they’re on the go and fast food often provides quick, delicious, peer approved sustenance.

Having information on craving fast food people is nutritionally starved. Most of the popular foods people eat these days don’t have a lot of nutritional value. Even though they may taste good for the few seconds, it can do a lot of damage for years in your body. Our body needs certain vitamins and nutrients every day. If we don’t give it to them, they’re going to keep craving. If people eat healthy and nutritious food they will not crave for bad food. Our body, pretty much craves because it is not satisfied with what we “feed it”. For instance, a lot of people crave ice cream, cupcakes, pizza etc. There’s no nutritional value in that. So they keep craving and craving. Trying to fill this missing puzzle piece. If we fix this crave the first time with fruits and veggies, even though it might not be as mentally satisfying at that very moment, you will start to notice the difference long term.

CHAPTER 2

DISCUSSION

Why do people crave for fast food?

Definition and different kinds of fast food

Fast food can be a quick, easy and cost effective way to feed the whole family. Due to recent bad publicity over nutritional value, most modern fast food chains offer a selection of healthy choices with their menu. Fast food is usually based on traditional dishes, cooked using production line techniques to reduce preparation time and cost.

According to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary, Fast food is (a) “of, relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly” ; (b) “designed for ready availability, use, or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance”(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast-food).

However, an article written by Davy Shanks entitled: “Different kinds of fast food” states that there are four common kinds of fast food; First, American style fast food defined the genre across the globe. Brands such as McDonalds, Subway and Burger King have set the standard for streamlined service at low prices. Second, Italian Food is famous for its ‘all you can eat’ buffet lunches which feature not only pizza, but pasta and salads. Third, Mexican food focus on tacos, burritos, enchiladas and fajitas. Lastly, Asian food is one of the least healthy choices as most menu options will be fried in oil rather. Asian fast food also frequently contains MSG.  

Shank said, “Fast food can be a quick, easy and cost effective way to feed the whole family”  (http://www.ehow.com/info_8210451_different-kinds-fast-foods.html).

When people all over the world are looking for a quick, easy meal to grab on the go, fast food is the common solution. With the efficient service, low prices and casual atmosphere, fast food seems like the ideal.

Reasons why people crave fast food

A. Economically priced food

One of the main reasons people flock to fast food restaurants is because they are often seen as an economic and hassle-free way to enjoy a meal. The way fast food chain keeps their prices relatively low is by producing their food on a large scale. This reduces the cost of purchasing and preparing the food, and means that they can afford to charge relatively-low prices whilst still maintaining a significant profit margin. There is a lot of criticism out there aimed at the way the fast food industry is run. One particular target of contempt is the wage structure of many fast food companies where executives and owners of companies earn huge sums, whilst many of their employees work for a minimum hourly rate. The researchers show that it is really economical in fast food.

An author named Polly Noble wrote an article entitled “10 reasons you crave junk food, how to stop them” according to the article, Processed foods are created in such a thing that you will crave them again and again.

 Polly said “If you have a food that you say you can’t live without, and then it has ingredients that is creating an opiate effect that you are addicted to”  (http://pollynoble.com/2013/08/10-reasons-you-crave-junk-food-how-to-stop-them-book-giveaway/).

Foods are created in such way that you will crave them again and again.

B.    Speed and efficiency of service

Speed of fast food by mass producing a relatively small menu, fast food restaurants are able to provide warm meals very quickly without encountering a significant loss through wastage. The idea of being able to order at a counter, receive your meal within seconds, and not have to worry about waiting to be seated, served or asking for a cheque means that fast food restaurants are often the first choice for many diners who are in a rush.

Sara Clark wrote a study named “Why do we eat so much fast food?” that shows that there are some things we seem to like about our fast food. It clearly states that most of people know that fast food is bad for them but they keep on eating it all over again because their bodies and mind craved the taste. Also they created what they described as a pleasure chemicals in people inclined to addiction.  Also it’s convenient. Unlike before most moms were at home with their kids and could spend time preparing their every day’s meal. But nowadays both parents are out at work so they have no time to cook some traditional food after their office schedules.

Clark said, “Fast food is cheap, it’s tasty and it saves time.” (http://www.fastfoodnation.co.uk/fast-food-environment.html_).

Eating fast food is not good to us especially in our health. Most of us know that it can cause to obesity, heart problems and diabetes but we’ve keep on eating it all over again because we became addicted to it.

