Hunger Killing Facts

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.