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Cody Bennett
Professor Smith
ERH-102-01
10 April 2015
Disease or Decision?
In today’s society there seems to be a growing trend of obesity among all age groups.
This problem has been considered to be heavily associated as an American quality, yet there are
research studies and findings that prove that this is a global problem. This is a complicated issue
to solve solely because of the nature of its individuality. Data is easily collected from group
studies, but the choice to consume unhealthy food is left to the individual. The fast food industry
is the scapegoat for most of the world’s obesity issues. The individual is often left blameless in
claims that obesity is a genetic disease and is uncontrollable. The other side of the story, and the
most likely side, is that the individual chooses to consume unhealthy food high in salt, trans fat,
and saturated fat, because it is convenient. However, the convenience of fast food does not
outweigh the health risks associated with fast food consumption. Individuals should recognize
this and be held accountable as educated consumers making their own decisions to indulge in
foods associated with health risks.
Fast food’s beginning comes from the golden state of California. The small start from
hotdog stands eventually evolved into Mr. Carl N. Karcher establishing Carl’Drive-In Barbecue.
What made this restaurant special is that it had a very limited menu that served only hot dogs,
burgers, and the now ‘American’ food now known around the world (Food, Inc.). This Drive-In
featured a place where cars could pull in and park and get served food while still in their
vehicles, the beginning of the drive-thru was born. Using this idea the McDonald brothers
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developed an assembly line process that revolutionized the food industry. This system allowed
the workers to mass produce one food item such as cook a batch of burgers, slice tomatoes, or
chop lettuce, and then assemble the burger from all of the components. This process that was
done by a whole staff of workers expedited the ordering and delivering process greatly. This was
the start of the demand for readily available food in the U.S. (Lendvai 178).
Fast food is widely admired for being readily available with many store locations.
Popular companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and Taco Bell often have multiple
locations in just one city. These stores without a doubt produce food that tastes great and is
prepared very quickly, and is cheap in cost with deals such as “value” or “dollar” menus. The
drive-thru is also another reason why fast food is so popular. The drive-thru provides a quick
way to pickup food while commuting, which leads to the evasion of healthier options for meals.
Commuters often pass through the drive-thru to and from work which could easily be prevented
by preparing meals before leaving for work, or waiting to arrive at home to prepare a healthier
option. The hours of these stores also allow people to come and receive food throughout the
night, and early in the morning. The convenience of fast food or eating out often makes people
feel as if they can avoid expensive grocery bills from whole food stores or markets. Shopping for
and preparing food may intimidate some consumers, and lacking proficiency in cooking may
also scare beginning shoppers. The more people continue to replace meals with fast food, the
higher their caloric intake will grow, therefore attributing to the growing expansion of the
obesity epidemic (Bennett 2).
Fast food restaurants are also known to stimulate social situations as gathering points for
various age groups. For example, fast food locations have welcoming deals for the elderly and
“early bird” specials that save them money. A study conducted by a group of researches found
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that adolescents close to schools are often found to use local fast food locations as meeting points
for a quick bite, or as a hang out place (Lendvai 179). This social stimulus can be attributed to
fast food chains marketing and advertisement strategies that target specific age groups. These ads
are not restricted to fast food chains, but also the soda companies such as Coca-Cola or Pepsi that
partner with these chains. Together this combination leads to the growing dependency or
attachment people form with fast food corporations. This dependency has been or rising trend
has been seen not only in America but also most of the globe.
Studies have been conducted around the world to prove that the intake of fast food is
directly related to health risks and disease. Australia is one country in particular that was
westernized early, therefore having a quick exposure to fast food. A group of researchers found
that food in fast food restaurants was 20% higher in fat content than home cooked meals (Bobba
76). This is profoundly caused by the lack of consideration fast food chains take in the
production of their food. Whether it be storage with added preservatives, or the lack of care that
is put into the ingredients at factories, little regard is given towards the final product except for
taste. Fast food is known for being high in trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and other harmful
nutrients to the body. These different ingredients may contain other harmful stimulants that’s are
used in animal feeds, plant herbicides, or genetically mutated organisms (GMO’s). These
GMO’s can lead to future health risks and can have even been proven to be harmful to the
environment. These fast food companies and chains have little in mind when establishing
nutritional values and supplying healthy ingredients.