C. Brand Familiarity 

Fast food brands. The branding of fast food chains is a major factor in their success. Imagine being out on the road, or wondering about an unfamiliar town or country. If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, you may want to play it safe and stick to what you know.

Fast food companies have built an industry of making sure they are what we know through aggressive advertising and marketing strategies. Essentially, knowing what you’re going to get from a fast food brand means you are more likely to pick them over a competitor you don’t know anything about.

An author named Dr. Jonny Bowden wrote an article entitled “Fast food advertising familiarity making kids fat?” According to it, people who recognized the most TV ads were over twice as likely to be obese compared with people who couldn’t recall as many ads. The researchers showed that young adults still images from fast food TV ads. They digitally removed the brands, so participants had no written cues what fast food restaurant these commercials advertised.

Bowden said, “Simply recognizing these commercials proved the key factor whether young adults had a weight problem.” (http://jonnybowdenblog.com/fast-food-obesity/).

We all  know how hard it can be to encourage young adults to eat healthy, particularly when they’re on the go and fast food often provides quick, delicious, peer approved sustenance.

Having information on craving fast food people is nutritionally starved. Most of the popular foods people eat these days don’t have a lot of nutritional value. Even though they may taste good for the few seconds, it can do a lot of damage for years in your body. Our body needs certain vitamins and nutrients every day. If we don’t give it to them, they’re going to keep craving. If people eat healthy and nutritious food they will not crave for bad food. Our body, pretty much craves because it is not satisfied with what we “feed it”. For instance, a lot of people crave ice cream, cupcakes, pizza etc. There’s no nutritional value in that. So they keep craving and craving. Trying to fill this missing puzzle piece. If we fix this crave the first time with fruits and veggies, even though it might not be as mentally satisfying at that very moment, you will start to notice the difference long term.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Food

A Research Paper Presented to

The English Resource Center

School of Multimedia Arts

Asia Pacific College

Magallanes, Makati

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Course

ERESWRT – Research Writing

Trisha Dianne I. Yalong

April 2014

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

  A.      Background of the Study

Fast food is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of eating. It saves a lot of time and money especially for people who are coming home from work. But fast food is extremely unhealthy.

Sara Clark wrote an article entitled, “Why do we eat so much fast food?” , which says that there are three things we seem to like about our fast food. First, it clearly states that most of people knows that fast food is bad for them but they keep on eating it all over again because their bodies and mind craved the taste.

Sara Clark said “Fast food is cheap, its tasty and it saves time”(http://www.fastfoodnation.co.uk/why-do-we-eat-so-much-fast-food.html)

Eating fast food is not good to us especially in our health. Most of us know that it can cause to obesity, heart problems and diabetes but we’ve keep on eating it all over again because we became addicted to it.

Dr. Cheryl MacDonald wrote an article entitled, “What is in my food”, which says that the reason why so many people choose to eat fast food is the branding, and it is fast, so it just make sense in a society that moves at lightning speed people also want to eat quickly.

Dr. Cheryl MacDonald said “The reason why so many people choose to eat fast food, a substance virtually void of nutrition in many cases, is both simple and complex” (http://healthpsychology.org/what-is-in-my-food/)

Many people choose to eat fast food because it is fast and it can save time also it is the most we used to see in some ads.

Karen Sessions wrote an article entitled, “How unhealthy is fast food” states that fast food is considered a normal eating venture among the average person. People aren’t just eating out on special occasions or weekends anymore.

Karen Sessions said “Fast food simply feeds hunger and your immediate craving” (http://criticalbench.com/how-unhealthy-is-fast-food/)

Hunger is the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need of food. Eating fast food is not good to your health. You should think twice before eating at fast food.

Stephanie Relfe wrote an article entitled, “Junk food is addicting and killing people”, states that junk food works like drugs. That is junk food is addictive. People who can’t control their eating are not addicted to food. It’s just that the particular foods that they eat are addictive.

Stephanie Relfe said “Fast food is part of junk food, but it’s not the only source of it because supermarkets are full of junk” (http://www.activistpost.com/2013/10/junk-food-is-addicting-and-killing.html)

Many people know that junk food is fattening and unhealthy, one would think that all fast food outlets would have closed down by now.