The United States has always been a popular stigma for obesity, and has been affected
considerably by the take over of fast food restaurants. The food that these chains put out is
directly correlated not only to obesity, but also to other major risks such as diabetes, high blood
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pressure, and heart disease. Caloric intake is a known factor in obesity, and a study was
conducted to show that meals eaten at fast food restaurants have a much higher, unhealthier
caloric nutrition value than fresh grocery bought products.
“A recent analysis of 4746 adolescents in 31 urban secondary schools found a remarkable
correlation between the frequency of fast-food consumption and daily calorie intake.
Those who never ate at fast-food restaurants had an average daily intake of 1952 calories;
those who went once or twice a week (50% of the sample) had a daily intake of 2192
calories, and those who went three times or more (another 20% of the sample) had
an intake of 2752 calories” (Pickering 298).
This higher caloric intake greatly affects the fat content and intake individually as well as
throughout the communities surrounding these restaurants. Fast food advertising and marketing
also introduced the idea of “supersizing” to communities. This idea took off due to the fact that it
was more food for just pennies more. It was truly a good deal for the amount of product being
received for the investment being made, but this just meant an even higher caloric intake per
individual was readily available. “In 1960, the number of calories in a standard helping of French
fries a McDonald’s was 200; in the ‘70s it was 320; in the ‘90s, 450; and today it is 610”
(Pickering 298). This growing amount of calories per consumer is solely affected by how much
the consumer choses to eat, and the decreasing nutritional value that fast food companies allow
their products to have.
This caloric intake continues to become a problem even as the population expands; the
trend seems to that as the population expands, the amount of calories per individual increases.
“According to the US Department of Agriculture, the production of food has increased form
3300 calories per person per day in 1970 to 3800 calories in 1994 (Pickering 298). Due to these
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higher calorie meals and items the companies have offered more ‘healthy’ options to their
regular and value menus. For example, salads have become a popular option at restaurants, but
hey pack a punch calorically with high fat dressings. Wraps are also a popular option at most
locations but have high fat chicken or pork, as well as sauces with high amounts of sodium.
Breakfast items just as oatmeal and yogurt tend to high in sugar, which makes them poor
substitutes to traditional breakfast foods such as fruit or eggs. Health professional Jillian Layne
counseled obese patients at CHKD Sentara hospital in Norfolk, Virginia for years and just
recently moved over to the administrative staff. She describes most of her patients as dependent
upon fast food almost as if it were an addiction. When asked if fast food chains promoting
healthier food alternatives such as salads and wraps made them healthy the response took a glass
half full approach. “No. But it's a great start. The problem is most customers are not disciplined
enough to order the healthy options” (Layne). She hints that the lacking of discipline and to some
extent could have an effect on the consumers choices. When asked if she believed fast food is a
healthy and sufficient nutritional replacement to a store-bought, home cooked meal she
again hints towards a lack of consumer education. “No… but if someone is smart about what
they order there are good options” (Layne).
The increasing addiction America seems to hold with carbonated beverages such as soda
negatively contributes to these statistics also. Almost all fast food restaurants are partnered with
big name soda corporations to be sold in their stores as a part of the meal on the menu. Soft
drinks have been proven to have a very negative effect on the body. As “supersizing” became
popular, soft drinks likewise grew in portion, which led to the eventual retail of large carbonated
beverages at almost any location throughout the world. Nutritionally, the harmful aspect of soft
drinks is the ingredient added known as high fructose corn syrup (HCFS). This is a man made
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substitute for natural sugar known as sucrose, which is then converted into glucose when
digested. As fructose is ingested the body does not know how to break it down so the proper
chemicals are not produced to regulate fat production (Pickering 299).
The convenience of fast food does not outweigh the health risks associated with fast food
consumption, and individuals should be held accountable for choosing to partake in indulgence.
As fast food began to develop and transform into a readily available, high speed assembly line,
the quality and nutritional value of its food items began to decline to meet consumer demand.
With the fall of this nutritional value came lower prices and bigger portions, thus leading to an
increase in caloric intake not only in America, but also around the world. With these higher fat
contents, and larger soft drink sizes the obesity epidemic began to spiral in a downward motion
and is still in effect today. The steering marketing of age groups and blatant disregard of fast
food corporations for nutritional values has driven the modern population to accept this as a
social norm and turn away from healthier options.
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