However, since many people still give their money to junk food companies and because junk food is a major cause of obesity. The researcher observes that fast food is considered a normal eating venture among the average person.

Having background information in eating fast food will help the readers to realize the advantages and disadvantages of fast food.

Aside from explaining what fast food is and what are the causes and effects of it, The purpose of making this paper is to make the readers realize that there are advantages in eating fast food.

B.      Statement of the problem

This study aims to answer the question:

1. Why fast food is bad to your health?

C.      Significance of the Study

Teenagers.  This research paper would be able to help them in controlling their food because fast food can harm their health.

Future researchers. This study could help some scientists find a new way to help people avoid eating at fast food restaurants.

D.      Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on the disadvantage of eating fast food that includes health problems and some mental health.

This study will no longer tells about the history or the fast food. It will only focus on the advantage and disadvantages of fast food in our health.

E.       Materials and Methods

This paper consists of articles gathered from the internet that is all about fast food.

This paper will be analyzed by indicating the studies that have been done by some researchers and nutritionists.

F.       Definition of terms

1.       Fast food.  Is  the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low food preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away. (Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/fast-food-statistics/)

2.       Health.  The condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit. The general condition of the body. (Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/health)

3.       Nutrition. The act or process of nourishing or being nourished; specifically: the sum of the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilizes food substances. (Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nutrition)

CHAPTER 2

DISCUSSION

Why fast food is bad to your health?

Definition of Fast food

Fast food, according to the Meriam – Webster Dictionary is (a) “relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly” ; (b) “designed ready availability, use, or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast-food) On a deep definition, fast food is something that you can have in just one click or a food that you can have easily when you are in a hurry.

                Another definition of fast food is shown on the website, Help Guide, wherein it states that Fast food is cheap, convenient, filling, and to many of us it tastes good. Unfortunately, eating just one fast food meal can pack enough calories, sodium and fat for an entire day or more. Eating fast food on a regular basis can lead to a host of different health problems. But still, the quick and cheap temptation can be often be hard to resist. (http://www.healthorg.com/)

                According to an article written by Karen Hellesvig-Gaskell, Fast foods are characterized as quick, easily accessible and cheap alternatives to home-cooked meals, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They also tend to be high in saturated fat, sugar, salt and calories. According to the NIH, many fast food chains have responded to growing public awareness about nutrition by offering some food that is lower in fat and calories than their normal fare.

               

Why do we eat so much fast food?

Many people like to eat fast food daily and the chances that they eat traditional food are gradually decreasing. At present fast food shops is rapidly increasing not only here in the Philippines but also all over the world. Many people eat fast food because it has some benefits. Most people think or feel that it is delicious especially when they saw it in the commercial ads. Another benefit is that they can take it easily because most of the fast food is very affordable and they can buy it everywhere and eat it at once. So that, we can say that many people choose to have fastfood instead of traditional food.

According to an article entitled “Why do we eat so much fast food?” by Sara Clark, There are three things we seem to like about our fast food. First, it clearly states that most people knows that fast food is bad for them but they keep on eating it all over again because their bodies and mind craved the taste. “Fast food is cheap, its tasty and it saves time” (http://www.fastfoodnation.co.uk)

Eating fast food is not good to us especially in our health. Most of us know that it can cause to obesity, heart problems and diabetes but we’ve keep on eating it all over again because we became addicted to it.

An article entitled “Americans are obsessed with fast food” by Eric Schlosser states that fast food is so popular. It’s easy, It’s convenient and inexpensive compared to other foods it’s something that many people can go out and enjoy. Also, according to that article McDonalds is the most popular fast food chain. They introduced a way to eat fast food without knives, forks or plates. “Get people back into the kitchen and combat the trend toward processed food and fast food” (http://www.cbsnews.com)

Why fast food is bad to your health?

Here in the technology and information age, we have more knowledge and advancements than ever before in history. Sixty years ago, who would have ever thought that you could send an instant message over a phone, let alone take a picture with it? Sixty years ago, who would have thought we would be capable of sending a man to the moon, but fail the war on obesity and cancer?

According to an article “10 worst effects of fast food” by Ejaz Khan states that fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served quickly. Fast food can also be defined as any food that contributes little or no nutrient value to the diet but instead provides excess calories and fat. Fast food is harmful to health. It is a cause of various diseases. And here are somme most common disease and other side effects caused by fast food.

Obesity- means having too much body fat. It is not the same as being overweight, which means weighing too weight gain. Even small amount of fast food can increase your calorie intake considerably.

Heart disease- people who eat fast food four or more times a week up theri risk of dying from heart disease by 80 percent. Fast foods create a much higher risk of heart disease because of the high level of saturated or trans fats found in much of the food.

“Fast food can be a good way to save time but it is not proper way for nutrition”  It is true that we can save time in buying or eating fast food but we don’t know that it can also lead us to some health problems. (http://www.wonderlist.com)

 CHAPTER 3

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY

This paper attempted to determine the health benefits of eating in fast food.

The research format used in this study is the descriptive method in data from documents and interviews were used to answer the research question. The research findings are the following:

1.       Fast food is not only bad for physical health but also for mental health. Mental health is much more than the absence of mental illness.

2.       Fast food promotes impatience. Fast food companies make us fat and tempt the children with some advertising.

3.       Fast food can cause major illness like obesity, heart problems and diabetes.

Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are occurred:

1.       The benefits of fast food, it is quick and you can save time in present busy lifestyle.

2.       The major disadvantage of fast food is the effect that it has on one’s health. It is true that fast food is unhealthier than home cooked meals, as it contains higher amount of unwanted nutrients.

Recommendations

After having the conclusions of the study, the researcher hereby make the following suggestions/recommendations:

1.       We need to realize that traditional food is better even though it will take a lot of time to do it but it is worth every minute because it is healthier than eating fast food.

2.       Remember health is wealth.

References:

John Spartan (2008) Advantages and disadvantages of fast food. (http://www.knolarticles.com)

Karen Sessions (2002) How unhealthy is fast food (http://www.criticalbench.com)

Ejaz Khan (2000) 10 Worst effects of fast food (http://www.wonderlist.com)

Blogpost #9 Negative impact of fast food on a child’s nutrition

Fast food have become increasingly popular to us especially to the children. Due to increased advertising. The global childhood obesity epidemic is focusing attention on the effects of food and beverage marketing.

According to an article “Yale study: Fast feeders still on the hook for kids’ health” from the site www.adage.com by Maureen Morison states that fast food companies including McDonald’s and Burger King may have decreased advertising aimed at children and gone so far to put more nutritious foods in kids’ meal but that’s not enough according to one study. According to the Yale Rudd Center for Food policy and obesity, too many children are seeing fast food ads on TV not aimed at children and too many restaurants are still introducing non nutritious items to the adult menu canceling out any supposed good. That’s to say nothing of the restaurants increasing their marketing to children and to minorities. The report, Fast Food Facts 2013 is a follow up to a 2010 study by Yale, which found that fast food chains were marketing to kids more than ever. The 2010 study examined the marketing practices of 12 major fast food chains. The new study looked into the practices of 18 major chains including McDonald’s, Burger King,Subway, Wendy’s and KFC. In the last few years, the report said there are a few positive developments such as some healthier sides and beverages in most restaurants’ kids meals but the chains have a long way to go to promote only healthier fast food options to kids.

“Mostly unhealthy products, and children and teens remained key audiences for that advertising.” says Maureen Morison

Most fast food chains increased their advertising to kids.

Another article “The immediate effect fast food has on children” from the site www.thenational.ae by Rachel Lewis, The fats, sugar and salt in fast food draw kids like a magnet, largely because they appeal to a child’s “primordial tastes.” From an evolutionary point of view, humans are hard wired to crave high calorie food as a survival mechanism so each time wee see, smell or eat fast food many chemicals and neurotransmitters are released in our body. Eating foods rich in antioxidants such as fruits and vegetables and healthy fats such as cold water fish and nuts leads to positive energy and moods both of which derive from positive brain function. A diet high in fast food lacks these nutritional benefits increasing the risk of depression.

                                
“The high content of sugar in junk food causes fluctuations in children’s blood glucose levels” says Rachel Lewis

This makes them edgy, sleepy and irritable throughout the day and leaves them with no motivation to be active.

Most fast food restaurants stepped up advertising to children and teens. Fast food companies also frequently advertise to children and teens on the internet, in social media, on mobile devices, in schools, community, centers and just about every other location they frequent. Furthermore, much of this marketing is targeted to black and youth, who suffer disproportionately from obesity and diet related diseases.